buying a V50 2.5 T5

[chatlow]

Hi All,

Quick one to see if there's anything specific you think I should look out for on an 07 Volvo V50 2.5 T5 sport?

I am pretty handy with engines and have owned a number of turbos in the past, but it would be great to hear some pointers on these engines before I buy this week.

The car looks to be in very good condition, 60k with FSH (not dealer). Passed all previous MOT's just with one or two tyre and wiper advisories.

It sounds like these cars are pretty bomb-proof so I really hope that is the case as I need something reliable. Shame the tax is over 500 but I'll get over it

Thank you

[Welton]

I would check that VED band again, mine is nowhere near £500.00 per year, from memory it's about £240.00 for my 2005 T5.

You will need to verify if the Cambelt has been changed, the interval is approx 110K miles or 10 Years, with the low miles it may have been left alone. The T5 is not known for snapping cambelts though so you'll have time to plan for a belt change if you need to.

Aux belts and tensioners can begin to get noisy around 60 to 80K so worth listening carefully at the belt end of the engine.

Oil Breather Diaphragms fail and are replaced with a modified Volvo unit with a modified breather hose that runs across the top of the engine. Most should have been changed by now and there's no real warning signs as they just suddenly fail and make an unmistakable howling sound.

The Fuel Pressure Sensor (FPS) talks to the fuel pump and can cause trouble (power loss/surges) but replacement is easy and the part about £45.00 (I replaced mine before I had any troubles), the Turbo Control Valve (TCV) can fail, it's a plastic sensor and can split but again easy enough and cheap to replace, there's a lesser-known Turbo 'Check' Valve which is a little one-way air valve screwed into the Turbo as part of the Breathing system, there was a mixture of 'plastic ball' valves and 'rubber flap' types, the rubber ones can leak and reduce performance quite a bit without flagging a fault code, I replaced mine just in case. I've also just had the Boost Pressure Sensor (BPS) replaced due to lack of full-boost but again no actual fault on the dash although the ECU did record something about it which we reset.

Engine-wise there's not much to worry about to be fair despite how the above might read.

Suspension is the biggest problem I've found, I've had my car for 10 years and have pretty much replaced all of the suspension. Lower wishbone rear bushings are common to fail and will give a weird 'wandery' feeling to the steering, polybushing the whole car is a good choice but replacement suspension arms are cheap thanks to the Ford overlap...

Wheel bearings fail early so listen for that (should be silent).

T5's can use oil so check the dipstick, mine has always consumed about 750ml every 3000 miles (this hasn't changed over 100K miles).

A/C condensers failed a lot on the 2007+ cars.

[Welton]

Sorry just checked the road tax again, mine is £315.00, CO2 is 209 (grammes or whatever).

[domhart10]

2009 S40 T5 here and my tax is around £300 ish, is that an AWD V50 you are looking at?

Main point on these cars is that they have to be looked after and services along with their guideline.

I would have a check that its met all the oil changes
have any listen out for hissing or possible turbo failure noises

Give it a good boot full to see if it holds a strong boost through the rev range.

I picked mine up on 45k and the only problem with it so far has been the turbo going but I put that down to the previous owner not servicing it correctly and running it on a budget But luckily changed under warranty so no problem there. Appart from that its on about 130k now with 4 years running fine. I say fine but yesterday had its first breakdown if that counts as a breakdown as the battery went flat (Which I already knew about so should of changed it) but bearing in mind it was still on its original battery 10 years strong is pretty good.

[chatlow]

Thanks both, really appreciate the quick replies, looks like a great forum!

So this one is 07 plate T5 se sport auto. Oil changes every 10k other than 2016 where is got changed at 14k mile interval. According to them a lot by volvo specialists.

I believe the tax bracket went up early 2006 for high emissions so this one is hit with the 555 ish amount. <2006 is cheaper and i know 2010 also 315 as i looked at another t5 (but r design) last which which sold before i could get there.

Will listen out for everything you have said and the car comes with 3 month warranty and breakdown cover but fingers crossed it's never needed.

Glad to read no major horror stories, most of those points seem okay to fix or add if needed.

Will post later as viewing the car in 2 hours and let you know if it's looking good

Thanks again!

Ps forgot to add - no record of cambelt change so will be getting this done asap as ove 10 yrs and have offered 300 less (hope it's around that to change it!?) which they are okay with. The belt kit itself looks cheap but would rather a garage do it

[chatlow]

Oh and I'm pretty sure this one is FWD, although I'd be pleasantly surprised if it's AWD

[LizardOfBodom]

Originally Posted by chatlow

Oh and I'm pretty sure this one is FWD, although I'd be pleasantly surprised if it's AWD

...until you get first "oh, thats AWD, sorry this part wont fit and labour is double"

But jokes aside, if it was AWD and not advertised as one, I would be surprised.
U have pics? Unusually high stance may indicate its AWD, unless obviously you have a look under the car

[FunkyMelon]

I wouldn't bother with AWD to be honest.

They sit higher, don't handle so well due to the extra height, parts are harder to get, they can't be lowered as easily/cheaply as their FWD counter parts.

For every day driving, FWD and affordability outweighs the benefits.....Unless you rag it everywhere you go.....

EDIT: LOB beat me to it

Some electric issues are pretty much a 'when' not 'if' if you're on the original parts - Steering column lock and the ignition unit can go, both will leave you stranded. Once sorted they won't fail again though, Volvo have redesigned both parts several times and I believe they're sorted now. CEM issues are common, though cleaning the connectors often sorts this (just done this on mine).

As mentioned above, breather system will go, I'd replace as preventative maintenance, though you can wait till it starts howling before getting sorted. Turbo control valve is pretty much a consumable every few years.

Alternators aren't uncommon to fail, air con condensers are pretty much a consumable on these cars, though some get lucky and they last years. Sometimes just shimming them gets them going again, other times it's a new unit required.

Engine wise, the T5 is pretty bomb proof, though it does have thin cylinder liners that can crack. This is more common on cars that are tuned to high horse power but it can and does happen on standard cars.

Other than that they're pretty solid cars.

[chatlow]

No mention of AWD and now you mention it, I can appreciate extra costs and handling with that.

On the train and will be viewing soon. If all good I am buying today and driving back so will post pics then as tricky with phone.

Extra warranty is an option for 100 so will see what limits are included and see if worth it.

Thanks again for the pre-sale advice, really good to read it all. Other than the overdue cambelt I hope this will be a good, reliable and quick estate :-)

[FunkyMelon]

Originally Posted by chatlow

No mention of AWD and now you mention it, I can appreciate extra costs and handling with that.

On the train and will be viewing soon. If all good I am buying today and driving back so will post pics then as tricky with phone.

Extra warranty is an option for 100 so will see what limits are included and see if worth it.

Thanks again for the pre-sale advice, really good to read it all. Other than the overdue cambelt I hope this will be a good, reliable and quick estate :-)

Check the warranty very carefully, generally it's not worth the paper it's written on, will be up to a very low value and won't cover 'wear and tear' making it essentially pointless.

Better off saving the £100

EDIT: Didn't see it was an auto, if this is what you want in the car then great, if you're 'settling' because you can't find a manual I'd hold out for a manual, they're a bit faster and not quite as thirsty, the manuals also have stronger boxes and are not torque limited. Just worth noting