How did the lift effect the cv axle angles? I want to do the lift, but am concerned that that extra height may put extra stress on the axles. I'm at 214k miles with original cv's all the way around,...

I've seen the Euro style "swan neck" hitch you're talking about, though I didn't know it was called that. Makes sense.

Can you find an American style hitch? Those stick straight out, instead of...

I currently have the 17" wheels on my car, if I remember right they're the "Oreander" wheels.
It's coming time for new tires, and these wheels look like total garbage. The coating is chipping off,...

Did you figure it out? Does the car make the noise while at a stop and idling? Could be a bearing on one of the accessory drive pulleys.

I like the look of those strut spacers, I would be interested in those myself, but that body lift looks sketchy AF. I've seen subframe spacers done, but they were only about .5". I would not be...

That 2k/yr figure makes sense, but I've spent WAY less than that on mine in the 6 years I've owned it. I picked it up in '12 with 90k, and am just about to roll 214k. The only year I spent 2k was...

Would a misfire always cause the CEL to come on? Mine has been stumbling under acceleration or on hills, and I assume it's a misfire. However, no CEL yet.

Mine fell off a few years ago, and like you I was able to retrieve it. I just use some strong double sided 3M tape to reattach it. It's been a few years, and it's a heated mirror, and everything...

If I was doing engine or transmission work I would use a torque wrench, for most of the things I just go by feel. It's not scientific, but I just tend to gauge by how hard it was to loosen in the...

I've been running the RT43's for a few years. They've been FANTASTIC. Great grip in rain and snow, and dirt roads as well. They also wear very well if you keep them rotated.

Devil's Advocate on the Subaru, it seems like a question of when, not if, the head gaskets will go, and before I got my Volvo, I was looking at an Outback, and priced out the timing belt service for...

Since the newest of these are now 10 years old, I'm sure the market for them is shrinking rapidly. Even the nice low mileage ones are still going to be over 100K, and not too many people are looking...

Would this part failing cause the passenger door to not be able to be opened from the outside? That's what happened to mine, the passenger door only opens from the inside right now. I've just been...

Yeah, I'd be leary of an 11 y/o car with only 40k miles. That could be LOTS of very short trips where the engine never properly warms up.

My '07 has 179k on it and runs terrific. It's mostly...

I did this job 2 years ago on mine, it was straightforward and dare I say, easy. Getting the hub to release from the knuckle can be tricky, but air tools can make it a snap. I had a $15 Harbor...

Mine hit 174k today. Not much compared to others on here, but still high enough to impress friends and family.

Other than timing belt service, a set of brakes and tires, shocks/springs/front...

I have the Curt as well. I paid $125 on Amazon with free Prime shipping. Zero reason to go OEM or pay dealer prices.

Install was extremely easy, and it came with the necessary hardware and ball...

Looks like a lot of fun, and the car looks terrific!

I haven't had mine on the beach, but I can tell you from from previous offroading experience that lower pressure will definitely help.

I wouldn't consider 3 engines and (going on) 3 trannies in less that 300k miles to be "running strong". Sounds more like a maintenence nightmare to me.

I still think my '07 is cool. I actually got a compliment on it a few weeks ago.

But yeah, now that the newest of these cars are almost tenyears old, there will be issues.

Mine runs great, it...

No idea about the XC90 stuff working.

Well, the XC is unit body construction, so there is no seperate body to lift. There's a company that makes 2" lift springs for these, and you may be able to get another .5" with spacers between the...

Pretty much everything I've read online or heard anecdotally leads me to believe that you do not want to own anything German once the warranty expires. German reliability is pretty much a myth.

I...

These are fairly soft riding and handling cars. I reolaced my original springs and struts at 120k miles, and the car then rode as if I replaced them with springs and struts with 120k miles on them....