Hello All,

I have a 1999 XC that my 17 year old daughter crashed into a boulder and then a tree. Luckily she was not injured, though the XC really got banged up in the front. I decided to fix the car and got a "donor" XC which I was told was a 2000 model. I transferred the hood, fenders and basically the front "nose" off the donor. My '99 XC looks great. Only problem is the original hood springs cannot hold up the hood off the donor car. This hood is made out of steel, while my original hood was made out of aluminum. It appears my donor car was not a 2000, but perhaps a 1998 model. I'm not complaining ( I got the donor for a song, and the parts off of it do fit perfectly on my '99 XC). I'm happy to get my car back and now the hinges and springs off the donor car are being install on myt '99 XC to rectify the problem. Still I am curious. Did Volvo use a steel hood in the first year of production of the XC, that is 1998 and then subsequently use aluminum hoods in all the following years? I would love to know the answer.

Until my daughter banged up my '99 XC, I thought its hood was made out of steel just like the hoods on my two 1996 850 wagons.

Thanks to all who respond to this arcane question.

Hugh