They shipped their '07 Volvo S60R over 1K miles to my shop? CAR WIZARD determines if it's worth it!

[@euroautohaus2u423]

Hi, Wizard. I specialize in Volvo repair and have personally owned 50-75 Volvos over the last 12 years. Love these cars. I can say with 100% confidence that the rubbing is NOT caused by the wheels or steering rack and in fact is the little bumper block things mounted to the control arms with two bolts, they wear out, and allow too much steering angle and the wheels rub. Volvo knew this was going to happen which is why there is a metal rub guard mounted to the inner fender. Also, 18" wheels were standard factory equipment on S60Rs, 17 came standard on V70Rs. 17s are optional for the S60R. I would also strongly suggest checking the PCV system as this car has lots of oil seepage around the oil filler cap and at 120k I doubt it's been done and it's due just based on age. I bet everything under the blue engine cover is soaked in oil. Cheers!

[@boelensds]

100% correct. you need to mount the right steering stops when you place larger tyre size.

[@boelensds]

also check pcv system.

[@thestjani94]

Was exactly going to comment this, They probably upgraded to the 18inch Pegasus wheels from the Original 17Inch and forgot to replace the steering stop bushes on the control arms for the correct wheel size, and probably what caused the steering rack to give up. :) and also that steering wheel is aftermarket on that car except for the centerpart + buttons.

[@wolfeadventures]

Wizard better read this. Great information.

[@kafarske123]

Came here to point out the same thing 😂😁👍 So +1

[@tobias_dahlberg]

DO NOT change the entire rearview mirror. I did that mistake, it has computers in it for the locking system and some other systems, you have to transfer the same circuitry over to the new housing if you want to change the entire housing, otherwise your car's central locking will not work.

[@burntnougat5341]

That's a worse design than what BMWs of the same era has

[@lumimobb]

It is vinlocked yes. You can swap just the lens only

[@1DeathSquadDictator0]

Before I got my 02 S60, my grandfather cut a piece of some mirror and glued it to the rearview mirror when the auto dimming died (and turned the mirror brown). This was after he was quoted $600 to change the mirror years ago. Yeah that mirror contains the entire Upper electric module. Pretty much contains the security system, keyless entry, lighting, and sunroof. The minute you remove it the car will become an expensive paperweight until you put it back.

[@tobias_dahlberg]

@@1DeathSquadDictator0 It is possible to affix one from a junkyard as a temporary solution. I did that and the car does work, everything works except for security functions. So you’ll have to lock and unlock the car with the key.

[@tobias_dahlberg]

@@burntnougat5341 it is not uncommon for cars to have control systems in the mirror housing. It makes sense for receivers and in newer cars sensors and cameras can be placed there. The bad design part is that it is VIN-locked and Volvo is not able to reprogram another mirror that is not brand new for the same VIN. If only that was possible, you would be able to grab one from the junkyard and just assign it the correct VIN.

[@tobias_dahlberg]

The transmissions in this generation of Volvo are from Aisin, the same transmissions used it Lexus and Toyota cars, I don't see why they wouldn't rebuilt it.

[@CaptainSeamus]

That's the automatics... this one is a manual. I think the M66 was in house???

[@elektrosmokes1911]

I had an 05 back in the mid 2000s. Very heavily modified, one of the fastest in the country. It hurts me to see them looking this worn down.

[@ijettaround]

I can tell this owner cares about the car though. At 20 years old, it’s not in the worst condition I’ve seen…

[@Benji-f1c]

​@@ijettaroundmy v70 t5 is AT 190k miles and it looks like new even IF it had very many owners

[@seanym67]

Anyone cussing you out for an accident they had-not worth doing business with. I've spent more on a car's repair than it's worth, happy I did car had sentimental value and was worth it to me.

[@broken96vw]

The thing about repair cost VS vehicle replacement cost that is missing is that a replacement for that price would need a lot of those things (and maybe more) replaced anyway

[@miguelluismusic4181]

Well said… wizard just wants clicks and to talk slow with his ego show

[@TheShmoodled]

@@miguelluismusic4181No hes just correct. Insurance will pay you the value of the car and not for any repairs or maintenance done. There reaches a point where its not worth fixing. Not sure how that has to do with his ego

[@Clooger-]

​@@miguelluismusic4181Ego?? You're weird asf dude.

[@jerick1976]

This iteration of 6 speed Rs are rare and worth saving. All Rs have problems even the 10k ones. Folks that own these are hobbyists at this point so yeah, worth fixing. Newer Rs are a handling package. This one came with a special engine, trans, brakes and suspension. Lots of $$$ to keep them on the road but still a special car.

[@kylemontano228]

my 07 s60r has needed a lot of work in the year and a half i’ve owned it, but these cars are sooo worth it. not much else like it on the road anymore

[@bren.nan_]

@@kylemontano228hi kyle :)

[@ch_dn]

These older Volvo Rs are getting harder to spot. The fact that the car was sent from 1K miles away to Wizard... I can tell that the owner really wants someone that can be trusted.

[@jaskajokunen3716]

Alot of people prefer v70r for whatever reason, i got a s60 t5 and i could have bought s60r but i thought the 2.3 is just better overall in terms of realiblity and power with tuning.

[@DeeDee-pw9pm]

@@jaskajokunen3716 My '01 V70 has a 2.4 5cyl NA engine. 216k miles and still runs great! Only noise mine makes comes from the injectors. If i want a fast car, it's not going to be a Volvo haha.

[@aaron___6014]

@@jaskajokunen3716 because they have a large amount of cargo space.

[@jaskajokunen3716]

@@DeeDee-pw9pm mine has 155k miles 🤔Though not sure how long it will last since it has aisin autobox and its pushing around 310whp and people said the tranny can handle 300 😔

[@HBRDynamics]

It makes no sense to ship this car from the north east to wizard. There are plenty of reputable Volvo specialists in the NE that will do same quality work for cheaper since volvos tend to have the same chronic issues

[@Mooselover1011]

These cars are so interesting to me. I test drove one but didn't buy it. It was meant to be a competitor the BMW M3, obviously it wasn't quite as quick, but to this day has to be one of the cheapest cars with 300HP, AWD, and a manual transmission. Jeremy Clarkson did an awesome review of one on TopGear back in the day. Volvo really went a different direction on this car!

[@PlanetTwilow]

It is very easy to get it close to 400hp, The car in the video has some mods, IPD cat back exhaust, needs a performance down pipe/racing cat. It has snabb intercooler piping, needs a do88 intercooler. and a tune from Shep.

[@YouTubeHandlesAreStupid]

I have an Audi S4 because that combination of things sounded sexy to me too 🤣🤣 Only pushing about 450hp now but it's a ton of fun. Still on the stock clutch. I'll push it to 550hp by spinning the blower harder, porting it, and running E40 once I have another clutch ready to go.

[@Mooselover1011]

@KZbinHandlesAreStupid I had a 2010 s4, 6 speed manual. Very fun car, but maintenance was a nightmare. I'm content with my 580WHP Dodge Viper GTS currently. 🤣

[@YouTubeHandlesAreStupid]

@@Mooselover1011 Lawd have mercy, that's a whole different animal. What's done to it to push it to 580wheel?. And yeah, I'm on top of the maintenance; but, everything is a wear part on this care 😆. I have money in "mods' that are more like non-performance upgrades so it won't become a problem later.

[@Mooselover1011]

@KZbinHandlesAreStupid It has gen 3 heads, a custom grind comp cam, full custom exhaust, and some other little stuff done to it. I bought it that way. I'll say this, it moves!

[@Spectrum_Auto_Spa]

I just flew from NY to Chicago last week to drive a 60k mile s60R back home. Did brakes , fluid, paint correction the day i came home

[@chocolatewheelchair]

You can tell by the plate this guy has found identity in this car and he’s holding onto it for dear life!

[@grooveyman]

Certainly looks like it.

[@BapedRacon]

It’s great to see people hold on to these! I have my 06 S60R 6-sp. with 276k miles! Running strong and just doing the maintenance in it is fun. The more I work on them, the more I appreciate the car itself.

[@joshgoulet6613]

I used to have a 2005 S60R with a 6 speed and 18s on it. I loved it. With that said, on the ones with the 18s, the stops for the steering get adjusted to prevent the tires from rubbing on the wheel well. Going from 17s to 18s, this probably was not done. The downside of adjusting it for the 18s is that the car has a massive turning radius. I had a Prelude Si 4WS at the same time as this car. It was a major change going from a car that could do a u-turn in about a 8 foot circle to driving the Volvo. I miss my S60R very much. I've been looking at them again recently.

[@GixxerRider1991]

To think they would call and cuss you out for doing what they told you to do, because they were ignorant of how insurance companies operate. That's just childish.

[@mds2465]

Yes I agree with you about the cold air intakes. Unless it's been properly tuned and setup for that, I would definitely advise the customer that it would be a good idea to go back to stock or perhaps see about getting it set up and dialed in properly.

[@pops55650]

Over piling of those cloth filters also messes with MAF sensors

[@reptilez13]

Hell, you should probably tune a car anytime you add anything aftermarket. I'm all for modifying vehicles, it's just ECU and other sensor interaction is so integrated on anything from the past 20 years, the newer the moreso, tuning is always a good idea. I feel like if a new mod helps without a tune it's basically luck lol or a stock tune that changes with sensor input

[@reptilez13]

​@TheRealAKZbinrgood turbo noises are worth a lot of things, that is true lol

[@CaptainSeamus]

Stock paper air filter flows more CFM than the KN AND does it cleaner... people on Swedespeed paid to compare...

[@Moe-ks1sy]

Wow I used to work at white plains Volvo and I remember seeing this car with the plate!!! That’s crazy

[@RichieRouge206]

I’ve got a V70 of the same era (facelift P2) so great to see one at Omega. The 18” ‘Pegasus’ alloys were indeed optional and later standard on the S60/V70R. That rubbing on the inner arch is because the steering locks he has are for 17” wheels. I had the same problem on my car going from 16” to 18” Nebulas. I too have the same beautiful blue dials in my car! That steering wheel is aftermarket but very nice! Great video Wizard

[@CharlesDeMar]

It’s worth it! That’s a great car in solid condition now that it’s sorted. The client knows all the issues, unlike buying another used, it’s better for the environment, and way way way cheaper than buying a new car. Good for them and good for y’all for doing the work.

[@joedunn1109]

The rearview mirror also contains the upper electronics module (UEM) which controls the keyless entry, power windows, and sunroof, among other things. The mirror is also self dimming. Unfortunately, it's not a cheap thing to replace.

[@euroautohaus2u423]

It is possible to get a used mirror, split it open and swap the glass, keeping the original UEM. Done it before, tedious but in this guy's case, worth it!

[@BubblesTheCat1]

😮 he just needs to use a little bit of paint thinner on a cloth to clean that interior mirror

[@darkiee69]

@@BubblesTheCat1 It's the reflective backing that's cracking. No amount of thinner will fix that.

[@BubblesTheCat1]

@@darkiee69 😆

[@AwakeDude911]

IVE USED A COMPASS MIRROR out of a xc70 or 2008 s60 in my 2006 regular s60 no issues just plug and play.

[@suginami0]

My son is a mechanic at a Volvo independent shop in Pasadena, CA that has been in business since the late 70s. Volvo's are so highly valued, that customers regularly put more money in them that they are worth. The cost of repairs relative to the value of the car is generally not an issue. Rs in particular are very sought after.

[@74Husky]

Just possibly this Volvo might have family sentimental value.

[@laurat1129]

Which shop in Pasadena? I used to bring my Saab to 2GFS in Venice.

[@phixion35]

Independent Volvo? Just guessing as I don't believe JK Volvo has been around since the 70s, but I could be mistaken. I know Independent has been around forever. Both are great shops though!

[@suginami0]

@@phixion35 JK Volvo. It opened in the late 70s for sure. Sadly, JK just passed away. His son, who has been running the business for many years, now owns the business.

[@phixion35]

@@suginami0 that's terrible news about JK. I like that shop, extremely knowledgeable, friendly and reasonable prices. I've had both my current S60 worked on there before as well as my previous 1st gen S40.

[@matthijs.tieleman]

The Car Wizard is a great mechanic and this is a great car. Still, I am just flabbergasted by people who ship their car from New York to Kansas just to fix their car. There is no way there isn't a decent shop near this customer that could do this same job. It's a Volvo, not a Ferrari Enzo (and I think even for that, you can go more local than that). Again, I wish the customer and the Car Wizard the best, but it's crazy to ship a car that far to get it fixed.

[@fiehlsport]

Yep, there are *so* many great Volvo specialty shops in the Northeast they could have gone to. Shops that would have a stockpile of Volvo specialty tools as well.

[@burntnougat5341]

The owner wanted his 20 minutes of youtube fame

[@laurat1129]

MTE. No offense to The Wizard or the owner, but this doesn’t make any $ense. If I myself can find plenty of Saab or Swedish specialists in CA, MA (and everywhere across and around the USA), there are certainly Volvo shops in NY? No driving or shipping to add to the project cost. As for any sentimental value… I get it. There’s more to the story here, I think.

[@DueVolvi]

And when this customer is finally back in NY, he is still left with that broken gearbox....

[@daryokenar6215]

@@laurat1129 N.Y. is full of fantastic repair and service shops for european brands including Swedish ones.

[@Handle423]

I hope the owner properly takes care of this car now, there aren't many of those left 😢

[@johanekeberg3374]

A volvo S60 R is always worth saving!! Im from sweden and this is a very good car :)

[@WayApp]

The lengths people go to for their passion for cars is truly inspiring.

[@timiYES]

I love this car with a passion. You just have to be behind the wheel to appreciate it. This and the XC90 are very VEEEEERY good cars that will embarrass many more popular brands

[@FreeonRumble]

I loved my 05 S60. The issue was I had kids. The back seat is way to small in this sedan. I had a tune and catback exhaust. The inline 5 sounds amazing. Very cool car

[@Flies2FLL]

I agree with his recommendation regarding K&N air filters. They do not filter very well and really do not increase air flow enough to be noticeable. But that oil can get on hot wire MAF sensors and cause the wire to break during the device's cleaning cycle on engine shutdown. Great video!

[@spannersautoandcomputerser1649]

I prefer AEM dry filters

[@reallyhappenings5597]

I run one on a base V70 with the NA engine, and I just use MAF cleaner occasionally like one reLly should anyway. Even on an NA engine it delivers more flow at higher RPM

[@CaptainSeamus]

Some guys on Swedespeed paid/did a bunch of testing - the OEM paper filter (Mann) flowed better than KN and also cleaned the air better. Just put a stock filter on.

[@Flies2FLL]

@@CaptainSeamus +1! Totally agree. These K&N style filters delete the airbox, a part that is designed to reduce noise and introduce cold filtered air. A K&N filter does only ONE thing, it introduces induction roar, which is actually kind of cool. In 1997 I installed one of these on my Volkswagen Corrado SLC and it made it sound fantastic. At idle it was a four cylinder, but then under load at low RPM the VR6 sounded like nothing other than a small Detroit V8, but it screamed like a BMW inline 6 at redline. I didn't know at the time that these filter basically very little, but is sure sounded nice-

[@Flies2FLL]

@@CaptainSeamus +1

[@Hagis2k]

Well they wanted the best shop to look at it!

[@seanm3ify]

Lol not even close. I’ve got a certified Volvo mechanic here in Chicago. I wouldn’t even consider trusting this guy with my Volvos.

[@ObesePuppies]

@@seanm3ifycool? Good for you?..

[@burntnougat5341]

​@@seanm3ifytruth. Wizard complains about the oil filter housing gasket on a E46. Turbo volvo? Hell na

[@Smarterthanyou-mthrfkr]

Chacho the mechanic here in dallas would take care of it.

[@CarWizard]

@@seanm3ifyIve repaired tons of screw ups from “certified mechanics”. Most of them are hacks. Check out my older videos. Tons of re-doing jobs from “Certified Techs”. Put a link to your certified guys shop. Lets check him out.

[@jamesnall569]

Even tho the Volvo is a special car, it is from New York with some miles on it. If the owner wanted a great mechanic to tell him no on the repairs, he should have towed to Eric O. of South Main Auto.🤷‍♂️

[@bwill357]

There is a pretty decent Volvo community in the northeast/new england/east coast regions, they should've been able to find a volvo mechanic more local, money no object i guess, it will be good car when fully sorted s60R/v70R are living legends

[@SigvaldsAmazon]

I agree! I can name 3 reputable Volvo shops in western MA and I’m sure there are several great shops in VT too. Shops that work only on Volvo are fairly common

[@mabs503]

The S60 R with 6-speed is getting quite rare here in Europe too. I could only find 5 for sale, starting at 13000€ with 270000km. There are none for sale in Sweden at all regardless of transmission. I found one V70R.

[@DeeDee-pw9pm]

I'm Dutch and the S60R isn't for sale much. But the V70R's are more plenty.

[@Lucas.A.D]

Hop over to your neighbor, Finland. There always seem to be at least a few for sale over here (both V60R and V70R). It's a bit ironic that my V70R was imported from Sweden a few years ago though.

[@Azureecosse]

all in the scrap reclamation yards because emissions taxes make them un economical for the majority.

[@RIGeek.]

I had a 07 V70R wagon and will say that they're one of the more tricky cars to fix as everything requires "software and coding".

[@DeeDee-pw9pm]

In what way did software and coding make your V70R harder to fix? I have a super basic '01 V70 that's not been difficult to fix so far. I'm quite curious.

[@RIGeek.]

@@DeeDee-pw9pm only the dealership can sell you the software and code the parts.

[@01Bouwhuis]

​@DeeDee-pw9pm a lot of modules need to be programmed. Ecm, throttle body, awd module, etc. But....they almost never break. Your car is a configuration, which is stored on a server in sweden.

[@kimblem.w9952]

@@01Bouwhuis yikes good luck fixing them when Volvo stops bothering with supporting these old computers.

[@aydenu9057]

@@kimblem.w9952 I’m pretty sure the original intention was so Volvo could keep track of what cars had certain dealer options (like the polestar tune), and if the customer/shop did something that would void warranty. I know that in the US many mid-late 00’s cars had the window control when you hold unlock/lock on the key fob disabled due to many litigious laws, but you could go to the dealership and have it re enabled if you signed a waiver.

[@fstap]

I had a 2001 Subaru outback H6 that I put $5k into trying to keep it alive. It was worth $2500 on a good day. Engine let go a few weeks ago and I was left with $400 from a junkyard. Wish I never put that money into it, but I loved it so much and wanted to keep it forever. I'll never dump that much into another cheap car again after the experience I went through

[@jerick1976]

There is a bump stop on the lower control arm that is R specific. Some folks take those off to get a tighter turning radius. That may be why the tire is rubbing.

[@74Husky]

The AWD Volvos do not have a great turning radius. just the nature of the beast. The FWD only versions are tighter.

[@pogoism9]

There is a part number for a 16", a 17" and an 18" wheel, sounds like they have the wrong ones there

[@phixion35]

​@@74Huskyand the FWD ones still have a horrible turning radius, I couldn't imagine it being any worse. It's the only pet peeve of my P2 S60. But I do understand why it's that way.

[@CaptainSeamus]

The only thing an R can't defeat is a tight parking lot. There is no such thing as a u-turn.

[@alphakky]

Here's the point. Sure, you could get another car for the same price, but at least you know that this car is sorted, compared to who knows what's going to die when you get someone else's Volvo, yes? Also, do you know how much a new Volvo costs? So it was worth it for this owner to have a car that has been sorted out, compared to someone else's problem.

[@gilbertjubinville]

Exactly! It's not a difficult concept

[@velardechelo]

I once read... "Volvos were built like tanks, last like tanks but also drive like tanks" lol... I have a c30 2013 5 Cylinder 2.4(the non turbo version) and it feels so smooth and well built...

[@youtubasoarus]

In this case though, it's a very fast tank. 🤣

[@mysterymonkey]

I remember when I was doing mots (inspections) on these there was a memo about the tyres touching the inner wheel arches as it wasn’t to be considered a rejection and completely normal, hope you read this wizard!

[@smiler289]

I've owned a 2004 S60 D5 Sport since 2007. Lovely car to drive, handles well, very comfy seats, fast and returns reasonable fuel mileage for the age of the car. But its a pain in the arse for things going wrong, and when they do go wrong theyre a pain to repair. It ate brake calipurs because volvo cut corners and used cheap ones, subsequently it also ate vrake discs and pads. It would wear out front tyres in no time at all, and my front tyres rubbed on those rub plates, the uk actaully has an MOT clause that says when the cat has its yearly test to ignore the rubbing,basically volvo designed the car wrong. The steering rack failed and it was a nightmare finding a replacement because volvo used numerous different ones on the S60. The exhaust flex pipe broke, had it repaired and it broke again, so I had fitted a custom stainless through flow exhaust deleting the cats in the process, which is legal in the uk for this age and fuel type of car. My car came with the R design 18" wheels which were way to hard a ride so had those changed to 17s which were much better. I had several pairs of wheel bearings changed on it, several top strutt mounts, drop links and the dreaded oil seal behind the flex disc blew out which cost a fortune to replace, I had the clutch changed at the same time. Then the serpentine belt snapped and got caught in the camblet due to the worst belt design known to man, this destroyed the engine ofcourse. But I wasnt done with the car yet even though it had over 260k miles on it. I had a used engine fitted and it gave it another chance until I eventually bought another car,an XC70. The S60 now has 279k miles on it. It had been sat in my field for 3 years before it was started, fires right up and ran like a dream, everything works on it, well it did until the nearside driveshaft broke. Its now too long in the tooth,needs too much suspension work and the body has started to rust even before it was laid up. Its now waiting to go to volvo heaven. Great car to drive but a pain in repairs.

[@harnettsgarage]

Hey Wizard, Ive been working on Volvo's for 15 years now. I find that most R's are beaten to within an inch of their lives by now, especially when tney have add ons like the cold air and aluminum turbo pipes as well as aftermarket exhaust. I've seen 5 in the last few years where the aluminum block has cracked around the cylinder liners and caused compression to leak into the cooling system. Another note is, the rubbing at full lock from the tires/wheels is very very common on those, even with the proper steering stops, it happens with 17 inch, 18 or 19 inch wheels. I've seen people add washers behind the bolts holding the stops, and the wheels still rub a little. We had a guy who had a 6 speed manual R, needed a transmission, we couldn't find one used, no one would rebuild it and Volvo wanted the moon for a new one. I replaced all 4 calipers on an 07 V70R 4 years ago, Volvo has them, it was around 2000 bucks just for the calipers...

[@richyp73]

Do you know much about the Volvo S80’s? With the yamaha v8 ? I was interested in picking one up.. are they uber expensive to maintain like the s60’s? Man 2000k for calipers is scary sounding .. makes wonder how much other repairs would be. Although it would be driven maybe 1000k miles a year.. just as a weekend warrior.

[@harnettsgarage]

@@richyp73 I'll say this, I've never seen an S80 V8 that didn't need a transmission..... now in the XC90's with the V8 the transmissions hold up very well.... Keep in mind, it's only the R version of the S60 or V70 that have the very expensive calipers, I have an 04 S60 AWD, has close to 400,000 km on it and it's easy to get calipers for, around 200 bucks for a set of fronts...

[@richyp73]

Thanks for the reply.. Boy I thought maybe the s80 transmissions would be solid being a Asin/Toyota built. Im afraid to ask what that would cost.. or if one can even find a replacement

[@zanderxymox]

Something to check with the transmission popping out of gear is that it could very well be stretched shifter cables. That's a common issue for M56 Volvos like 850s and later P80s which causes them to pop out of gear and not go in certain gears correctly, so I wouldn't be surprised if P2 Volvos are also at the age where that's becoming a point of failure.

[@johnseajr]

Maybe the forks moving the synchros are made of plastic, I've seen that before, and they can worn out. If you're lucky, from the cabin, there's a plate on top of the transmission you can remove under the shifter, so you can easily change them.

[@youtubasoarus]

Definitely synchros, my 3rd gear is only good for downshifts rn. 😂

[@spannersautoandcomputerser1649]

extremely fun cars to drive, very comfortable and the power band is fun. Knowing how to work on them and the tricks and tips to them can save $$.

[@dereckjtbear2175]

I had a T5 850 And they are a Blast to drive,Very addictive.. adrenaline Rush And that 5 Cylinder burble,Love it..

[@discostew90]

Magic blue! Beautiful car, good on the owner for wanting to save this. Expensive unique spec but so worth owning.

[@hamishcruden7623]

Great points W. Unless someone has an emotional attachment to the car... like it was his 1st car etc etc... move it on if repair is close to replacement cost of 'like for like' car!

[@jeffzekas]

We live in a metropolitan area of over 165,000 people, and yet, I’ve only found one honest mechanic in the 12 years I’ve lived here. That is why someone will spend $1000 to ship their car to an honest mechanic like the wizard.

[@777jones]

I’m blessed to have two, one for each Euro marque. It’s like pushing the “easy button.” Invest in the relationship with those guys. They’re worth it.

[@keithwiebe1787]

I'd like to think I'm an honest mechanic (retired now after 40 years in the business) and worked just a couple miles down the road from the Wizard for 20 plus years.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

I knew someone with a Volvo 850-T5. Now tat was a seriously impressive car. I cannot conceive anyone needing much more actually.

[@TheNismo777]

Its a Volvo and its an R,, absolutely always worth it.

[@tronmcrae]

Insurance always wants to pay market value. That's why you need to make sure you keep all your service records, that way you can negotiate with the insurance company for the value based on having many new parts.

[@CaptainSeamus]

Yep. I've had them hand over an extra $4k on a 77 Dodge Monaco we were mid restoration on.

[@legambaz]

If the steering rack has been leaking for a while, oil from the rack can erode the anti-roll bar bush. And Volvo anti-roll bar bush are molded onto the rod. So the only way to fix it is to replace the entire anti-roll bar. IPD makes an improved version of it but I hear it's expensive and it kinda squeaks

[@bertram46]

That is a compliment to you that they would spend the money and take the time to have that come to your shop. My only question is though when you add what you're going to be doing to it and then they get back to New York and have to put a transmission in it they'll have more in it than it's worth

[@chasesmith1212]

Those generations of Volvo R's are definitely worth keeping up. So happy to finally see one on the channel! I'm looking for a V70R myself.

[@lougrubb8434]

I spent a year looking and eventually found a nice one on swedespeed car forums. Good luck!

[@OnShouldersOfGiants]

Definitely getting harder to find. Seen a couple here in Oregon for sale, one with high mileage and cheap and another with s possible cracked cylinder wall for cheap.

[@joeschutten9984]

I had an 07R and loved it! One minor detail i caught is that you mentioned the strut tower brace and that is only an upper motor mount. You have to add a strut tower brace along with the motor mount to get the stiffness that a brace provides. Totally worth sending to The Car Wizard! Only have these cars looked at by a trusted mechanic. Bad work is why i eventually needed to let mine go.

[@kafarske123]

The upper engine Mount is Just a vibration damper. The engine actualy sitts on a front and rear Main Mount, and an aditional stabelizer on the right side, as well as a torque limiter on the front of the gear box.

[@backyardprojects9945]

RE Calipers If the steel connector to the caliper is rusty, I would remove the caliper, fix it in a vice and use oxy or map gas to heat the connector. That might be enough to loosen it. Worth a try before binning the caliper. Great channel!

[@PlanetTwilow]

Yeah, cut the hose, take the caliper out, sort it, then replace with braided stainless lines.

[@youtubasoarus]

They look crusty, but the come out. I changed mine to stainless a long time ago. Pain in the ass job.

[@GeminiDragons]

I have a '07 S60R too! I love this car, and right now mine needs a little TLC. I believe it is worth the investment bc these cars ride so well, accelerate like champs and look super in and out. Thanks for the video!

[@mayflowerlash11]

Finally while lowering the car down of the hoist we see scratch marks in the lower part of the bumper bar. Let's go up this 4wd track, my S60R has all wheel drive. Yeah, right.

[@zzoinks]

That's probably from the concrete barriers and curbs in front of parking spots. imo

[@yangy8783]

an old man i know said that his s60 fan blowing motor needs to replace. 2500, part is only like 60$. you better know how to do it your self when buy one.

[@BostonCycling_]

Been waiting for this kind of Volvo content for years. I'd love a deeper dive into Volvo vehicles the way you have done for other brands. The P3 cars are actually an insane bargain right now for the quality you can get for under $15k used, and if well maintained, they will LAST. The 4C suspension is EXPENSIVE though! I'm fine with my standard suspension setup.

[@Prodriver33]

Robert DIY covers a ton of good Volvo content

[@kmorton54]

That Volvo has been cosmetically neglected. I have 132k on my 2011 S80, which is in much better shape. A S60R with a manual transmission is a rare car.

[@QALibrary]

Watch JR Go had a number of Volvos and Elliott Alvis has the estate/station wagon version of this car I belive

[@LafemmebearMusic]

Honestly the suspension difference is pretty noticeable but I hear you cost wise

[@BostonCycling_]

@@LafemmebearMusic I put in the IPD rear sway bar which has helped my XC70 wagon with body roll tremendously

[@coldnnh6983]

They must really love that car… even if they searched for another one that wouldn’t undoubtedly have issues, maybe the devil you know… my wife n I put more into our06 Cummins mega cab to customize for her with paint, new leather, upscale sound system because it was cheaper than new and had 120k on it she loves it and whatever she wanted I did because of her cancer, sometimes the reason outweighs the practicality. Keep them coming wizard .

[@mds2465]

Actually if the customer still has full collision coverage on the car a lot of times insurance will credit the customer for the services rendered into the vehicle thus far. I actually had that happen to me twice in the past 2 years with my 2014 Honda CR-Vs. I got very lucky because you're right a lot of times it doesn't work out that way! So as a suggestion you might want to ask the customer if they still carry full coverage insurance on the car that way in the event that something like that ever happens where the vehicle is totaled, then you can tell the customer to contact their insurance company and see if they can submit their service invoices to their insurance company for reimbursement. Hope this helps!

[@hotpuppy1]

If the car is old enough, get stated value car insurance. It may cost more but at least they won't give you $50 if it gets hit.

[@Metered_Air]

I actually even had this happen on my liability-only vehicle after a non-insured driver hit me three days after I had it repainted. That repaint saved my older vehicle from being totaled. Best decision of my life. 😂

[@mds2465]

@@Metered_Air cool story!

[@wolfalanj]

Hey all it’s my car, so the air filter was on the car when I bought it as were all the cosmetic issues including the mirror lol, I am going to replace the mirror at some point for sure, the prior owner replaced the mirror with an aftermarket that as some people said meant the remote for the car stopped working, he had given me the original mirror when I bought it from him so I reinstalled it just so my remote keyless entry would work again. The car previously resided in Rochester which is upstate NY which is proabblt what caused most of the rust, since I have had it the winters have not been bad I live in the NYC area. I am going to look into the bump stop thing I didn’t realize the bump stops were different for the 17 inch OEM wheels vs the 18 inch wheels, that is part of the control arms right? Everything on the front end has been replaced, struts, control arms, wheel hubs, tire rods, and both drive axles. I had told wizard that the wheels are OEM option wheels so not sure why they would rub, I thought maybe whatever it was rubbing on got warped or something but let me know what you guys think I should have replaced to stop the rubbing. And yes the wheel is after market, it’s awesome as it’s way lighter then the factory wheel and I like the alcantara and the stripe at the top of the wheel. And to me it’s worth repairing, I also own a 2007 z4m which is my daily driver, I use this as my 4 door companion when my 6 year old is in car with me and if I ever need to transport extra people (like my other two kids) or when I go on jobs that I need my ladder with the roof rack and I store a lot of equipment in trunk and since it’s not great cosmetically I don’t mind driving it to NYC for instance and parking it in a parking lot. Once my 6 year old is old enough to sit in front seat of any 2 seater I own by then, then I will get rid of tue car as I won’t need more then 2 seats anymore, so I will be keeping it for another 5-6 years probably so was well worth the cost of repair, rather the devil you know. And I’ll see what happens with the transmission. And to somebody that said it wasn’t worth sending it to the wizard to repair I disagree, he does great work, and NYC is much more expensive for labor.

[@bigmountain7561]

Hi, once I pop the hood and see modifications that I didn’t install then I know that it was beat. Someone thought they were driving the Nurburgring on a regular road where probably the engine was not brought up to temperature for a prolonged period of time. I had an TI Sport AWD when it first came out and we drove it for about 2 years and then traded it and got great money for it. Unless you really need AWD it’s just a waste and something else to fix and the excess weight is not good for gas mileage. The Volvo’s were nice but you need to be rich to fix them out of warranty!! Great Videos!! Thank You 🙏

[@CaptainSeamus]

Have you ever looked at the OEM turbo inlet and outlet piping in this year? They were made of plastic and would crack out at about 100,000 miles - the replacement with the Snaab kit was both cheaper than the plastic OEM AND more durable. The more you know...

[@realvolvofreak]

1. Wheel rubbing is caused because angle limiters are worn. Just replace them. They sit on the lower linkarms 2. Steering angle sensor. There are companies that offer refurbished units for half a price of the new one. 3. Would be good to service haldex awd system as well. Oil and filter replacement. Otherwise the pump can worn out. Those are such a nice cars to drive. I think worth saving.

[@TheHienax]

Love Volvos I have a xc70 and s60 That is a really nice spec S60R is the space ball trans.. I have the same issue with my transmission.. and them i passed away.... Those are Brembo brakes.. not cheap... But this will be a collector car.. He should keep it and fix it..

[@leatherenthusiast]

OH alot of those here in Sweden. Used to drive that with 5 cylinder diesel, was marvelous. Stick to the road like the brick it is. Heavy cruising machine.

[@CarCrazy12804]

Yes honest mechanics like you Dave aka Wizard are hard to find even here in new york state. So it seems like its important to this car's owner to choose your shop to get the job done right.

[@chocolatewheelchair]

New York is the worst over priced and over crowded

[@kurtengel6029]

It's holding up as well as my ikea cabinets

[@wilfredmeijer913]

Watching from the Netherlands! Love the stories!

[@pizzalover3]

Also has the premium sound system as you can see the front doors have 3 way speakers...most S60/v70s are 2 way.

[@jamesnall569]

Knowing the transmission has potential damage, I wouldn’t repair anything but the absolute necessities. Repair the air bag, the power steering rack and that’s it then drive it to the ground.

[@Loveinabottlee]

couldn't have been said any better

[@Soh90]

I was thinking the same thing. 80% of the things he mentioned aren't even worth fixing. Fix the rubbing (which is NOT a power steering issue), fix the airbag light, and replace the timing belt and PCV system and be on your way. Save yourself $7,000.

[@SuperDirk1965]

I always found rebuilding manual transmissions really fun work. It's not that difficult if you keep the parts in the correct order.

[@gregorymurphy9980]

I can see falling in love with this car but it might be wise to fall in love with a newer model in better condition.

[@itIsI988]

If they scrap it though it's only going to get rarer.

[@TheWoblinGoblin]

I would love to ship my C180 from Europe just to have the car wizard take care of it, but I am not mad

[@fiehlsport]

Not saying the Wizard wasn't a good option, but there are so many great independent Volvo shops in the Northeast that could have done this properly. Ithaca NY... Connecticut... etc. Maybe the owner just wanted the car to have some internet fame 🤷🏼‍♂

[@inho5737]

Hey could you mention the ct ones if you still remember them ?

[@ItsCleto]

I have a soft spot for Volvo. Would never own one, but some of my customers that do have them are pushing 250,000 miles.

[@EDHBlvd]

I had to sell my V70R as I was not willing to spend the money on repairing the 4C suspension and replacing the Brembo rotors and pads. Just the shocks and brakes was almost the value of the car.

[@BubblesTheCat1]

He's gonna spend all that money and being still being stuck with an old Volvo I would have a detailed sell it on and buy a Corolla or a Camry

[@gordonmccracken1209]

You can install a standard suspension on them

[@01Bouwhuis]

​@@BubblesTheCat1mwaa.120.000 miles....mine has 300.00 miles on it.....runs perfect!

[@01Bouwhuis]

​@@gordonmccracken1209yep. And change the software to standard.

[@pogoism9]

@@BubblesTheCat1 You sound like you have never driven an R before...

[@hachi666roku]

I’m new to the channel and I am so glad you mention repair vs market value because I’ve had friends that are tuners that well had a similar situation where the Judge flat out said the car is worth “X” keeping the car running is your problem

[@RemcoStoutjesdijk]

If it's on the edge of total write-off without the 4k gearbox rebuild, it's over the edge, clearly.

[@KL-kl9hs]

Yes

[@bertram46]

10 years years ago my wife and I gave my daughter her Volvo XC90 it had 75,000 miles on it now it has 150 still looks great and runs fantastic she just graduated from college we gave it to her when she was 16

[@zanderxymox]

04 Rs are reliably the worst year, but the easiest to modify. 05+ Rs are A LOT better but are the hardest to modify due to coding and software BS. The fact that this has the M66 makes it worth tons more than if it was an auto too, it's worth saving.

[@CaptainSeamus]

I think it's always a bit of luck. My 04 has 285,000 miles on it, have had 2 major fails with it (split an angle gear casing apart, had a timing gear strip and kill the car - took 6 weeks to diagnose, with Xmodex and a couple of good Volvo techs perplexed until we figured it out) - just changed oil in it, would take off for anywhere in it. I've heard people gripe about first year - and maybe there were issues - but honestly, mines been nearly bulletproof - noting that I've done all the maintenance as needed on schedule, and added mild mods as OEM stuff wore out. Exhaust, intake hoses, FMIC, ignition coils, brake lines, coil-over suspension to get rid of the "cool, but worthless" electronic suspension. Stuff like that.

[@LumenateTV]

My opinion if you like the car and enjoy driving it than yeah it's worth it.

[@jeffzekas]

This is why you see so many old Volvos for sale on craigslist really cheap, because even if you get the Volvo for free, are you going to spend anywhere from $5000-$15,000 to fix it. Because of this, I no longer want to own a Volvo. There is no such thing as a “bargain” Volvo

[@KL-kl9hs]

Correct! Good Red block bricks aren’t cheap anymore but they are the last truly reliable Volvos.

[@01Bouwhuis]

Whahahajaja....glad to live in europe. Caliper 200 eur new. For my t5...50 eur....

[@toomanymodz]

I am always amazed at the 'normal wear and tear' on cars that are not much older than mine. I bought my Jeep new in 2010 and it has 110k miles. It still looks brand new with perfect paint, no rust or corrosion, perfect interior etc. It baffles me how some cars just age quicker than others.

[@vanttijarvinen]

Not maintained well, not kept in a garage and went through many hands probably

[@edjacobs8876]

$8000 to repair a 16 year old Volvo? Wonky tranny not included? $2300 to get it to Kansas and back to NY? $5000 to get a decent paint job? I dont fault Wizard. Volvo owner needs to revisit.

[@OriginalDegree]

Oh wizard. My V70R is definitely coming to you if I can’t fix this god damn AWD

[@Handle423]

Man, I really hate the steering rack in those things, they're so expensive and no matter how well you treat the car it IS going to break

[@01Bouwhuis]

Usually the hoses...one side is threaded , the other one is pressed in.

[@wandamaddox7824]

They should have shipped that thing across town to the wrecking yard.

[@reesehandley7491]

17s are rare, 18's were an option, but those Pegasus look like reps. Unless its super low miles its not really worth it for 8k. Most I've poured into one is 3k and even after that the interior was cleaner than this s60r. M66's for this year are really hard, I would honestly look into finding them a replacement m66 from a s40 awd as that's more available. The brakes can be very hard to find as they're popular to use on other platforms with adapters.

[@brianlego98gaming]

Thanks Car Wizard for all the content and especially the recent car buying guide for those that go to high schoolers and college kiddos

[@georgezahorcak7764]

My daughter's 2007 XC70 was purchased with 163K miles. Her first car...$5995.00. Remarkable seats, remarkable heating and cooling system. A tank. Totally great car. However, expensive to maintain. At 214K the head gasket started to fail for unexplainable reasons....never overheated....at least when we had it. Donated it to a radio station. I can understand why the owners want to keep the "R Type."

[@phishphood423]

That’s unfortunate and honestly pretty rare point of failure for a Volvo inline! Stock head gaskets are usually good to about 400K.

[@user-rg1lx8yt6g]

Man do I miss my V70 although not an R it was still such an amazing vehicle! I loved the community and recording my process on instagram. I’ll be buying an 850 some day Volvos are just such a unique little vehicles with character.

[@charlesdokken7810]

We purchased a S60 for our son (has the pegasus R series wheels and original wheels with snow tires) for $6k two years ago and put about $6k into in in repairs. Still feel good about the car, he's happy with it as well. Cars are just so damn expensive now, it's all relative.

[@slavd.4450]

My 2007 S60 2.5T (not an R) has 174,000 miles and still runs Great!

[@GrandMoffJoseph]

Are the repairs worth it for the car itself? Up to the owner I suppose. But was it worth the $1k to ship it to the Wizard? Absolutely. If nothing else, it shows the level of honesty and trust that Wizard has in his shop's work resonates with the viewers. and that's awesome to see. :)

[@CS-oe8og]

You are correct sir.

[@DeeDee-pw9pm]

And if you live in Europe, the parts are plenty and very affordable. In my country there's LOTS of Volvo specialized businesses dealing in disassembling used Volvos to sell the parts. I've got an '01 V70 that's super basic with almost no luxuries other than power steering, power brakes, and AC. Mine is super simple to fix and very affordable. No parking sensors, headlight wipers, or whatnot. I love it!

[@plasticpaddy5278]

ninja just nixed all out of state work due to transport costs of warranty work. surprised wizard hasn't already done this as well

[@Cloud007.]

​@@DeeDee-pw9pmhow is power steering luxury though?

[@AStacynky]

​@plasticpaddy5278 because he doesn't want to have the customer pay more than he should and people should appreciate him for that

[@rodrigobelinchon2982]

that's a Happy Car , lots of power , well used and you can park anywhere confidently

[@saabreplay7553]

If that was my car I would have it towed to pick n pull as a gift.

[@devinl.reynolds151]

You know your a good mechanic when you have people bringing their cars from states away but honestly when I get a better car I wanna do the same thing

[@trolslovenski]

I have one :) Wouldnt replace it for nothing but still turning radius is atrocious :)

[@nothinglike1586]

Center screen at 10:57 is the DEM module, and right behind it a heavily corroded freeze plug that will leak Haldex fluid sooner or later, like mine did. That DEM module is not cheap and to protect it from the elements IPD sells a DEM cover. That freeze plug is not serviceable (and Volvo will recommend a whole new diff if it starts leaking), but removing the rust and J-B Weld will fix it. Good thing the 'bracket of death' has been removed (if you own a P2R and you have no idea what that means, you better google it). As for owning a P2R, if you're serious about it, agreed value insurance is the way to go. However, between the existing repairs, transmission, clear coat and other things that will undoubtedly come up, it will be well north of 10K before this is sitting pretty. As for mods for a P2R, HID projectors hands down the best mod. Low beam is pretty weak stock, high beam a bad joke. Euro's are better, but for the US market the high beam is just the low beam tilted up. I used to avoid driving my R at night, now I love it. Also shoutout to the best car seats and worst turning radius in the biz.

[@zzoinks]

Thank goodness for the Internet where people like you can share all this repair info that otherwise we wouldn't have known just from reading paper repair manuals

[@gordonmccracken1209]

Having owned one I would upgrade to the next generation S60 T6 R Design with an inline six.

[@panjoshua6251]

I truly adore mine! I've got a 2015. The only thing I think the old S60Rs have on it is that sweet, sweet 5cyl exhaust note 😩🤤 Well, that, and those gorgeous blue watch dial gauges. But I do still love my S60's digital gauges for sure! Wish I could have the best of both worlds somehow.

[@chrismaines1285]

I saw a black 2 door that I really liked in Annapolis years ago.