What is your average annual lifetime maintenance cost for this generation Volvo xc70?

[gshadow325]

bought with 156k for $600 past 2 years up to today $2400 but my list includes
New Upper Radiator hose, New Radiator, New Water Pump, New Timing Belt, New thermostat, New Accessory Belt, New Coolant Overflow Tank, New Bosch Fuel Filter,New Oil Cap,New Coolant Tank Cap,New(er) Engine from a 2000 Volvo XC with 133,000, Compression Test numbers 180 185 180 180 185, New Genuine Volvo Spark Plugs, New 5 Ignition Coils,New Lower Transmission Torque Mount, New Upper Engine Mount, New Oil Dipstick Gasket, New Turbo Return Line Gasket, New Turbo Coolant Gasket, New Intake Cam Gasket, New Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor, New CVVT Solenoid, New Front Brakes, New Rear Brakes, New(er) Right Rear Nivomat Shock, New(er) Front Driver and Passenger Seats, New(er) Front Armrest,New Interior Dash Lights, Repaired ABS Module, New engine Air Cleaner,New(er) rear booster seats(3 boosters total), New Charcoal Activated Cabin Air Cleaner, New blower Motor, New Blower motor resistor, New electronic cabin sensor, New Tires All Four 205/75/15 Cooper AT, New(er) Front OEM 45K Shocks, New(er) 45k front springs, New PVC Tank,New Oil Trap exit hose, New Magnetic Oil drain plug, New Oil trap inlet hose from head,New Oil trap inlet hose, New Oil trap exit hose to block, New turbo inlet hose, New Genuine Volvo Angle gear oil, New Heater Core Coupler, New Heater Core O-Rings, New Oil Filter, New Rear Main Crank Seal, New Transmission Fluid, New(er) transmission 93k, New tranny input seal, new tranny axle seals(both), New Power Steering Fluid,Four Wheel Alignment, Cooling System Flush, Front Lower Motor Mount, transmission torque mount, this is the biggest thing XEMODEX ETM!!!!!!!!

thats just getting the car back to running condition before any mods like the 16t,ecu,stereo ect ect.

$2300 in receipts bulk of it was the engine and tranny $1150 delivered. all this work was performed by me. Labor = zero point zero dollars, alot blood sweat and tears though. this taught me alot about how my car works and how things break and what to do to fix it. i'd put labot for all this stuff would come to about $2 to 2500.

bought car in Aug 08 with 156,00 miles on the road in Oct 08. today 2/21/2010 car is wearing 172,560 miles...16,000 miles in 16months = repairs $4 for a turbo retun o-ring that i put back in wrong when i did the 16t upgrade

[Prana34]

In about 6 years I've spent over $26,000 for my '00 volvo V70 XC. Absolute most money I've ever spent on a car in my life!

[gshadow325]

In about 6 years I've spent over $26,000 for my '00 volvo V70 XC. Absolute most money I've ever spent on a car in my life!

and its not paid off yet? lol

[DAXC70]

Mine is a 2002 model which I've only had for 2 years and in that time I've spent about £2000 on the angle gear, ABS and rear shocker but also to keep it going throughy MOTs.

I was wondering if anyone actually [I]has[I] any experience of being able to drive an XC70 past a garage without parting with large sums of cash? I feel a bit like the Barclaycard advert where the guy swipes his card as he goes down a massive water slide - I just hold mine up when I pass the garage.

[mr.bobby]

'98 Volvo XC AWD- Owned for 8yrs., 187000km
I had a lot of expenses with this car when I first bought it but now that I've gotten past the rough spots ...the avg. total cost to repair is about $1000.00-1300.00/yr. all in.
In 2005 the engine ate a valve and the secondary air pump was completely clogged and useless... so that cost a pretty penny to solve. But the average is much lower now than what it would have been had I sold the car after the top overhaul. I love those seats.

[crh]

'98 Volvo XC AWD- Owned for 8yrs., 187000km
I had a lot of expenses with this car when I first bought it but now that I've gotten past the rough spots ...the avg. total cost to repair is about $1000.00-1300.00/yr. all in.
In 2005 the engine ate a valve and the secondary air pump was completely clogged and useless... so that cost a pretty penny to solve. But the average is much lower now than what it would have been had I sold the car after the top overhaul. I love those seats.

I bought my 1998 XC V70 w/101k- spotless CarFax w/all on-time service records since new from well-regarded NorCal Volvo Dealer (tranny, power steering, radiator and brake flushes, complete new belts (serpentine and timing), water pump, pulleys/tensioner set, all done at 70k), in Santa Cruz, CA for $2,600.00 in cold, crisp Benjamins in February of this year.

I Craigslisted my area and soon met up with frantic but still somehow Cali-laid-back Stanford post-grad student about to move to Belize for 2 years and wanting ANY quick cash, as his plane left for his studies down south 3 days later... the car had no scratches and no dents, not even any corrosion on any portion of the entire exhaust. Finally in the right place at the right time to buy... the 1998 was the third XC I drove; the other two, a 1999 and a 2000 XC respectively, has the 'throttle by wire' throttles, and besides being potential money trap components, the 1998's mechanical throttle felt so much better and accurate to me, I was startled by the seemingly vast difference in 'feel'.

About a week later, I replaced both front door 'closer' parts, w/IPD pieces, an IPD skid plate, a tune-up, K&N filter, new cabin filter, new coil, plugs & plug wires, cap and rotor, complete oil trap service, all new brakes, rear hatch struts, Hella 120W H7 high-beam bulbs, relocate horns, silicon hoses, top off front diff, 4 (natch) new tires and 4-wheel alignment, black re-code key fob, leather steering wheel 'sausage casing', IPD shifter button kit, IPD HD end-links, poly bush upper mount, swaybars and sb poly bushings, new headlight washer nozzle, new 'in front of rear tire' rubber mud flap, fix a driver's side stuck inside door opening handle (new cable, back on pulleys, done), fix 6 CD changer (thanks, JRL!), install new Nivomats and IPD stainless steel brake lines and a some additional mods/upgrades/fixes/maintenance... several thousand dollars to bring it up to full Stage 0, around $6k... did as much of the work myself as I could... when I needed help, I visit the amazing Volvo Certified mechanics (and very cool human beings), at Packard of Vermont in New Haven, Vermont, and things get done very quickly, cheaply and well...

I'm still trying to figure out what to buy for aftermarket upgrades for front struts- want to upgrade to full IPD slotted/pads, but I can't seem to find the correct answer about XC compatibility.

I don't know whether Bilstein and/or Koni Yellows as well as the IPD HD spring mounts will work with the taller '98 XC, and I need to find out. I also urgently need (for safety's sake, especially when carrying my two kids in the back at night), a 'bull bar' for a set of 7" Cibie driving lights, as the deer and moose in our parts just *love* to randomly cross in front of cars almost every night of the year.

Between chasing the Stage 0 plus mild IPD upgrades (around $6,500.00 including the initial purchase of the XC itself), and the planned upgrades
probably $1,200.00. I believe that preventative maintenance and crucial system/component upgrades will help avoid many nasty surprises down the road (pun intended).

From what my friends who own and love AWD XCs, AWD R's, 1998 to 2008 XC V70s, and a few FWD V70, both 'R' and non 'R' turbos, as well as you folks, I plan on at *least* shelling out between $1k and $1.4k for basic maintenance (discluding IPD shiny stuff, etc.), annually, and will be absolutely grateful to do it, considering the combination of performance, reliability, safety, fun and economy/utility the 1998 XC V70 provides. I'll see how many 'unexpected' repairs it'll need over the next few years of enthusiastic but conscientious use, but unless the tranny, engine and AWD, ABS and turbo systems all grenade simultaneously, I hope only a few issues will catch me napping, owner-wise...

[JRL]

"I'm still trying to figure out what to buy for aftermarket upgrades for front struts- want to upgrade to full IPD slotted/pads, but I can't seem to find the correct answer about XC compatibility.

I don't know whether Bilstein and/or Koni Yellows as well as the IPD HD spring mounts will work with the taller '98 XC, and I need to find out. I also urgently need (for safety's sake, especially when carrying my two kids in the back at night), a 'bull bar' for a set of 7" Cibie driving lights, as the deer and moose in our parts just *love* to randomly cross in front of cars almost every night of the year."

Don't.
I have the Zimmerman slotted rotors (with new Volvo pads) on my one 2000 R and they are making groaning noises at low speeds.
If you don't drive hard (to heat them up) use Volvo rotors.
As for your struts, either use OEM or Konis sports, they match up best with Nivomats.
XC or IPD spring seats, both work just fine.

Remember when you do suspension work, the front ends are all the same except for the taller XC springs. Personally I would go with stock struts and install IPD sway bars

[crh]

"I'm still trying to figure out what to buy for aftermarket upgrades for front struts- want to upgrade to full IPD slotted/pads, but I can't seem to find the correct answer about XC compatibility.

I don't know whether Bilstein and/or Koni Yellows as well as the IPD HD spring mounts will work with the taller '98 XC, and I need to find out. I also urgently need (for safety's sake, especially when carrying my two kids in the back at night), a 'bull bar' for a set of 7" Cibie driving lights, as the deer and moose in our parts just *love* to randomly cross in front of cars almost every night of the year."

Don't.
I have the Zimmerman slotted rotors (with new Volvo pads) on my one 2000 R and they are making groaning noises at low speeds.
If you don't drive hard (to heat them up) use Volvo rotors.
As for your struts, either use OEM or Konis sports, they match up best with Nivomats.
XC or IPD spring seats, both work just fine.

Remember when you do suspension work, the front ends are all the same except for the taller XC springs. Personally I would go with stock struts and install IPD sway bars

Thanks, JRL... yeah, I think, in that case, I'll go with the Konis to match the new Nivomats and the IPD swaybars and bushings, which the XC is rockin' right now in the garage.

The thing I wanted, but that now looks like wanting to have my cake and eat it too is thus:

I'm willing to spend a good amount of dough if need be, and raise the annual lifetime cost of my XC in the process, in order to get the performance I want. And so goes the quandary everyone else who wants 'mo betta stuff AND affordable annual costs... they're often willing to spend more on certain years, especially the early years of ownership, even of a well-worn 120+k mileage Volvo in order to get the custom performance they want and the reliability they want, too.

My question to anyone, JRL, of course you, too, is: can I get that by buying something that will up my annual cost for a good reason by installing ANY design/brand/type of Hi-Po brakes, beyond the ss lines that are on my 1998 XC V70 now? I live in a valley lined on both sides by 8-11 mile zig-zag 8% grades... I have to commute over these 'gaps', as they call these mountain roads here in Vermont ('mountain roads'... heh... I grew up on an 11,800' pass near Vail, CO- THAT'S a 'gap'). JRL, these brakes you mention sound *awesome*, but as you've discovered, are maybe somewhat unsuitable for the more quotidian uses we subject our Volvos to when we're not enthusiastically heating the brake pucks up near 1k degrees, if ya know what I mean.

What's a decent upgrade to the early XC 4-wheel-disk system that will help prevent 'hot-enough-to-stink' brakes after a gap crossing? Oversized ventilated (including the rear rotors, natch) axially ventilated, of course, and also cross-drilled (with the appropriate countersinking of the drilled holes, etc., to reduce weird noises at less than kiln temps), along with 16" or 17" rims and tires that leave the O.D.'s unchanged but provide the added room necessary for the aforementioned jumbo-sized brakes? Or... what? Just stick with ss lines, stock OEM brake components and learn to love the smell of overheated brakes?

While crossing over these gaps twice daily in my 1888 XC V70, I never ride the brakes, it's coast/stab/coast stab, even running 3rd or Low at times, especially where it's a 11% grade with hairpins every 1/4 mile for six or so miles at a time... I try my best to balance the old see-saw between keeping the speed up enough to flow air at an adequate velocity to help dissipate heat from the rotors and calipers and not going so fast downhill that I'm adding heat to the brakes by working them even harder than they are already.

Any ideas how an owner can balance the cost of annual repairs/upgrades/maintenance?

For example, a K&N air filter sounds like a nice low-cost way of lowering the annual air-filter costs while allowing more breathing on the intake side, but I notice the micron filtering size is larger than the stock paper filter. The brakes I want to upgrade so I can stop pottery-kilning my brake pads and rotors on long grades can wind up never getting to their considerably higher optimum operating temperature.

OTOH, the silicone hose upgrade I just finished myself cost some $$, but I know it's money well spent, both from a preventative maintenance and a performance POV... what are other kinds of high ROI upgrades, for example, that in the ling run can actually pay for them selves several or even many times over, thereby actually *lowering* an owner's annual ownership costs of these beautiful beasts?

<Ahem>... JRL? Anyone else? If I'm hijacking this thread, please tell me to go start another thread and I will, with apologies to all in the process...

[JRL]

BBK (Porsche) front brakes will be all you will need.
Pricey but that's the only way to go if you really want BIG brakes.

Of course the minimum wheel you can use is a 17"!

[crh]

Lets see - bought @ 100K, now 135K.

Modification & service expenses over the past 2 years at least 10K

Considering what kind of gorgeous monster you've transformed it into over that time, that's <cheap>... and, from the looks of it, SOOOOO worth it!