2004 (54) 2.4 T5: service interval

[Volbo]

Hi everyone,

I’m considering buying a 2004 S60 T5 with the 2.4-litre engine. What is the current recommended interval for changing the timing belt?

I have seen all sorts of recommendations from every six years to every 10 years and 90,000 to 108,000 miles.

What’s the current guidance for a 2004 2.4 T5? And what kind of ballpark cost should I expect to get this done?

Are there any other particularly big or costly bits of maintenance/big services to bear in mind with a 2004 S60 with this engine?

Many thanks.

[Technician]

Hi, the service interval if it's a stock vehicle is 18k....but nearly all enthusiast owners will probably do an oil and filter change before it hits 10k as they are now a vehicle worth preserving. If it's been modified to higher BHP it would be sensible to be less than 6k.

Always service with either genuine filters or a decent brand like Mann. It also takes fully synthetic 0w30 oil, and you won't want to go for a cheap brand. Fuel filters are often missed as they can be a pain to change. For some reason Volvo's love genuine spark plugs, they do however have a very long service life. They are the long length variant of the plug.

Cambet interval is 96k or 10 years I think. They are not awful to do and shouldn't cost you the earth, probably £300-350 at a garage that knows these engines. The water pump is often changed at the same time as you might as well whilst you've got it off. A cam seal may also need changing, but a genuine one is about £18. I'm sure your local 'average' mechanic would probably do it for less with cheap parts from China, but you owe it to yourself to not do that.

A big cost you could face is if the car requires a new Clutch, Dual Mass Flywheel and Slave Cylinder, which can cost over £1k if your paying somebody to do it. Again you will want to fit a very good brand one.

If the vehicle is fitted with 4C suspension they are costly shock absorbers to replace. I did my car for bout £180 per corner using Monroe (the manufacturer of the shocks for Volvo) including new Monroe top mounts etc...but I didn't have to pay for labour. A non 4C car is about £90 per corner with a decent aftermarket brandlike TRW.

An annoying and labour intensive job is to change the PCV system. An aftermarket kit is about £65, but it's so frustrating to fit, particularly a banjo bolt under the inlet manifold. It can be done on the driveway, but make sure the neighbors have the windows shut as you'll turn the air blue!

Another two common failures are the steering angle sensor and the alarm siren. The steering angle sensor is easy to replace with basic tools, and the alarm siren can be repaired by soldering a new battery inside if.....the circuit board is ok. A good second hand can be about £60 and a genuine one a lot more.

Obviously other parts of the car could fail like the Engine, Turbo or Gearbox...but not with any greater regularity compared to other vehicles. HU-850 radios can play up, but there are one from scrap cars or a place in Norfolk that repairs them

A new key is also expensive and dealer only. About £200 to do I think. You cannot reprogram one from another car, despite what eBay sellers say, unless you have the special code that came with the key. Mobile key people can't give you a fully working spare.

Your ownership would be improved with a laptop, Vida and dice to find the pesky problems the brain can throw up.

If it's riding on 18" wheels the tyres are a bit expensive as the factory 235/40/18 size is not as widely produced as 225/40/18. If you put those sizes into eBay you will see 4x as many listings for the 225 size. Most people say the 17" wheels give a better ride, but you will know it won't look as sexy parked up!

[Bonefishblues]

Are you sure about that 18k? I think that era of T5 is 12k/12months, whichever comes first

[Technician]

It's printed in the service book I think, I'll try and take a pic of the book in the light, the 2.3 T5 is 12k service interval of course.

[Bonefishblues]

It was the 2005 MY that moved to 18k, so I guess it could be a late 2004 car and 18k intervals, but if not, then 12k. So if a facelift with plastic lenses, then 18, if glass lenses, then 12

[Volbo]

Originally Posted by Technician

Hi, the service interval if it's a stock vehicle is 18k....but nearly all enthusiast owners will probably do an oil and filter change before it hits 10k as they are now a vehicle worth preserving. If it's been modified to higher BHP it would be sensible to be less than 6k.

That is phenomenally helpful. Many thanks for taking the time to type that out.

I’m looking at a 154k-mile facelift car which supposedly has a full service history and three clean MOTs in a row on Thursday, so fingers crossed...

It needs a new second key, which I’m expecting to be £300, as I spoke to my local dealer about that for my old V70, though that had two keys in the end.

Thankfully it doesn’t have 4C and sits on 17-inch wheels, which I prefer the look of, and I want the more comfortable ride (I have a BMW on 18s, so the S60 is all about comfort!).

The cambelt sounds like it’s not too pricey, which is good, as that’ll probably need doing in a few years. Just hope the service history all stacks up.

[Volbo]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

It was the 2005 MY that moved to 18k, so I guess it could be a late 2004 car and 18k intervals, but if not, then 12k. So if a facelift with plastic lenses, then 18, if glass lenses, then 12

I’m pretty sure the car is a facelift model - I thought all 2.4 T5s were and all 2.3 T5s were pre-facelift. It was registered in October 2004 and has the more modern look with the clear headlights. Are all 2004 facelift models 2005MY?

Thanks.

[Bonefishblues]

Yes I think you're right, facelift coincides with the engine change.

Table here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...gBl1i0JSczA_5z

But as said, I also wouldn't go anywhere near an 18k interval - interestingly (or not!) my C70 T5 2007 is 12k, not 18.

[Volbo]

Originally Posted by Bonefishblues

Yes I think you're right, facelift coincides with the engine change.

Table here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...gBl1i0JSczA_5z

But as said, I also wouldn't go anywhere near an 18k interval - interestingly (or not!) my C70 T5 2007 is 12k, not 18.

Thanks for that.

Presumably this is with a 12-month max? I’m not likely to do more than 5k miles per year, so time will be the key factor not miles here.

[Technician]

Happy to help.

The clue to me detecting the 18k service interval was when the original post said 2.4 T5 rather than 2.3.

The C70 T5 mentioned is not the same engine variant as the S60's T5. The C70 has the B5254T3 which has the Turbo integrated into the exhaust manifold as part of efforts at making the engine slightly more compact for the C30/S40/V50/C70's smaller engine bay. Its also used in a variety of Ford products and the basis for the hot variants like the ST. I assume Volvo were a bit cautious and kept this engine as 12k service intervals as a precaution....but you could also say as a higher volume seller they would get more money out of the customer.

Back to the car being looked at....make sure it's had a clutch and flywheel as unless it's been driven by the most cautious driver it won't be lasting too much longer. Another thing to check is the exhaust, some cars are still on their first and this will be near the end of its life.