I wanted to share my recent experience with our 1998 S70 (80K miles) that should be a cautionary tale for fellow owners. During a cold snap here in Dallas my thermostat failed and caused the car to overheat on the highway. The gauge was pegged on high for about 10 minutes of highway driving. Shame on me...I know. The weather was in the low 20’s so I figured enough cold air was circulating in the engine compartment. I took it to a local independent shop for thermostat replacement. Total cost $150. Unfortunately over the next three weeks the car lost enough coolant to require the reservoir to be topped up every day. Fearing the worst (blown head gasket or warped head), I took it to the dealership (Point West Volvo, Irving, Texas) for proper inspection. Even though I told them about extreme overheating, they only replaced the coolant reservoir which was cracked and leaking ($150, again). Well the coolant loss continued so back to Point West Volvo the car went. Sure enough, a blown head gasket! Milky oil on the dipstick. (Why didn’t they check this the first time??) I was told to expect $2,300 to replace gasket and machine the head. But wait it gets better. When removing the head, the Point West mechanic broke a stud into the block. So I get a call from the service advisor telling me the cost of a new/used engine...at least $6,000. I ended up selling the car to a mechanic friend for $2500...fortunately it was paid off. My point? IF YOUR S70 IS OVERHEATING, PULL OVER IMMEDIATLEY…DO NOT TEMPT THE SWEDISH GODS.

P.S. I ended up buying another 98 S70 with 38K miles for only $8K. Guess I really like those comfy seats.

My brother with a Turbo 850 has a similar story. Although...his head gasket replacement was about $1500 and worked. BUT...the moral of the story is...replace the thermostat at timing belt replacements. The mechanic said when they break, the circulation does not work. And turbos create a lot of heat very quickly.

I don't get it. They broke it, so you were expected to pay?? That makes no sense. You mean to tell me you accepted that?? No way. That's their problem. Not yours.

Besides, a broken bolt is fixable. Where the hell were you? Mikey Mouse Dealership? I've extracted plenty of broken bolts in my life. Its called a drill and an "ez-out". Good grief.

They said that the block had gotten so hot it "melted" (their words) the bottom third of the stud into the block causing it to break. Because of this they could not remove the remainder of the stud. It broke about two inches into the block...not flush. They took me back to have a look myself. The threads on the part of the stud that they got out did look abnormal...of course they could have done that themslves. My first question was if they used an air wrench...they said they did not. I generally trust this dealership, but based on the reaction of the people I tell about this, I am beginning to wonder. Maybe the real moral of my story is to avoid the service department at Point West Volvo in Irving Texas!

well, when your mechanic friend drills and taps out that bolt, he'll have a nice volvo to drive around in. just try not to resent him too much. ;)

so what did the shop charge you for the time they spent on it anyway?

and, yes, in the future, I'd avoid them at all costs.

I hate hearing stories like this when its too late. Incompetent repair shops make me sick. They are who give all repair shops a bad name.

I've had the thermostat fail on my 91 740 GL and I drove it for a good while. It was knocking and pinging so bad and the entire engine was shaking when I got to the shop. I practically needed a fire suit to open the hood and the exhaust manifold was glowing red-hot. A $60.00 thermostat and a few gaskets later... I was back on the road good as new. I drove my 81 245 for 30 minutes on the highway without a drop of coolant in it... main rad hose was not connected... not a problem! Those B32 based blocks were indestructable!! I would never have tried that with my S70 or S60 - as the aluminum blocks are not at all forgiving to extremes.

Sorry to hear of your inconvenience with the VOlvo shop... but glad to hear that you are once again in an S70.... if you want to have some fun... get a T5!!! I totalled mine 2 weeks ago... now I have a 2004 S60 AWD.

Cheers!
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1998 S70 T5Se Silver,