2000 Volvo XC70 review from Australia and New Zealand

New radiator, front control arm bushes & rear link rod.

This is not so much a review on owning the Volvo, as I have not had it long, but more on what to look out for when purchasing a Cross Country or XC70. I purchased a MY01 Cross Country which I thought needed nothing to spend.

I previously owned a 850 wagon, & sold it to a friend at 397000kms without any problems, so when I went to upgrade, I did not do my homework as I thought Volvo's go forever.

Anyway, the most common fault are the solenoids in the auto. When I purchased my car the job had already been done, but has only lasted two years as it needs doing again. This problem causes the auto to make rough changes in gears, & also a delayed reaction in gear response when taking off from stand still. Up until a couple of years ago Volvo was charging $4000 for the part & between $500 & $800 to fit. They are now up to version 5, which is meant to give beautiful gear changes & last up to 150000kms. The price has dropped to $1500 for the solenoids. I will update once I have done the job.

Control arm bushes are filled with oil & have a lifespan of up to 6 years. You will know if they need replacing if the steering is not as precise & the suspension seems a bit rough. Cost is around $640 to replace.

If you are looking at a XC70 around the 100000km mark, just consider a major service & belt change at 120000kms. I'm unsure of the price, & then another major service at 135000kms at around $700. This includes oils, spark plugs, coolant, aircon filter change. The air con filter change is important as if it is very dirty, the air con can make you sick as it collects pollen, dust etc, so they tell me, but I have just done mine & it has made a difference to the smell & noise level of the air con. After these services there are only minor ones until 180000kms.

The whole service schedule is a nightmare. I phoned every Volvo dealer & specialist in town to get a quote on the 135000km service & got a different answer on what needs doing & how much from a minor service at $180 to the major at $900. The service books do not contain any information on what needs doing per service. Apparently Volvo changes the schedule yearly. I found this a pain as I want to do the right thing in servicing the car properly but feel its very easy to get ripped off as you can not counter check what needs doing in the service book to what the dealer recommends.

You can get a complete 2008 software upgrade done for around $120 & it's meant to make a huge difference; I will let you know once I've done mine.

New radiator costs $700 fitted.

Other faults to look for are cracks in the motor or trans mounts. The CV joint boots (about $500 each to replace). Check the AWD gearbox for oil leaks.

I believe in 2003 the engine was increased in size slightly to a 2.5 litre so they are more powerful & use a more reliable Haldex AWD system.

My mechanic said the engines, turbos & gearboxes are very reliable (except solenoids) & robust.

I hope this helps & I will continue to update once I learn more & judge the results with my own car. All this info is from my own experience & an hour long conversation with a Volvo mechanic of 30 years.