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Hello All,
I am considering purchasing from the original owner, a 2002 S60 T5 with a 5 speed manual. The car seems to have been well maintained and has 130,000 miles on the odometer. I just found out that shortly after he purchased the car, the owner had a chip installed to increase the original horse power rating of 247 HP by an addition 50 HP. The chip cost $800 plus dollars. I don’t know yet who the chip was made by or who installed it it. It appears to not have had an adverse impact on the car.
My question is: By installing a chip that increases the HP, does that cause additional stress that can lead to costly repairs, i.e. blown head gasket?, etc? The fact a high performance chip has been installed, is this a “red flag” that should cause me to look for other secondary problems that flow from the use of this chip? The car looks nice and seems to run well, but I don’t want to find out that I have to the engine replaced or rebuilt because of this chip. Thank in advance to all who respond.
Hugh
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Using care in slippery conditions is a good idea, if you are going straight.
Around a corner, our 855R got great traction, even in snow. It was better than our two regular 850s in the snow - going around a corner.
It WOULD break both snow tires loose even on dry pavement if I were going in a straight line.
I did not have the same problem with the 17" Volans with Yokohama Prada Spec twos.
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I can't imagine there are too many T5s out there with 5 speeds. That's an awesome combo!
Like Klaus said, I wouldn't worry about the power. The R models make similar power.
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Jesse,
It is a rare car. I really don’t “need” this car, but rather “want it”. The likelihood of stumbling upon another is unlikely. Hey, Father’s Day is just around the corner. Of course, as we all know, once you buy a car a never ending trail of expenses start to flow from it: insurance, maintenance, registration fees, property taxes, etc.
Hugh
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Hugh,
I hear you. I just bought my '01 v70 (base, cloth, manual, etc) for very short money because I wanted it. And don't want to drive my rust-free 855T and 245 in the snow.
As for your questions in another post:
-Look for the timing belt/water pump/pulleys to have been done somewhat recently, or else prepare to do them.
-Look at ETM (electronic throttle body) - mine just happened to have been replaced with a newish unit from 2013). At the very least, it should have a yellow sticker on it (though mine was white, but newer).
-Listen carefully with windows down and radio off for noises from the suspension and exhaust (the exhaust hangers like to rust, dropping the exhaust down and stressing it - these exhausts are $$$)
-Check fluids (make sure there's no coolant in oil, or oil in coolant, etc)
-Look for signs of motor mount wear
-Look for signs of oil leaks at rear main seal (the hardest seal to get to), other seals aren't so bad.
-PCV system - place a latex glove over the oil fill hole and see whether the glove gets sucked in (you want it to suck in rather than blow out).
None if these things are deal breakers, just things you should expect on an older P2, and that you can use as a basis for negotiation. Should be somewhat similar to your 850.
Jesse
-'73 1800ES, m41
-'92 245, m47
-'96 855T, m56h
-'01 v70, m56h
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Oh, also, my brake booster needs to be replaced. I guess this is somewhat common on these cars. Not a terribly expensive part, but several hours in labor from under the dash.
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Jesse,
Thank you for your list of items. I suspect/know this S60 T5 is a more sophisticated and therefor more expensive car to maintain than my two ’96 850 wagons and ’99 XC. I guess in my mind “I’ve bought this car already”. I say that because I was pricing the cost of the additional insurance to add this car to my fleet. I also put a call into my local tax assessor’s office to find out what my annual personal property tax bill will be. I like this car, but I would be delusional not to find out what these basically “fixed costs” will be if I purchase this car.
I hope this all works out. Thank you again for your list of items to check.
Hugh
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Good luck, Hugh.
I think you'll find that it is pretty similar to your 850s, and quite similar to your XC.
I've only owned mine for a few weeks so hopefully others will chime in, but those were the things I was looking for and/or found out about mine when I was researching it.
I've owned my 855T for 5 years though, and before that it was my grandmothers. Just converted it to a manual last weekend.
-Jesse
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Jesse,
You are in for a real treat driving you 850 with a stick. I have two 1996 850 GLT wagons, both manuals. One I purchased new (red) the other was a used Volvo VIP car I purchased through a Volvo dealership (silver). I have dealing with dealers, but it was the only manual 850 wagon I could find in the market.
By the way, kudos to you for having the courage and skills to swap out an automatic for a manual transmission. In my opinion you have performed the equivalent of “automotive brain surgery”. You made an alteration that is typically only done inside a factory.
My red 850 has 365,000 miles and the silver has 290,000 miles. I try to take good care of them, but realize when they are finally retired, I will probably have no choice but replace them with automatics. I’ll still be driving Volvos (I confess I drank the “Koolaide” with the brand), they will just be equipped with automatics. From what I’ve read, it actually costs more money now to make cars with manual transmissions. Also with the advent of CVT and 8 speed transmissions the traditional mpg advantage that manuals offered in term of getting better mileage is disappearing. I hope to still have my 850 wagons long enough to teach my youngest daughter (now a freshmen in high school) how to drive a stick. My two older daughters know how.
Knowing how to drive a stick, will be a skill that will eventually disappear. I guess it is progress, but I’ll miss it.
Hugh
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Thanks Hugh!
Yes, my 850 has been great, but she's a baby with 91k miles. My grandmother bought her new in Southern California in '96 when I was 14. She's one of the first "new" cars I ever drove. My grandmother fell in love with the Autumn Gold color, and reluctantly got used to the turbo.
She gave me the car in 2009 when the auto died at 71k. I shipped it from CA to Boston. My friend and I sent the transmission to get rebuilt and I drove it for 5 years. At the Carlisle import show this year, someone was selling a manual swap kit. I knew what had to be done. Some of my friends graciously offered their time and lift and we got her swapped in a weekend.
I had already converted my '73 1800ES and '92 245 to manuals. So it was inevitable. I now have 4 manual Volvo wagons, including my '01 v70.
Anyway, the Grannywagon, my 855T, is a totally new and different car with the manual. I don't know why they never offered the 850T in a manual. I guess they corrected that with the s/v/c series.
Good luck with that car. I hope it's awesome.
Also, if you have 300k+ on yours, at the rate I'm going, I probably have another 50 years with my 850. :^)
-Jesse
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These days, a 'chip' is actually a reprogramming of the engine computer. The 300bhp is not excessive as far as engine components goes and will not alter the longevity. Just try to find out which firm modified the computer. Volvo technicians will refuse to work on the car depending on the mods made.
You need to find out what other mods the owner made; higher flow exhaust, free flow intake, boost control, etc.
Watch out in the rain, as the front wheels will both break loose under full throttle!!!
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat
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Klaus,
Thank you for the advice. I found out today the original cloth was replaced at 76,000 miles. I know the life of a clutch depends heavily on the driving style of the operator, but is there a chance the additional 50 HP was too much for the stock clutch, and it failed at 76K miles?
Hugh
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Normally, the clutch will last for 200K miles. If the owner did a lot of 0-60 runs with the clutch not completely released, that will do it. Remember, the clutch shouldn't slip even if there is a boost in BHP.
I wonder if he had a lightened flywheel put in??? Or he didn't know how to measure clutch wear. When you push the clutch to the floor and the gears crunch, then it is time for a new one. The more the wear, the farther down the clutch has to go before being totally disengaged.
BTW, 300 bhp is the norm for Europe with the T5 and R models.
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat
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