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GenXCer
12-09-2001, 04:29 PM
Hi all -

I'm a new XC owner and new to this bb. I've owned mostly VWs and have been a member of vwvortex.com for a while. Then, a kind soul on sweedspeed told me about this bb. I'm glad to become a member and look forward to learning and sharing information on this amazing vehicle.

I got the XC because I'm moving from Houston to Old Bridge NJ and, as a native Houstonian, I'm not comfortable driving in icy/snowy conditions. Because I've not seen what the XC can do in terms of traction (save rain) I'm interested in your experiences related to ice/snow.

Thanks in advance for you input and thanks for having me here. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Art
12-09-2001, 04:58 PM
Greetings GenXCer and welcome to the site. I can't say that I'm at all familiar with east coast driving conditions, but here in the Canadian prairies we see a lot of ice, snow and freezing temperatures. I do believe one of the members here (kw02blkv70xc) is from the New Jersey area and that he also, coincidentally, owns a '02 black XC. Perhaps he can give you a more precise indication of the winter driving environment.:)

coastal
12-09-2001, 05:04 PM
Hi Laura, welcome to v70xc.com and congrats on the new ride!

I've done a fair bit of on-snow driving with our 2001 XC and so far results are great, it tracks through everything. The car's really is at home in the heavy rain or snow and ice.

I am considering getting a set of snows for this year though.

They still perform really well, just not as good as last season when the tires were new. I'd say they're giving me 85-90% of the traction. I've got around 26,000km on them now, a fair bit above average for just 8 months of ownership. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Glad to have you on the site!

josmatic
12-09-2001, 07:48 PM
Hi Laura,

I am writing to you from North of Montreal. I have tried my car in slush, snow and freezing rain with snow tires and I can't compare with the standard tires but it sure gives a secure ride. Anyway, almost everyone that buy and drive an XC around here have their car equiped with snow tires...as it is pretty hilly around here. I therefore recommend them if you are to drive in similar conditions.

Josmatic ( alias Louis )

kw02blkv70xc
12-10-2001, 08:09 PM
Hi Laura,

Ahhhh... another NJ V70XC owner has found the board. Welcome!

I actually live in Madison and purchased my vehicle from Smythe in Summit.

Well I've had my 2002 Black V70XC for about three weeks and can tell you first hand some good and bad things about the vehicle and the way it handles in the snow after my recent driving experience this past weekend.

As you may remember the rain we just had this past weekend in NJ was actually snow in PA and Western NY.

Well after driving for an hour in the blizzard like conditions a funny thing happened. The traffic wasn't moving more than 35 mph on the right side of the road... I on the other hand was easily moving at 40-50mph rock steady in 1" to 2" of snow at times. The vehicle is fantastic, BUT I haven't shared the bad news... all of a sudden after about an hour and a half into my trip all the while driving on the snow covered highway, a really LOUD squealing sound appears from the right front wheel area of the vehicle. NOW you talk about an eye opener. As soon as I hear this sound I immediately slowed down by hitting the brakes... no change in the sound or intensity. I did however notice that the noise began when the right front wheel lost traction as I drove over a deeper patch of snow on the highway. The tractor trailers were just not cutting a clean line in the snow, so occassionally you find yourself wondering outside the line http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Needless to say the sound didn't stop even after hitting the brakes, so I revved the engine a little to see if it would go away, NO LUCK. I decided to pull over and as I pulled over the noise stopped. I sat on the side of the road and listened for any additional noise - non present. At this time the snow is coming down pretty heavy, so I decided to risk it and continue on.

I thought maybe it was a freak event. No warning signs from the dash. The noise stopped so I continue driving. Well another half hour goes by in the snow and the noise is back in all it's glory.

Just as loud - very similiar to the sound you can make on the rim of a wine glass except the sound was consistent and loud. Not like a brake locking, Not like a belt that is wet on a pully. So, I pulled over again making sure to test the brakes.. no luck the noise didn't stop. I revved the engine and did notice that the noise increased with the movement of the throttle. I even put the vehicle in neutral no change in the noise. When I finally pulled over I revved the engine a few times and the noise stopped. I decided to continue on as I needed to reach my destination. I didn't hear the noise again the remainder of the trip, which was made on rain covered and dry pavement.

In follow-up, I called the dealer today to explain the above and they mentioned that it could have been ice pack on the inside of the brake shield. Personally, I don't think that was the issue. If I pull over the vehicle is not moving and the noise is still present - how can it be the brakes?. They're ruling out the transmission, since there wasn't a fault or error code present from the system.

Time will tell if was related to the snow or a problem with the vehicle. I will just wait until the next snow storm and slippery road conditions to see if I really do have the squeaky wheel version of the V70XC. And, get this, the car only has 600 miles on it.

I don't know if anyone else on this forum has experienced anything similiar to the above, but let me tell you if this is a common problem VOLVO won't be selling many cars for their four wheel drive system.

Did I forget to mention I like the car sans the noise. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Kevin

PS... If I can suggest one change to your vehicle. Make the investment in window tinting. I went with 15% shading Black Tint for the rear passenger, rear side windows and hatch. You will love the look of the car and functionality of being able to hide things from sight. I had all 5 windows done for &#36180.00 at Tropic in Union. The car looks great.




(Edited by kw02blkv70xc at 10:14 pm on Dec. 10, 2001)

GenXCer
12-11-2001, 01:01 AM
Hello all!  

Well, the movers came and ripped my house apart all day today.  Didn't finish until after 7 p.m. and then I had to pack my cat and husband off to the airport for the trip back to NJ.  Man, I'm beat!

Thanks so much for the welcome, Kevin, Louis, Coastal and Art.  And thanks for the good information.  Sorry to hear of your trouble Kevin.  My husband will tell you I'm a hawk about listening for foreign sounds and smells in the car.  LOL!  That didn't come out right...but you know what I mean.  Once, I even asked him if he heard a strange clicking sound when we were parked outside somewhere.  To this he rolled down his window, pointed out and said, "You mean like that sprinkler over there?"  Hey - it was dark. :wink:

I did notice a slight burning smell from the XC's engine.  Chalked it up to break in.  Speaking of which - is there anything recognized time period necessary to seat the engine?  I know it's important with VWs but the Volvo salesman just said there was none.  

I don't trust their information - the dealership didn't even know what I was talking about when I asked about their awd system and whether it was made by Haldex.  Forget asking about size of brake rotors, turning radius, gear ratios (is it me or does 4th feel a bit high? Not to mention 5th, but it makes it nice for highway cruising.)

I've gotten some nice comments on not only the XC but other Volvo wagons from my fellow VWVortexers.  I just filed a report with them on my likes and dislikes thus far. (Sure wish it had rain sensing wipers.)  Kevin - I'm not in NJ yet, but I will be driving up from Houston beginning Dec. 26.  We're going to stop at the Biltmore for 3 days in the middle so that will break up the trip nicely.  I'm glad to hear of the handling in snow/ice.  Thanks for providing that information.  Please let us know what happens with the terrible sound you heard.  Regarding tint, a lot of Texas dealers automatically slap it on.  (Including the front, of course.) I'll have to have the front windows taken off when I get there.  I believe I have the Texas limit (35% all the way around).  I used to have the page bookmarked that gave each state's regs on tint...I'll have to find that.

Quick question - do you all use the mid-grade gasoline or premium?

coastal
12-11-2001, 01:40 AM
Kevin,

While reading your post I really thought it was ice build up as well until you mentioned that it was still happening with the car stopped. First week we had ours we took it for a rip in some deep snow and had a very similar sound, but I don't recall it being quite as harsh from how you describe it.  Our noise stopped with the car. The snow was about a foot deep I guess.

Hope all works out for ya. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Laura, that smell is the definately from it being new... it's a casting wax they use on the block for shipping purposes. It goes away after 400 miles or so, probably sooner.

As far as break in I was told the same thing.. that it doesn't matter. Another guy there said that if I REALLY wanted to be picky don't rev over 4 grand until you hit 1500k, though I think he may have said that because I kept on pestering him with the same question. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

In terms of fuel, I'm using Chevron 94 which is a premium in the US. I think you'll find that will be the status quo with this car... hmm.. maybe I should do a poll.. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

kw02blkv70xc
12-11-2001, 07:10 PM
Coastal and Laura,

Thanks for the reply.


Laura,

Regarding the front Windows also being tinted on your V70XC. Most people get all of their Windows blacked out in NJ and just get them re-done between vehicle inspections at the DMV. They also run the risk of getting a ticket as it is illegal to tint the front windows in NJ. Most people are willing to take the risk from the number of cars I see with all their windows tinted.

I hope you and your husband have a safe trip from TX to NJ.


Coastal,

Interesting that you also had a similar experience. I wonder what causes the noise?? I hope it was just a freak event.  

To be quite honest, I'm more concerned about the potential water being sucked into the engine problem that was recently described on this forum. Man how can this happen with today's cars? Volvo should be all over this issue and if indeed there is a problem with the design offer up a fix NOW!

I am going to be checking out my vehicle this weekend just to confirm the '02 doesn't have the intake below the bumper. If it does, I am going to have to do something about it a.s.a.p. The whole reason I bought this vehicle was so that I would be driving it in bad weather. I sure don't want to risk an engine replacement.

Now where was I, oh yah, I'll keep everyone updated if the noise re-appears.

Kevin

pveatx
12-12-2001, 04:33 PM
I have a 2001 Cross Country, European model. I drove it last year to Austria and the conditions were really foul. Sleet, icing on the road, and snow. I used the regular Pirelly tyres as supplied as standard and never even used my snow-chains. It was solid as a rock, overtaking everything on the german motorway at some 140km/h.

On my way back, the roads were clear, and on my summer holiday in France I drove the car at speeds up to 200km/h with a large Thule box on the roof. No problems, great traction, no weird sounds (not in the slush and snow either).

I really love the car, and so does the family. Have a look at my website ( http://bali.esweb.nl ), choose function Photos under Modules, select Search and enter search string "Volvo" to see my car... or copy this (it should be all one line) into your browser and enter "Volvo":

http://bali.esweb.nl/modules.php?op=modload&name=Photos&file=index&func =search

Peter