Nivomat swapout

[Han solo]

Hi all,
So, one of my rear nivomats has decided to give up the ghost on my 2012 d5 v70, no prizes for guessing what I'm going to ask.
Have been quoted £700ish per shock, but I've been told you can buy a kit to change to standard shocks and springs.
Has anybody done this?
Is it as simple as just buying regular shocks and top mounts?
Just bite the bullet or just push it off a cliff?

Cheers,

Paul.

[Ian21401]

I like Nivomats so if I could afford it I would bite the bullet but there are others on this forum who do not like them, so the choice is yours. My information is that Nivomats do not need to be replaced as a pair, simply replace the faulty one.
My 940 has Nivomats (Sachs) But my daughter’s 2011 XC70 does not have them.
What precisely is wrong with your shocker. Last year the rubber bellows on my Nivomats started to split so I obtained new genuine bellows and fitted them.

[Han solo]

Thanks for the reply Ian,
I have to admit, I do like the ride they give, just wondered if they were overkill as it's an ex police car and doesn't carry the kit at the velocity it used to...kinda.
Yes unfortunately one of them is leaking and if you hit a dip in the motorway it has a little shimmy.

[Ian21401]

If you are happy with the car and it’s otherwise good I would be investing in a replacement, if you can afford it, rather than spending money and time changing springs and shockers and finding that you don’t like the ride.

[apersson850]

The shock absorber mounts in the lower end aren't the same on a 2012 with vs. without Nivomat. You need to replace or modify the part they are mounted to. I know, since I have a 2012 with Nivomat. Wouldn't want to be without it, though. We have another XC70 (2016) without levelling, and it's hopeless for towing my caravan, compared to the Nivomat one.

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by apersson850

The shock absorber mounts in the lower end aren't the same on a 2012 with vs. without Nivomat. You need to replace or modify the part they are mounted to. I know, since I have a 2012 with Nivomat. Wouldn't want to be without it, though. We have another XC70 (2016) without levelling, and it's hopeless for towing my caravan, compared to the Nivomat one.

Not sure the term "hopeless" describes the towing ability of a standard XC70.

We have a 2015 XC70 standard suspension. Tows magnificently when the 1850kg tin tent is laden correctly with near equal weights side to side on the wheels and 5kg less than max on nose weight.

I like the fact I can tell what the caravan is doing on the back through the seat of my pants...No desensitization via Nivomats for me...and my wallet is heavier than yours

[Han solo]

Morning all,
Thanks for the replies
Decided on keeping it as God intended and ordered the nivomats as didn't want to chance any faffing about and then not being happy with the drive.
Thanks again,
Paul.

[Han solo]

Had a bit of a result
€705 each on skandix
Just paid £502 each from main dealer
Kind of feel better about spending a grand on two shocks now.....Did I sound convincing? )

[Ian21401]

That dealer price sounds reasonable. I almost always check with my dealer first. I’ve never used Skandix but from comments on this forum they always seem to be very expensive.

[apersson850]

Originally Posted by 37 RUBY

Not sure the term "hopeless" describes the towing ability of a standard XC70.

You're welcome any day, and I'll give you a tour with our two different XC70 cars, with the same caravan behind.

You sense enough of what's going on even with Nivomat, but you get rid of the annoying feeling.
But be prepared for having a lighter wallet after the experiment, because you'll not settle with standard suspension after that.