|
|
|
With his second child soon to arrive and his 240 sedan starting to look a little worn around the edges, my son is looking for a V70 wagon. His mechanic said that the '99 and 2000 model years had problems with a change to the controls for the transmission (fly by wire?).
I'm turning to this board for the real story on which years of the V70s are the best/worst. And are there any particular issues to watch out for in the maintenance records as he shops around?
Advice and experience will be greatly appreciated.
--
'94 940, '92 240, 40 linear feet of vintage jazz, r'&'b, funk and soul, engaged in the so-called 'spiritual' side of things, too. Interested in bamboo and Japanese landscaping...
|
|
-
|
|
|
Thanks for the post, Dad.
We're looking at a '99 V70, front-wheel, non-turbo, manual transmission. 132k miles, appears to have been rather obsessively maintained, always by Barrier Volvo in Bellevue, WA. Timing belt was done at 105k, has the sticker for 120k service.
Dealer is asking $5,900. Bluebook is $4,800.
All that said, the car is still on its original ETM.
Is the fact that it's made it to 132k any sign that it's going to go another 132k? Were these ETM's a fundamentally flawed design, or were there just a large number of bad ones made?
I think the Xemodex unit is about $500, right? What's the labor to have it installed?
Thanksamill, everyone.
--
240 road trip
oldparkedcars.com
|
|
-
|
|
|
Obsessively maintained - that is worth a lot. Don't worry about the ETM; people on the internet make a big deal about it. And yes, eventually you'll have to replace it. You have to replace brakes, don't you? And the AC compressor after a decade or so? Auto trans owners replace their blasted transmissions at a young age.
|
|
-
|
|
|
I agree - I think the ETM issue is vastly overblown. This is a known problem that has a known lifetime fix (XeMoDeX) and it's not a hard job to do at all. The only downside is you have to go without your car for a few days.
I think the trans issues are overblown too. Fluid changes, esp if using synthetic, will get you a long way towards saving many of those transmissions. Another great idea is to install a trans cooler and external filter setup - this is surprisingly inexpensive.
If no trans maintenance has been done try to negotiate a better price to accommodate the risk involved and then it's up to you to make up your mind as to whether you're willing to take the risk with it or not.
--
1998 V70 AWD->FWD Turbo 200k+
|
|
-
|
|
|
The mechanic is correct, the 1999 went to wireless throttle control and the ETM is prone to failure. Also the first year of the 5 speed auto, for some models.
The 2001 was the first year for the new body and additional electronics.
Avoid the AWD cars from 1998 to 2003.
I really like my 1998 V70.
Look for cars that are for sale by owner, with maint hist.
Klaus
|
|
-
|
|
|
Ask the owner when you check out the prospective car if they've had the ETM rebuilt by xemodex if you do go with the trouble years. They solve the problem. If it has been then don't worry about the differences between that and say a 98.
'99 - '03 AWD cars aren't bad assuming you don't care if you have the AWD. Many times the Bevel gear, prop shaft, or whatever have failed (and sometimes removed by sellers who 'forget' to tell you its no longer an AWD..), and the car becomes a FWD. If FWD will do ya, then don't discount these. Also, sometimes people who have the Bevel gear fail, and hear about how expensive it is to replace (3-4k), will sell at a discount.
|
|
-
|
|
|
ETM doesn't have to be a big deal. It is/was a warranty item, a 10 year warranty. If that 10 years has lapsed you can take the car to a Volvo dlr and he'll tell you if the ETM has ever been replaced or been taken care of.
|
|
-
|
|
|
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but did the 5spd stick have this issue? Or was it just the automatics? I just don't know if manual transmission had a mechanical linkage or whether it was a fly-by-wire manual.
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Markus
--
'94 940, '92 240, 40 linear feet of vintage jazz, r'&'b, funk and soul, engaged in the so-called 'spiritual' side of things, too. Interested in bamboo and Japanese landscaping...
|
|
-
|
|
|
Manual transmission in 1999 and 2000 had a mechanical linkage. I know because my daughter still drives our 1999 V70. By the way, our ETM is original and working fine. As for 2001 and later, manual trans. is VERY rare in USA. I'd be amazed if you found one but would be worth the hunt.
|
|
-
|
|
|
I am considering one myself...
1998 V70 XC
168K
$2000
One owner here in Texas
concerned about the AWD. Ideally it would be a regular V70, but it's not.
It looks very clean and straight, but I haven't looked at it yet.
Is AWD a deal breaker? How much could repairs potentially cost with a drivetrain system (I know that's a broad question, but maybe you've had an experience?)
|
|
-
|
|
|
The awd unit is about $4000 to repair at the dlr. The question is, do you need awd? Many folks have simply disconnected one half of the unit and ended up with a fwd car. That is by far the cheapest option. Usually the units fail because of a mismatched set of tires. Tires should be all the same brand and same usage as the awd unit works off of relative speeds of each of the 4 corners. Mismatched tires/circumferences reads different speeds to the brain and it keeps applying power to overcome the mismatch. Never use the small spare if you can avoid it as this creates a dramatic mismatch. Ck the tires before buying. Otherwise, it should be just fine.
|
|
|
|
|
