gone and bought a D5 - oops!

[Matt51]

well I've taken the plunge and bought (deposit down) a V70 D5. 52 plate, manual, 100K good history. Loved the way it drove and couldnt really fault the car in any way. However, I've just spent the last 45 minutes reading the DIM thread - strewth is this the sign of things to come!! I knew I should have bought an old shape 2.5TDI - still could but will lose small deposit...

Seriously - I can afford to buy the car but can't afford to fix much at £100's etc at a time. I'm thinking I should have bought the TDI???

....put my mind at rest anyone??!!

[244T]

There are plenty out there giving many miles of trouble free motering....I am sure you will enjoy it!!

[nskeates]

215k on the clock of my V70 2002 D5 with no DIM issues at all. Hopefully that should put your mind at rest.

[RAN60]

Its really hit or miss with the DIM, hopefully if no signs are showing yet, its either already been seen too or may not even happen. Mine whent at about 105,000 all of a sudden.
The dials just kept bouncing off as if the ignition was turned off. But again hopefully this is something you will miss!

What i would say though at that mileage is make sure the timing belt and idlers have been changed and keep an eye on your clutch and fly wheel.

[Brendan W]

My DIM has been giving a passable impression of a time machine for two years and is soldiering on for the moment. Big ticket items on a car of that age are clutch slave leaking , look for oil leaving the bell housing, DMF, bag of spanners at idle, blown intercooler , oil traces below the radiator and handbrake shoes delaminating and taking out the hubs, get them inspected and finally injector faults. None of these have happened to me except the DIM spinning the clock when warm and I replaced the shoes about a year ago showing signs of peeling.
V70 D5 2003 102k miles.

[hobbyhorse]

Originally Posted by Matt51

well I've taken the plunge and bought (deposit down) a V70 D5. 52 plate, manual, 100K good history. Loved the way it drove and couldnt really fault the car in any way. However, I've just spent the last 45 minutes reading the DIM thread - strewth is this the sign of things to come!! I knew I should have bought an old shape 2.5TDI - still could but will lose small deposit...

Seriously - I can afford to buy the car but can't afford to fix much at £100's etc at a time. I'm thinking I should have bought the TDI???

....put my mind at rest anyone??!!

Matt, the dim is an easy fix & well, is the least of the worries with these cars

[gibby26]

I've had the S60 D5 for 3 years and the car has cost me a fortune, replacement front discs, 2 sets of wishbones, one engine mount, one electronic gadget on the brake pedal, rear boot catch, and now a possible £1,000 bill for a replacement steering rack. Don't get me wrong the S60 is a nice car but spares and garage costs are ludicrous and by my calculation the car has cost me £3,000 in bills. When the time comes I won't buy another Volvo, just too expensive no matter the age..

[keithC70]

Well I've also just bought a V70 D5 - with 197k! I've no worries at all about mileage. It runs like a car that's done 50k! and the gearbox changes smoothly without jerking. It doesn't burn oil or leak. Just Motd it last week.

I've done the usual things just to be on the safe side, cambelt, tensioner and idler and also water pump, and I also did the serp belt, tensioner and idler. I flushed the atf and got rid of the old black stuff. One of the bushes on the wishbones had gone so I changed those as well, so I now expect it to last for many miles. Just got to pop some new handbrake shoes on - again, just in case, as it seems to be a common failure when the lining comes off the shoe!

Today I filled up, (Ouch!) re-set the consumption (was on 42.7mpg) and went for a careful drive up the valleys (like a vicar!) and back at no more than 60 and it was reading over 60mpg when I got back home!

Don't worry about the dim - get your soldering iron out and read my DIY dim repair post - you'll fix it for nothing! If I can, you can. Fit heat sinks (£3 from Maplin) on the chip - they do seem to get very hot and it may help.

Good luck.

[Matt51]

well, sorry to say, I've bottled out. Can afford to buy the car but can't afford telephone numbers to fix in the event of it going wrong. I'm not on the breadline far from it but like most, money is tight ie not much surplus left over each month/ year and I cannot comprehend how ordinary working people can afford to run these electronic boxes on wheels and I'm not talking just Volvos here....

Over the last 16 yrs, I've run 9 different cars and 3 vans and I can honestly say not one of them has ever caused the sort of problems that crop up on more modern vehicles in fact I've just about run all these vehicles with hardly any expense apart from service items and we're talking here about vehicles from 1990 to 2000. Maybe I've had a good run, maybe thats what older cars are like, I dunno. Now sticking with our 1999 VW and keeping me money in the bank!! Big shame because these big cars are fantastic but I just can't justify spending £1000's on one in repairs if I'm unlucky. I think once the old cars are too old, I'll be buying new and trading in every 3 yrs under manufacturers warranties....which I guess is what the manufacturers want us to do...

this forum makes some interesting reading I must say - one of the most informative, technical and active I've come across...

[Chesterman]

In general I would agree with all you say. All the current crop will very quickly grow beyond economical repair, even for the more able DIY types. However fleet buyers need a reasonable residual when they sell them on or they will not buy them in the first place. So the industry/dealers will not have it all their own way - in fact many will be out of business. For what comfort that may be!