At 135K miles on my '01 S80 I have been thinking of replacing the front struts. I want to try and restore some of that "new car ride" as I now feel every bump/rut/pothole on our infamous New Jersey roads (we have the highest taxes in the country yet our roads are consistently rated the worst in the country...go figure.)

Just wanted to see what your experience was...did you get a much smoother ride? Was it worth it?

What brand strut did you use? I am considering the original equipment Sachs brand as I have heard that some aftermarket brands give you a harsher ride? I know that Monroe makes struts for my car that are $50 less (each) than Sachs but are they no good?

And did you also replace the strut mounts and spring seats at the same time? Is it worth it to replace these parts too?

Thanks for any feedback...

--
2001 S80 2.9 (non-turbo), 135K miles

I don't know, the whole NYC metro area is pretty horrible. I usually say aahhh, when I get through the tunnel into NJ. There have been no repairs in NYC and seems like it's not too far from this:

http://www.gadling.com/2009/04/29/the-worst-potholes-in-the-world-take-the-gadling-tour/
--
'97 855na, Mobil 1, K&N, various IPD's and eBay's

My 99 S80 was rattling and clunking over every anomaly in the road (87K). I assumed I needed the strut mounts so I ordered all the parts (mounts, boots, bushings (aka spring seats), bumper stops and struts), about $350 in parts. When I got under the car I found the struts and and all related was tight and in good order, but I noticed one of the boots on the sway bar link was torn. I replaced the links (about $40 for both) and it was as quiet and tight as ever.

Not really suggesting that that's what you need to do, but just mentioning it for other readers who might have a similar problem, and an easy something you might to replace while your at it.

So, now I have everything waiting for when the struts do go. I got the Monroe struts at about $88 each. I know, you get what you pay for, but I've had okay luck with Monroe's and I'm not looking set my car up for a road rally. Assuming your set on doing this, obviously if it were me, as I've just demonstrated, at that milage I'd replace it all. You should get new bolts for the strut-to-knuckle mountings and the six strut mount nuts as well.

Make sure you have a good solid spring compressor to change out the struts. Very dangerous to use crappy, cheap tools for this job.

Thanks long-gone. I am aware of the sway bar links going bad prematurely on the S80's. Mine were replaced under extended warranty at 87K miles, along with the control arm bushings on both sides. I now check the links every time I pull the wheels to rotate the tires (every 15K miles) by grabbing them with vice-grips and shaking up/down/sideways looking for any free play in the ends. So far so good at 135K miles.

As for the spring seats, the left side one was replaced at 75K miles and the right side one lasted until 120K miles. These parts are also known to fail on the S80's...the metal collar separates from the rubber.

I am still deciding between the Sachs and Monroe struts. Sure would be nice to save the $100+ with the Monroes. I see that IPD now carries the Monroe's so maybe they are OK. Also might replace the ball joints while I'm at it, FPC Groton has them for $18.

Just curious, where did you get the bumper stops? I don't see them on the Volvo parts sites (or maybe I just missed it).

And yes, I do have a good spring compressor. It is a NAPA brand that I have used numerous times over the years. You definitely don't want a failure with the springs under pressure!

Thanks again,
G Squared



--
2001 S80 2.9 (non-turbo), 135K miles

I got the bumper stops at - http://www.autohausaz.com/ - I don't think FCP or IPD listed them. Though many times if you call them they'll come up with unlisted parts for you. FCP lists the strut mount bolts (3 on top of each strut well) and the strut spring seat bolt (one on top of each strut). They didn't list the strut-to-knuckle bolts (2 on each side). I got those at the dealership, but as mentioned maybe they might have them if you call and ask.

As far as the Monroes, I just reasoned that they are a big enough name in the strut/shock world and being the cheapest by quite a bit they must sell a lot of them for these cars, yet I haven't really heard any complaints or horror stories. I've used Monroes many times on many different cars and never really had any trouble. Sure, I'd rather have Bilsteins or Koni's, but at $88 a piece Monroes will do just fine. FCP had the OEM's for $130 each, which was the next best price.

BTW read up on the ball joint replacement, I believe Volvo has updated the procedure several times with special tools to line them up properly. Frankly some of it seems unnecessary and doable by eye/feel but I might be overly optimistic.

Good luck!