New Volvo Owner!!!

Hey all.....My folks just got a brand spankin new S60, so I got there old
2001 S80. I have two cars I'm going to sell, now that I got the S80. I
always kept 2 cars because they weren't worth much, and I drive a lot for
work, and it was prudent to have a spare.

The S80 has 68K miles on it, but my folks brought it to Volvo for each and
every scheduled maintenance since new, and it was garage kept.

Any weak points on the S80 I should look out for? Should I continue
bringing it to Volvo for scheduled maintenance, or is a regular (good)
service station sufficient? I understand Volvo charges a mint to do routine
stuff...but perhaps they have a better feel for what things to look out for.

Any thoughts would sure be appreciated!

Thanks for the read
......Dave

 

The way I see it we have four options:

1. Dealer
2. Indy Volvo mechanic (.eu mechanic would probably be acceptable too)
3. Mechanic of choice and hope he has a service manual for your car
4. DIY

If you've been supporting two POS cars you will probably be saving
money simply by swapping out to one reliable vehicle that requires
less maintenance than the other two cars combined.

 

Why not maintain and repair it yourself?

 

I'll be doing so, though I did send my new-used Volvo to an indy Volvo
shop for it's first major maintenance and an alignment. OP strikes me
as a busy guy and may prefer to pay for maintenance.

 

Well, some stuff I can do...but I will likely not want to try changing a
timing belt...or even an alternator!!
Since I will soon not have two cars, when this one craps out, I have to get
it fixed...fast. No time to order parts on ebay, and spend evening studying
a service book. My ultra crappy job has me working almost all day/evening
long!!
.....Dave

 

An alternator change-out isn't routine maintenance, that's more of a
repair item most of the time. Timing belts CAN be routine maintenance
- better to change one before it breaks - but can also be repairs.

Routine maintenance is stuff like oil and filter changes, brake pads
replacement, installing new shocks, things like that. About the only
"routine" maintenance I plan to send out will be alignments and tire
rotate/balance jobs. Everything else I should be able to do myself.

 

Most folks do not pull maintenance and repair on their vehicles, and
in my opinion they are missing out on a good thing.

Not just saving money, either: I am talking about satisfaction.

Odds are most folks could find the time; finding a place to do it is
often tough, though.

The biggest obstacle is the intimidation factor, i.e., getting started
if nobody has taken you under their wing earlier in your life and
Shown You How.

Me, I learned by reading a book called "How to Repair Your Own Car,"
and starting with the easy stuff, buying tools as I went.

One of my favorite books was "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance."

 

Each year, Consumer Reports has an issue on cars, including
information on the repair record by make, model, and year.
Most public libraries have this magazine.

If you have a service station with a really good mechanic,
you can use them. But there is some risk. Last year, the
exhaust system on my 2000 S40 got noisy, so I took it to the
dealer for repair. They found a leak in the catalytic
converter, a $1000 replacement. But they knew the part is
still under warranty, and the job cost me nothing.