How important is service history

[petethedutchman]

Originally Posted by oragex

The slave will give up at some point unless the car has seen mostly motorway.
At 250k km I would prefer to see a relatively recent replacement, in the past 50k or so. Without papers for such repair, I would likely not take a chance

I dont think its been replaced on either.
Super roughly, how much would a slave cylinder replacement set me back, and would it be something I want to do straight away, or wait for it to start acting up?

[Georgeandkira]

Yes to the slave cylinder check as well as darn near everything else on a 16MY or 20MY old car.

Surely the brakes were "done" at one point on both. The question is, as pointed out above, were quality parts used or not. Has the fluid been flushed or not. Are the brake hoses original and cracked? Were they replaced with cheap ones?

How big is the gap in the D5's record book?

Always look under the oil filler cap on these engines. Is it clean or foul with black chunks? (don't know if this applies to the cleaner running LPG)

Suspension: Does the car wallow about? Are the damper elements leaking? My fronts were leaking smelly fluid at 150K.

Take that LPG system: Are they common where you live or are they considered throwbacks or "hippie motors"? If they were shunned by many, they might be "hunchbacks" (cruelly treated orphans from the very beginning).

The T5 could always fall into the category of "someone's old muscle car" (beaten on and discarded) depending on how it was serviced.

This business with bad slave cylinders is mind blowing. If ever there was a place where a car company should use the best material it'd be the hard-to-reach slave cylinder.

I assume the LPG is auto and the diesel is manual. Test drive any automatic on the hottest day you can schedule.

Please give mileage of both and asking prices. It occurs to me that used car prices are oddly low in the UK. I also assume that's because they sell 'em without any or much MOT time left. See if there's a place near these cars which'll perform an inspection for you. Ask how much.

Do you turn wrenches at all? An examination of those economics may lead you to a less expensive alternative.

[oilit]

Originally Posted by petethedutchman

That is very very helpful! You say the driving experience in the T5 is better than the D5?

Did the D5 feel underpowered?

No - not at all, the D5 I had was awd and I have to say it was no slouch - plenty quick enough for a big estate. I had no complaints with it apart from my fear of big awd issues - which is why i sold it.

My comments ref the T5 are that the lack of noise and vibrations are noticeable between the two - the T5 is silky smooth and quiet in comparison, but if you are used to diesels then you probably won't mind the D5.

BUT, if economy is important then you have to go diesel as the difference between the two is significant.

Many LPG systems fail overtime, and getting spares for them is getting harder as the companies that manufactured them go out of business (eg NECAM is what was fitted to Ford (so possibly Volvo) from the factory and its hard to for me to get spares for their kit that is fitted to my transit van.

SiRobb does a lot of good youtube videos on d5 issue resolution. (just don't ask him about flanges)

[petethedutchman]

Originally Posted by Georgeandkira

Yes to the slave cylinder check as well as darn near everything else on a 16MY or 20MY old car.

Surely the brakes were "done" at one point on both. The question is, as pointed out above, were quality parts used or not. Has the fluid been flushed or not. Are the brake hoses original and cracked? Were they replaced with cheap ones?

How big is the gap in the D5's record book?

Always look under the oil filler cap on these engines. Is it clean or foul with black chunks? (don't know if this applies to the cleaner running LPG)

Suspension: Does the car wallow about? Are the damper elements leaking? My fronts were leaking smelly fluid at 150K.

Take that LPG system: Are they common where you live or are they considered throwbacks or "hippie motors"? If they were shunned by many, they might be "hunchbacks" (cruelly treated orphans from the very beginning).

The T5 could always fall into the category of "someone's old muscle car" (beaten on and discarded) depending on how it was serviced.

This business with bad slave cylinders is mind blowing. If ever there was a place where a car company should use the best material it'd be the hard-to-reach slave cylinder.

I assume the LPG is auto and the diesel is manual. Test drive any automatic on the hottest day you can schedule.

Please give mileage of both and asking prices. It occurs to me that used car prices are oddly low in the UK. I also assume that's because they sell 'em without any or much MOT time left. See if there's a place near these cars which'll perform an inspection for you. Ask how much.

Do you turn wrenches at all? An examination of those economics may lead you to a less expensive alternative.

Man, thank you so much for taking the time to type this, it is a huuuge help.

Firstly, I am in Portugal where cars are stupid expensive, so dont jump out of your chair... Both the 01 T5 LPG and the 05 D5 are 6000 euros.
Just to give you a vague idea of the market here: I routinely see dealers trying to sell '98 V70's with 500k on the clock for 3000 euros.

LPG is still pretty popular here, so I shouldnt have too much problems finding techs, although Portugal is very much a diesel country.

01 T5 LPG 155k miles, fully serviced at dealership with all stamps.
05 D5 146k miles, service history up to 80k, then no stamps but receipts for timing belt and front discs (and new tires, but that doesnt count). Owner claims oil was changed but book not stamped.
Both are manuals.

The T5 has those awesome child pop-up seats, which hopefully means it's not been bought as a muscle car, but I guess that doesnt mean much. For me personally my boy racer days are behind me, the car will have two child seats in the back 99% of the time, and perhaps a surfboard on the roof once a month if Im lucky.

I turn wrenches, but as I am completely self taught, so not very well. Changing oil and some spark plugs isnt outside of my purview, but if it needs a new clutch I will need a mechanic.

Volvo dealers here do a 'prebuy' inspection for like 70 euros, but at that price it prolly wont include a compression test.

Could you give me an guestimate what slave cylinder replacement would set me back in the UK?

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by petethedutchman

Man, thank you so much for taking the time to type this, it is a huuuge help.

Firstly, I am in Portugal where cars are stupid expensive, so dont jump out of your chair... Both the 01 T5 LPG and the 05 D5 are 6000 euros.
Just to give you a vague idea of the market here: I routinely see dealers trying to sell '98 V70's with 500k on the clock for 3000 euros.

LPG is still pretty popular here, so I shouldnt have too much problems finding techs, although Portugal is very much a diesel country.

01 T5 LPG 155k miles, fully serviced at dealership with all stamps.
05 D5 146k miles, service history up to 80k, then no stamps but receipts for timing belt and front discs (and new tires, but that doesnt count). Owner claims oil was changed but book not stamped.
Both are manuals.

The T5 has those awesome child pop-up seats, which hopefully means it's not been bought as a muscle car, but I guess that doesnt mean much. For me personally my boy racer days are behind me, the car will have two child seats in the back 99% of the time, and perhaps a surfboard on the roof once a month if Im lucky.

I turn wrenches, but as I am completely self taught, so not very well. Changing oil and some spark plugs isnt outside of my purview, but if it needs a new clutch I will need a mechanic.

Volvo dealers here do a 'prebuy' inspection for like 70 euros, but at that price it prolly wont include a compression test.

Could you give me an guestimate what slave cylinder replacement would set me back in the UK?

It depends on the labour rates per hour there. Independent Volvo garages are cheaper than dealerships, but its a big job & its like 5-6 hours labour alone. Here, it would in the region of £700-£1,000 I imagine (That's for a new clutch & slave cylinder).

[roundhill]

Might as well have the clutch replaced if the slave cylinder is being changed. Oil seal too main dealer price £1000.00 -£1100.00.