Just bought a 2000 S70 GLT on Long Island with a bit under 98,000 miles. Paid just less than $4000; I figured I'd put a few thousand into it, and still have a great car for a buncha years and another 100,000+ miles. After 400 miles, she really reminds me of my favorite all-weather Highway Beast, an '88 Eagle Premier (FWD), America's most misunderstood vehicle, 'cept my Eagle had even better seats, and a bigger trunk. And the rear windows went all the way down. :shades:
Put a quarter-million miles on 'er, joke is: went through only two sets of tires and original brakes; heck the only time they touched pavement was in a parking lot. (Actually, six sets of tires)

Here's where we're at with New Beast:
1. Timing Belt, Idler and Tensioning pulleys, and Water Pump scheduled for this week. Serpentine belt too, while they're in there.
2. Brakes all around, including reman calipers and new hydraulic lines.
3. Struts, mounts, bearing plates, spring seats, stabilizer linkages. Rear Shocks replaced.
4. Oil change, of course.


Unresolved, as yet, issues of priority: (HELP !!) :confuse:

1. Headlights lousy. I mean like as bad as running at night with DRLs (Daytime Running Lights) only.
Blindly spent $60 for 55w Xenon Bulbs to little avail, then found same on eBay for $10-20....
Is it worth getting crazy and gettin' 100w bulbs with HID ballasts and stuff ??? HELP !!
Hey, when the Turn Signals and Parking Lights put out more Lumen stuff than the Headlights, sumptin' ain't right. Bulbs seein' 12V engine off; 14V running.
Disabled the DRL function wit da little screw on the Headlight Switch; that seems to help some, but not nearly enough. Lens and particularly reflectors a bit dull, but I've seen way worse that pump out mucho more light onto da road. Even at the Dealer's lot. :confuse:

Researching aftermarket replacement headlight assemblies, I found one site that even had a decent installation video:
How To Install Replace Headlight and Bulb 98-00 Volvo C70 S70 V70 1AAuto.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW1SA8e6aRw&feature=plcp

Metallic coatings of plastic reflectors have evolved quite a bit over the last 12 years, so $350 OEM assemblies, even with the typically Glass Lenses, don't seem to be a prudent expenditure. Even $125-150 aftermarket and crashed-up car parts places (used to call dem "Junkyards") Imma not jumpin' at.
Made the same era; same mediocre reflector coating.


Learning to re-aim them myself; bought the 2000 Volvo Service manual on CD for twenty bucks, installed the .vmx viewer, but itsa wantin' me to be a Service Manager/Salesman instead of giving me schematics and diagrams and drawings and stuff. HELP !! :confuse:

2. Engine sometimes surging a bit at 30-35 mph at minimal load/rpm's. Similar surge, and even hesitation at 5 mph and coming off the line gently. Like in a parking lot or from a Stoplight. ETS light (Electronic Throttle Sensor ??) came on for a bit once, then went out; the inexpensive code reader of the nice guy that I bought New Beast from showed no codes to be read/confused over. :confuse:
First thought was perhaps intermittently clogged fuel filter ?? Don't even know where it is yet.
Then, readin' through about 15% of these Posts, vacuum leak is added to my list, which also includes O2 sensor possibilities. HELP!! Is "MAF" some sort of Mixture: Air/Fuel chip ?? What's the Part # ??

3. Front Cup Holders are nearly worthless. Doesn't seem to be anyplace else to put one. Currently getting by with one designed to wedge between seats; got it between seat and center console; any other suggestions ???

4. New tires all around at end of Summer. Original Michelins from Costco ?? Someone posted Continental DWS or GWS, but any other recommendations ?? Slightly bigger diameter or width ??

Anything else I should put on my list of stuff schedule and to budget for ???

THANKS !!!