C70 Members Opinions Sought.

[mgd109]

Originally posted in the pre 2005 forum so suggested I repost here:-

Hello Everybody,
After over 20 years of Saab ownership my wife has now decided she would like a change and is quite taken with Volvos and in particular a C70. I'm a fairly competent home mechanic and carry out all servicing on vehicles we own as well as fixing the convectional faults that do occur on any car but I have absolutely no experience of powered hardtop roofs such as the one on the C70. I'm just asking forum members how reliable they feel the roof mechanism is, are there any common failures and is there anything obvious I should look for when viewing a prospective car (I'm doing my upmost to convince her she would prefer a S40/60 but I'm fighting a losing battle).

If I've posted this in the wrong place I apologise in advance to forum members.

[FredGraham]

Hi mgd109
I own a C70 MY 2006, so a hard top convertible. I don't know what year you are having your arm twisted to purchase but driving along with the roof down is a marvellous feeling. I think I am right in saying that it is rare for the roof to have problems but when it does I get the impression it could turn out to be expensive. Personally I'm glad < at the moment, I took the chance. I have attached a document showing the roof and it's workings for a bit more info.
https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/tech/c7...ullDetails.pdf

[Sysyphus]

I've had two issues with the roof on my 2009 in 2.5 years of ownership: entirely my fault and related to the SmartTop add-on module, not anything Volvo did. First time I bent a pin on the CRM when installing the module, second time was after I managed to flatten the battery completely by leaving the ignition turned on all day, roadside rescue guy jumpstarted it and after that the CRM stopped talking to the main computer.. that was fixed by disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes (turning it off and turning it on again )

There are very few posts on any of the Volvo sites about roof issues, so that would be an indication that it isn't a common occurrence... and if the worst does happen there is a manual procedure for closing the roof, so you can turn it into an overweight coupe with an enormous boot

[mgd109]

Originally Posted by Sysyphus

... and if the worst does happen there is a manual procedure for closing the roof, so you can turn it into an overweight coupe with an enormous boot

I'd just read that in the link provided by FredGraham (thanks FG), that was actually one of my major concerns, I'd read there was a manual method to get the roof up on the earlier soft top C70 but I could not find anything in the later models handbook about doing the same.

[phil1968]

No roof problems here (touch wood) in 4 years of ownership. And we do have the roof down at every opportunity

[philrocks]

Suppose I should chip in since im one of the few. I have had a short circuit in the roof mechanism. It stops mid operation, (worked fine one day, then stopped the next).

Ive had the car over 3 years, and Had the roof down all the time, including winter, with some extra layers on.

In fairness it broke when I put it up on a steep hill, the next time I went to put it down, it didnt work. (Turns out you are only meant to operate the roof on flat roads, didnt know this before hand).

[FredGraham]

I have to be honest and admit that my roof hasn't been fault free. Bearing in mind when I purchased the car it was 12 years old but only 40k miles. Looking back I think the roof had had more use than the engine. I'd owned the car for about a month when one of the hydraulic rams suffered catastrophic failure, the car was supplied with a warranty (one of those that aren't worth the paper their terms are written on). Volvo wanted £1094.00 for the part, I managed to acquire the part from a breaker for £170.00, the warranty provided a goodwill payment as they said the part wasn't covered, I argued the case and received £888.00, this covered the cost of the repair and I have had no issues, touch wood, since. The part that failed was through wear and tear, what caused it I'll never know. In short, the attachment in my previous post was to show how complex the roof mechanism is, the figures above just give some idea of the cost of parts but cruising around with the roof down puts those facts into insignificance. Roll on the sunshine.

[S402002]

Well my roof is pretty fine 2008 135k miles. But other bits failing. Nearly half of the car i have replaced. I think no more modern volvo in a futuer. With my olerd volvo no probs atalll!. There are breaking parts which shouldnt !

[tarhoosier]

No problems with a 2011 here, 70kmi. In my US forum there is more issue with clips for headliner, cables, strap holders and such smaller issues. My terms here are not precise. Those can be addressed with relative ease by a handy person and some research and small cost. A key issue in searching for the car is to be sure there is no imminent or past issues in the trunk. No sign of hydraulic leak, both struts working equally, dry in the trunk area, no stains, headliner taut, weatherstripping in good condition. Volvo claimed the top was good for 20,000 cycles.

[tarhoosier]

When inspecting a potential purchase C70 the roof may be inspected in the service position. This means in a partial open position. Operate the open button until it reaches a position that exposes all the elements fully then stop. Look at the exposed headliner panels, inspect all weatherstripping, metal support structure and so on. Some say it is best to complete the cycle by continuing in the same direction until open and then close fully completing the cycle rather than reversing mid cycle after inspection.