Hi everybody! I'd first like to say that brickboard seems to be a very professional and well-thought out website-I appreciate having online resources when it comes to my beloved black brick.

But anyways, I religiously take care of my S70ASR and so far it has given me 86,000 miles with *only* an engine computer replaced, a new radio unit (the lights went out and I guess you just can't replace a bulb), a door weld that broke off (!!), and now it needs a new front end. My mechanic, who I trust, told me that the 850/S70 series cars are prone to needing a new front end about every 100,000 miles or so, also as it is a front wheel drive car. I can hear clunks and bangs when I turn the wheel all the way to the right, when I park the car sometimes, or when I go over bumps, but my question is, is how long can I drive with a bum front-end? Does it put extra stress on the car's engine/transmission/frame, meaning does it hurt the car to drive it in this condition? What entails a new front end job, and about how much would this cost me?

I love the car to pieces and have owned plenty of Volvos from 1979 to present, including a diesel (BAD move), and am just wondering is there anything else that I should be aware of happening on an S70? It's not a turbo so thank goodness I don't have to spend extra $$ on repairs/maintanence!

Thanks to everyone for your help.