Some time ago, I commented (whined profusely) here that my new-to-me '01 S-60 T5 w/ 103k miles I'd bought from a nephew had a handling problem.

It would follow every line or irregularity in the road, and while it predominately pulled to the left, the steering wheel (if let go of) would move all over the place, sometimes darting to the left, and then the right. VERY unnerving!

If this wasn't enough, the ride felt like the front struts were welded solid and every road shock was being transmitted to the cabin.

I was HATING the car, and was thinking about selling it (except given the $16k in repair receipts that came with it told me most systems should last quite a while, since so many had been repaired or replaced, including a new $4700 transmission, and a fresh dealer timing belt change only a few thousand miles earlier).

Virtually EVERY front end component had been replaced by the P.O. (motor and transmission mounts, struts, upper strut bushings/bearings, lower control arms, inner and outer tie rod ends), yet the car seemed very unstable.

Then one day, the car started "thumping" on right turns, or even slight right-of-center positioning of the steering wheel. It felt like a wheel was loose on the hub if I had to describe the feeling/sound.

Very occasionally, when coming to a complete stop, I'd feel a "thunk" as if an engine torque mount was bad (but they'd been recently replaced) and like the engine was shifting slightly.

I couldn't think of much except the front axles (half-shafts) as a reason for the thumping.

Upon changing both axles, the "thump" AND the "thunk" were both gone, and the handling settled down to where, except for the drift to the left (still there), the car rides and handles BEAUTIFULLY and responsively.

I would not have believed that the half-shafts could possibly have made that big a difference in so many ways. It's like a NEW car, and an absolute pleasure to drive.

If you are experiencing ANY of the symptoms I was, you might look into the axles.

When removed, the old axles both "felt" fine, with free movement, and no lost motion in the inner or outer CV joints. The ONLY flaw was that the right inner boot (covering the tripoid CV joint)was torn, but the rollers were free turning, and the axles were both free to slide in/out freely w/ no binding or "catches."

I couldn't get NEW axles locally (I would have preferred new), so I went for lifetime remanufactured axles from O'Reilly (who assured me they had no come-backs) at only $60 each, exchange. Naturally, the Volvo dealer quoted $900 and change for EACH side for the job, so it was no contest doing it myself.

The right side took about 2 hours (it was the first side I did, so I was unsure), and the left side took only one hour, with no "special" tools required. Overall, it was a nice way to save $1700 in an afternoon.

Bob