It's a loaded 98 V70 AWD with a 5 speed manual tranny and maybe 32000 miles on the clock. I baby the thing.

The warranty is out in May this year and I'm thinking of keeping the car another 2 years. This is my list of things I'd planned on doing. Please share with me if you think this is overkill (and why) or if you think I'm missing something. I know that this will not be covered under warranty. Are there things I should have them look at before the warranty lapses?

1) Coolant flush.

2) Break fluid flush. (I hear I can upgrade the fluid to something better, DOT 5 or something from Redline. Is that right? How much will I need for a complete flush and fill?)

3) New break pads. (Still running on original pads with 30% life left on them. I'm thinking of replacing them and leaving the disks untouched provided they are not significanly worn or warped.)

4) Flush Tranny fluid. (It's a manual and no service is recommended by Volvo but that seems wrong somehow. Besides, I hear there is a superior manual tranny fluid I can replace the old one with. What is it called and how much will I need?)

5) Air filters. (Cabin and engine. I replace these every year anyway).

6) Fuel filter. (Don't know if it's necessary but it should be pretty cheap.)

7) LOF of course as per my usual 3000 mile interval.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks.

Loreon

Are you interested in joining a mailing list of owners of early model awd wagons? This is a small group from across Canada (the manual transmission 850 and v70 awd wagons were not sold in the US). You imported your wagon into the US from Canada, didn't you?

The idea of the mailing list is to share ownership/maintenance information. The other cars (all 1997s so far) range from 70k km to approximately 150k. Email me if you are interested.

Neil

1) Coolant flush.

30k is a good time to do it.

2) Break fluid flush. (I hear I can upgrade the fluid to something better, DOT 5 or something from Redline. Is that right? How much will I need for a complete flush and fill?)

Stay with dot 4+ or 5.1. The truth be known 3 performs better, but does not last as long. 5 is silicon based and your car will not be happy with it.

3) New break pads. (Still running on original pads with 30% life left on them. I'm thinking of replacing them and leaving the disks untouched provided they are not significanly worn or warped.)

Wiat till you actually need new brakes. No need to replace just to do it.

4) Flush Tranny fluid. (It's a manual and no service is recommended by Volvo but that seems wrong somehow. Besides, I hear there is a superior manual tranny fluid I can replace the old one with. What is it called and how much will I need?)

Not going to hurt, I believe you need 3 quarts but check on that. I am not sure.

5) Air filters. (Cabin and engine. I replace these every year anyway).

6) Fuel filter. (Don't know if it's necessary but it should be pretty cheap.)

Fuel filter I usually do around every 30k. Will cost about 20 dollars.

7) LOF of course as per my usual 3000 mile interval.

Hope that helps you out.

"The truth be known 3 performs better, but does not last as long. "

I'm a little confused about this statement. A DOT 4 has a higher wet and dry boiling point, so if you use your brakes in such a way as to generate a lot of heat (track use, riding brakes down a long steep hill, etc), you may boil a DOT 3 even if it is brand new fluid causing air bubbles and a long brake peddle (brake fade). A DOT 4 will take a more heat (depends on the brand) before boiling so I'm wondering what "3 performs better" means.

Stacy

To be dot 4 it has to meet a minimum spec, in both wet and dry boiling points. A lot of dot 3s have insanely high dry boil points but fail from being dot 4 or 5.1 due to the wet boil point. Performance Friction fluid comes to mind. It is what is used in the BMW. Its dry boil point is in the high 500s while the wet boil point is in the 200s. The stuff works great. Keep in mind though it is flushed after about 2 hours of use. There are some fluids that are even better but at 40+ dollars a quart dot 3 is a better alternative. The best fluid I have found for a street car is Valvoline with dry and wet boiling points of 502 and 343 respectively. I would stay away from 5 and 5.1 but thats just IMHO. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks Charles. So what you are saying is that as long as you can keep the moisture out of the brake fluid, then DOT 3 is a very good alternative. If you do not know how much moisture is going to be collected in you fluid over a specific period of time (i.e. one does not change it every few months or so) then it is best to stay with DOT 4. Finally, DOT 5 is not good for my Volvo because of the incompatibility with the seals, while DOT 5.1 is good but expensive and that is the main reason not to buy it. Have I got that right?

How expensive is that Valvoline stuff and where does it rate between 3 and 5.1?

Also, last and final, would you recommend having the belts replaced at this point as well. I do not see any serious wear but why wait till they break to replace?

Thanks.

You got it. There is dot 5.1 to be had for 10 bucks but its not needed and I like Valvoline better. Most stores sell it for around 5 a quart. One bottle is enough to flush your system.