reliability upgrades?

[dcninja123]

Now that my car has new tires fixed trans motor mount and wheel bearing and air filter it should be good to go but I'd like to do little improvements now and keep reliability. I was thinking spark plugs and that turbo valve thing near the airbox for $80 from ipd. What else could I do in terms of keeping it pretty much stock but reliable?

[JRL]

The IPD turbo control valve is more finicky than stock
Besides if it ain't broke, no need to change that at all. Most work just fine for the life of the car.

Same with plugs, if they were changed at 60K don't worry about it
What you DO need to do is have the breather box system checked and replaced if found to be clogged.
THAT will give you headaches eventually if it's going bad

[dcninja123]

I've read that for sure and am worried about it but the dealership said it wasn't clogged... do they usually do that to avoid the service on them since it's a PITA or do you think that's pretty legit and I should roll with that? I don't see any steam/pressure whatever when I've checked it.

more finicky than stock? so it's actually less reliable? if that's the case I won't mess with it.

[RockitShip]

Car have abut 100k? I would change the PCV stuff and start replacing the degraded rubber vacuum lines with silicone ones... that will help with reliability.
Also run Auto RX through it once or maybe twice. Use Techron once in a while before oil changes. Only use synth oil. Treat leather interior with a product like Mothers leather care once in a few years. Plugs are prob good for 100k as long as they're stock.
If your car is 100k or more def think about replacing suspension. Drain & fill ATF with about 3-4 liters every year with stock, 3309, or toyota type 4. Not a bad idea to give it a good wax this summer and rub down door seals, etc., with silicone spray or something like 303 Aerospace for seals and other rubber bits around car, dash, etc. Replace / bleed brake fluid. Top up, or drain and fill axle fluid 75w90 M1. Maybe replace haldex fluid & filter if u have haldex. check rubber brake lines for degradation too.
Treat any rust with something like Ospho on undercarriage bits (read instructions)... and on, and on, etc., etc.

P.S. "upgrades" (i.e. aftermarket parts touted as upgrades) are seldom "reliability upgrades" and are usually the opposite. It is usually best to stick with stock parts unless stock part has inherent design flaw and then sometimes an aftermarket vendor will capitalize on the flaw... for example I find the stock sway bar end links to be inherently flawed as they go bad pretty quick. IPD has an "upgraded" end link as does, Myle HD end links (i currently use Myle HD end links). If you wanted to... say for example, upgrade your brakes, you could get Akebono brake pads, but be careful with aftermarket rotors because of quality issues.

[howardc64]

Ditto everyone's comment on PCV. PCV clog don't give much warning and will cause chain reaction repairs (seal leaks) when it goes. 100k miles is probably a good replacement schedule for preventive medicine on this engine.

Check for angle gear and final drive (rear differential) leaks. Both are < 1L capacity so should keep an eye on it every oil change.

Tie rods are good to check also at 100k, worn tie rods causes shakes but usually by then, it already ate into your tires which is >$500 to replace.

[dcninja123]

thanks for all the info guys!

[Scopeman]

One thing I disagree on is the OEM spark plugs. When I got my 2005 with 75,000 on it the original plugs were toast! The center electrode was completely worn down. IMHO they do not last close to 100k, more like 50k. Sure they are expensive at $50 a set for the Volvo OE plugs, but compared to the lost gas mileage and resulting fuel dilution of the oil from a marginal spark condition it seems cheap, plus, tight plugs in an aluminum head can strip the threads. All my cars with the so called long life plugs get more often plug replacements. Just my $0.02..