maintainance question - 2000 C70

Regarding 2000 C70, Convertible, 2.4.

Has anyone had any luck with maintenance outside of the dealers, if you can
just share some insight, particularly with the 'chains'.

Example, oil change on this car seems to go for $35 to $40.... Firestone
advertises 19.99 (no rotation) but once you add the cartridge and the extra
oil (6.1 qts), you add an extra $15 to the cost.. usually another $5 for
tire rotation (Midas $24.99 (with rotation) plus the $15.

Is this basically the deal? Any others to look at (Pep, Sears, Wal-Mart?).

Now I am looking at brakes.. pads front and back, and rotors (fronts are
about 75%, rears a little better at 60%), so I'm looking at about $600 for
that..

I guess what I am asking, with things as tight as they are, any less
expensive alternatives.. without sacrificing too much....

 

find a good ind. volvo shop, small...someone that
knows / likes volvos...i would stay away from sears, wal mart, etc....

 

If it takes 6 quarts of oil then $35-$40 sounds pretty reasonable,
especially once you add the filter. Heck I spend that much in materials
alone changing my own oil.

Skimping here is a false economy, what you save today, you will more
than spend tomorrow.

 

to start i have a 2000 v70r. not standard in any way.
it sounds like you are dealing w/ large corporations/
franchises that get the car on a lift w/ a teaser then tack on
"extras". i use small, local, Volvo-lover mechanics. i would even
admit that two of them are better mechanics than i. you will normally
know what the procedure will cost beforehand & if you pay a couple of
bucks more. it's the price of keeping a valuable resource in business.
specifics: r's don't rotate. no one offers an oil change w/
oil or filters that i would place anywhere near Myst (the Volvo who
lives w/ me). i do have a solution. buy tools! a floor jack, sockets,
some offsets, a couple of nieces or nephews. everything you mentioned
is done daily by challenged individuals. if you have trouble getting
dirty, that's what N & N"s are for; or nitrile gloves, tyvex suits &
carpet throwaways.
i race (on a budget) so rotors (mine cost $275 each) don't get
replaced @ 75%, nor do pads.the very wealth may have other ideas. you
may very well have 10's of thousands left (your mileage may vary).
brakes are not a good (personal longevity) first project. not actually
that difficult, but when confronted w/ how to connect the wasisdas to
the gervortner, do you want to bet your life on guessing right?
oh, kragen has 5 liters of Syntec & a K&N filter for $28. not
too shabby. K&N is also interesting, performance & green. will wonders
never cease.

 

I don't think I'd buy anything from K&N, their air filters are snake
oil, independent tests show them (and other reusable) filters to pass
substantially more dirt while offering minimal improvement in airflow.

As for oil filters, Volvo OEM are made by Mann, I buy the Mann filters
by the case for the family cars.

 

Thanks for so much input! 2 things came to me, first - NO, its a given we
don't mess with oil changes.. last oil change was with an AC Delco
cartridge.. as for brakes, with 75% used, 25% left, are you saying I should
just do pads for now??? The mechanic made it sound that it needed to get
done fairly soon... and was about ready to order the materials!

 

How do the rotors look? I normally get several sets of pads out of a set
of rotors, but that requires changing the pads before they wear down to
the rivets. Once you have metal on metal, the rotors get chewed up
really quick. Also I tried ceramic pads once and they wore the rotors
rapidly, the soft pads don't last as long and make more brake dust but
the pad is the part you want to wear.

 

sorry i thought you meant 75% left. 25% (left) is not a bad place to
change esp. for a mechanic. just remember if you walk out the next
time your mechanic is (statistically) likely to see you is when you
hear rivets on rotors. you have a little more leeway. you can pay very
close attention or decide to change the rotors anyway -- so why not
risk ruining them?