In researching the 2001 S80, I have read numerous posts regarding the imfamous front subframe bushing clunking noise plaguing 1999 and 2000 model year S80s. Apparently, Volvo Cars is having dealers install rubber o-rings between the bushing and unibody, in an effort to prevent the subframe from contacting the unibody. I've also read that earlier "fixes" which entailed using "JB Weld and metal glue" were unsucessful. It seems that the current "fix" doesn't work on all S80s. Volvo Cars and its dealers are telling owners of these unfixable cars, that the clunking noise is a "characteristic of the vehicle".

Obviously, the reason for having the subframe bushings in the first place, is to decouple the subframe from the unibody. The fact that they don't decouple the subframe properly, would indicate that there is a design/manufacturing flaw present. It seems that the "fixes" Volvo Cars has issued to its dealers are just "Band-Aid" solutions to a major design/manufacturing shortcoming. How long do you suppose the o-rings will last before they begin to deteriorate? To me, these solutions are not characteristic of a manufacturer whose cars once had an excellent reputation for safety and durability.

Does anyone know whether Volvo has made any design changes to the 2001 S80 subframe bushing design and whether the 2001 S80s come with the subframe bushing o-rings already installed at the factory? Not having this problem properly resolved by the third year of production, raises concerns about the overall design of the S80 and the V70/S60 derrivatives, which are based on the S80 platform.

Your thoughts on this topic are appreciated.