Beware the S80

Discussion in 'Volvo S80' started by Peter Lebensold, Mar 4, 2004.

  1. A short summary of my tale of woe:

    27,000 mi: Replaced battery.
    37,000 mi: Replaced two front link rods, ABS module.
    41,000 mi: Replaced power steering pump.
    49,000 mi: Replaced two front shock absorbers.
    52,000 mi: Replaced link rod, inner tie rod end, engine mounts.
    57,000 mi: Replaced lower right front ball joint, steering fluid
    reservoir.

    Oh, and the AM radio hardly ever works in any built-up area.

    Don't say you weren't warned! If you have to buy yourself an S80, get
    two: One for the road and one for the shop.
     
    Peter Lebensold, Mar 4, 2004
    #1
  2. Where do you live? What are the roads like? (Who listens to AM?)

    John
     
    Fred Flintstone, Mar 4, 2004
    #2
  3. Peter Lebensold

    Boll Weevil Guest

    Ooooh man. That must've sucked. Thanx for letting us know. I was thinking of one but I've heard soooo many bad experiences with S80. Yours tops
    off the cake.
     
    Boll Weevil, Mar 4, 2004
    #3
  4. Ooooh man. That must've sucked. Thanx for letting us know. I was
    thinking of one but I've heard soooo many bad experiences with S80. Yours
    tops
    And it can't possibly have anything to do with how or where he drives so
    you, obviously, must never buy one because you must drive just like and
    where he does. Don't you think you need a little more information before
    you start assuming all S80s are piles o'crap?
     
    Fred Flintstone, Mar 4, 2004
    #4
  5. Sounds like you hit quite a few pot-holes. This is not normal wear.
    Was this all dealer service? Was any covered by warranty?
     
    Stephen M. Henning, Mar 4, 2004
    #5
  6. Peter Lebensold

    Sammy Guest

    It's not a matter that "all S80s are piles o'crap". It's simply not
    true. Not all S80 are sh*t.

    But, the odds are stacked against you. And the penalty is high $$$$$.
    Why take the chance? OTOH, for anyone who is a sadomasochist, the S80
    might be the perfect car.
     
    Sammy, Mar 5, 2004
    #6
  7. Peter Lebensold

    Spanky Guest

    Sounds like you hit quite a few pot-holes. This is not normal wear.
    I'm skeptical of claims like these. My 2000 S80 has 55,000 hard miles on it
    hitting plenty of rough roads and washboard dirt roads at 50-70 mph for
    hundreds of miles plus rough ski area roads which are just like hitting
    hundreds of potholes an hour. All I've ever had done to the car was the
    scheduled maintenance and the ball joint recall work during the cars first
    scheduled service. In other words, this car is built like a tank and
    probably more reliable!

    In my over four years of driving the car I've spoken to numerous other S80
    owners (I always try to strike up a short conversation when I see someone
    entering or exiting their S80). Over the years I've met perhaps 15- 18 S80
    owners and I always make it a point to ask them about their cars
    reliability. Every single one of them has had good things to say about that.
    Not one of these people had a single major repair item. To me that's a lot
    more credible than listening to a single anonymous person in a newsgroup
    badmouth his experience with the car. Even the 2005 Automobile Consumer
    Buyers Guide lists the S80 as having a "good" reliability rating. The rumors
    of S80's having poor reliability started almost before the S80 was widely
    available. Consumer Reports initially said they couldn't recommend the car
    because it was a completely new platform and was therefore had unproven
    reliability. This was widely mis-translated to mean the car was unreliable.
    About the same time it appeared a S80 bashing campaign was in force. People
    who lusted after the car but were too shocked with the high price were all
    too eager to jump in and speak their two cents about how poor they had heard
    the reliability was.

    The one remaining unknown is how long the turbo's of the T-6 last. So far I
    haven't heard of any needing replacement! Early in the S80's release the
    word was the turbos would be problematic. That has proven to be fictitious
    as well. Expensive? Yes. Trouble-prone, no! So far this has been the most
    trouble-free car I've ever owned which is particularly impressive
    considering the technology it's loaded with.
     
    Spanky, Mar 5, 2004
    #7
  8. Peter Lebensold

    John Horner Guest

    A defender of the brand steps in and blames the owner/driver. Old song,
    often wrong.

    John
     
    John Horner, Mar 5, 2004
    #8
  9. Peter Lebensold

    Pat Durkin Guest

    (snip)

    Boy, Peter, you've been through absolute living hell, haven't you?
    Oh yeah --- that too.
    My own naturally-aspirated 2.9 experience hasn't been nearly as dramatic as
    yours. It's a sort of dull car that I really wish was turbocharged but
    hey - that's all my fault. I should have spent a few more bucks. Other
    than being a so-so performer it's as solid as a rock. I wish I could hate
    it but I don't. It's ok. I tolerate it because my HU-611 radio is so
    good...and I listen to news, sports and talk shows on AM all day long as I
    drive around L.A. and Orange Counties in Southern California. You've heard
    of California? Lots of big buildings here. And there are freeway bridges
    and so-on. No problemo.

    Pat

    PS - I've also got a '98 Mercedes that I bought new and the AM band on its
    radio is nearly unusable. FM, cassette and CD work great. The AM is crap.

    PSPS - You're not just another one of those "brick lovers" who hate anything
    new, suspect vaguely that Ford is to blame for all the world's evil, and who
    might even manufacture a tale of woe to help promote their point of view are
    you? Just curious. Don't be insulted. It's a legit question.
     
    Pat Durkin, Mar 5, 2004
    #9
  10. Normal. I had a battery last 6 months once.

    Normal for the first(roads are tough), but the second, no.

    Not normal.

    Egads. You do know that the OEM shocks are only good for maybe
    15-20K at most? Just enough to last the first year or two.
    49K is very decent.

    Mounts eat themselves on most engines these days every 50K or so.
    The rods - sounds like you're hitting potholes or something.
    Are there bad roads where you live?

    Same here.

    My Buick - egads I wish this was all it cost. Heh.
     
    Joseph Oberlander, Mar 5, 2004
    #10
  11. Peter Lebensold

    Bill Stehlin Guest

    Huh????
    Sorry to hear that about the S80--the 240 shocks/struts consistently
    lasted well over 100K miles. It was probably the one single item that
    Volvo never suggested I replace, even when I was interested in doing
    so. While the 240 shocks certainly weren't high performance, a web
    site on performance upgrades on 240s for rally purposes included all
    the well known fixes, but still recommended keeping the 240 rear
    shocks, coupled with top-grade Bilstein struts. Doesn't Boge still
    make the OEM shocks/struts?
     
    Bill Stehlin, Mar 5, 2004
    #11
  12. Peter Lebensold

    Bev A. Kupf Guest

    That doesn't make it normal. The batteries I have had in my Volvos
    have lasted about 70,000 miles (5 - 6 years). On my old 760, the
    OEM battery was replaced at 70,000 miles (recommended), and the
    replacement 72-month Interstate battery lasted until I sold the car
    (183,000 miles).
     
    Bev A. Kupf, Mar 5, 2004
    #12
  13. Peter Lebensold

    Steve S Guest

    Wow, sorry to hear the problem. I have seen such a degradation of so
    many things Volvo as well - leaves me wondering what the company's
    focus and priorities are. Thanx for the info and good luck.
     
    Steve S, Mar 5, 2004
    #13
  14. Peter Lebensold

    Spanky Guest

    I don't know who makes them but they are the best shocks I've ever had on a
    Volvo. I don't know any S80 owners who have had to replace them yet. After
    over 4 years of hard use mine still keep the body motion quiet, even over
    rough roads. There's this one restaurant I go to that has big speed bumps
    (three of them). They are about 8 inches tall and 6 feet wide. Most cars
    slow down to about 10 mph and they still look like bouncing wombats. I hit
    them about 25-30 mph in my S80 and it soaks them right up with nary a
    shudder and no bounce. I tried the same thing in my Eurovan and was just
    about thrown out of the seat had it not been for my seatbelt.

    Anyway, I abuse my S80 shocks all the time and they take the beating and
    still have all their damping and good characteristics intact after 55,000
    hard, dusty, wet and muddy miles. Maybe someone had a defective shock, I
    don't know. Maybe someone has a bad service station who is taking them to
    the cleaners. I don't know. But I do know that it's ridiculous to conclude
    the S80 has bad shocks because one person claims theirs wore out early. I'm
    just amazed at what passes for intellect here.
     
    Spanky, Mar 5, 2004
    #14
  15. Peter Lebensold

    Spanky Guest

    It's normal if you draw the battery down and leave it in a discharged state.
    That happens no matter what kind of car you drive.

    My S80's T-6 original battery is still going strong after more than 4 years
    and 55,000 miles.

    I would also point out that this "Peter Lebensold" who started this thread
    used Google Groups to post to Usenet and that is his only Usenet post ever
    (using Google Groups). There is a real Peter Lebensold who has a number of
    posts to Usenet regarding software, etc. but he always accesses Usenet via
    normal channels. I think Peter Lebensold is a hijacked identity. I doubt the
    "problem" car in question even exists.
     
    Spanky, Mar 5, 2004
    #15
  16. Peter Lebensold

    Bev A. Kupf Guest

    I would reason that is the _expected_ behaviour if one leaves a battery in a
    discharged state, but that isn't how I _normally_ treat my car, even if I have
    to be away for an extended time.
     
    Bev A. Kupf, Mar 5, 2004
    #16
  17. Peter Lebensold

    Myron Samila Guest


    Well, Consumer Reports doesn't rate the S80 for '99 very well, neither does the Canadian
    publication Lemon Aid.

    The later models were to be "improved".

    The OP never offered the model year of his car, maybe he owns a '99?!?


    At the Volvo dealerships, you can buy a 1999 S80 (In Canada) T6 for about $20k, funny
    thing, cuz a 1999 S70 was $24,995 for a non turbo!! But a 2000 S80 was minimum $30k.

    Why was there a difference of almost $10k between a 1999 and 2000 model year S80 on the
    lots?!? We test drove a 1999 and loved it, but it had problems as we were driving it. We
    drove another one, and same thing (engine stumbling, creaking suspension, etc....). sure,
    they sit for a while, but hey........ Instead, we ended up buying a '96 850 from a Volvo
    dealer, saved thousands, and the thing is in near mint condition (low kms, I mean, Volvo
    wouldn't normally keep an old car like that kicking around unless it was good).

    So yes, I've heard the horror stories about the S80, in books, and on the net, so, that
    changed our minds about the car, for now.
     
    Myron Samila, Mar 5, 2004
    #17
  18. The last time I saw Ford or GM struts, they were no-name OEM
    versions that were good for maybe a year or two. I don't know
    about what they are putting on the Volvos, but their 5% cost
    reduction per year plan doesn't seem compatable with expensive
    European struts.
     
    Joseph Oberlander, Mar 5, 2004
    #18
  19. Peter Lebensold

    Tim McNamara Guest

    They aren't? Well, share the blame between Ford and George W. Bush
    perhaps.
     
    Tim McNamara, Mar 5, 2004
    #19
  20. Peter Lebensold

    Rob Guenther Guest

    I have a hard time believing the 2.9L was stuttering on your test drive. We
    have the original version of that motor (mounted the proper North-South way)
    in our 960 (from 1993, before that screwed around with the design) and it
    pulls like crazy... Even before we replaced the ancient spark plugs and
    wires two days ago.... Maybe it was the ultra compact 4 speed tranny?
     
    Rob Guenther, Mar 5, 2004
    #20
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.