Volvo XC70 / V70 buyers guide Gen 3 (2008-2016) Avoid buying a broken Volvo (Cheap 3.2 D4 D5 T5 T6)

Volvo XC70 V70 2008-2016 Buyers guide for 1.6D, 2.0d, 2.0T, 2.5t, 2.9 T6, 2.4 D5, 3.2 6-Cylinder. Find the Volvo Wagon for sale that is right for you and know what maintenance is needed before you decide should you buy a Volvo XC70 and V70. Avoid buying the cheapest broken Volvo XC70 and V70 and find the Volvo XC70 that can go off-road and V70 estate on-road without breaking the bank. Avoid the mistake of buying a cheap Volvo V70 R design with common faults as a project and attempting to fix it. This buyer's guide covers 2008 Volvo XC70, 2009 Volvo XC70, 2010 Volvo XC70, 2011 Volvo XC70, 2012 Volvo XC70, 2013 Volvo XC70, 2014 Volvo XC70, 2015 Volvo XC70 and 2016 Volvo XC70.
Owners and buyers looking for a guide on what to look out for may find our guide useful and if you are considering third generation Volvo V70 or XC70 or a competitor like a Volvo XC90 or BMW X5 of the same age then don't forget to check out our other videos. The D5 engine will be popular with European buyers but the 3.2 and T5 will also have markets that have high demand, especially the USA.
The common problems discussed in our buyer's guide to the XC70 and V70 include maintenance, high mileage, and issues from old V70 models.
🏎️ Merchandise shop - themilesdriven.myspreadshop.com/
For our podcasts search 'the miles driven' wherever you get your podcasts.
Link to full podcast episodes - linktr.ee/themilesdriven
To find out more about The Miles Driven, check us out on social or leave us a comment down below on what you think is best.
www.themilesdriven.com
/ themilesdriven
/ themilesdriven
linktr.ee/themilesdriven
Legal and disclaimer - Any content not originally created by The Miles Driven remains the property of the original owner and is editorialised for media reporting. All content is used within the confines of media reporting/editorial use and is transformative in nature to inform others with new information and content about cars and vehicles. We use no more of the original content than necessary in alignment with U.S copyright law for fair use and U.K fair dealing. We accept no liability for the purchase of vehicles using our guide and suggest thorough due diligence by individual professional inspections before making a buying decision.

[@themilesdriven]

📖 -- Miles Driven book - amzn.to/47NeoC2 if you want to support The Miles Driven check out the products below 😁 👕 -- Merch Shop - themilesdriven.myspreadshop.com/ 🟡 -- (UK 🇬🇧) Casio Mudmaster G-Shock watch - amzn.to/3R5h5cu 🟡 -- (USA 🇺🇸) Casio Mudmaster G-Shock watch -amzn.to/47tuCAl Podcast - linktr.ee/themilesdriven www.themilesdriven.com instagram.com/themilesdriven/ facebook.com/themilesdriven ➡ Check out fiction books by Miles 📖 -- First book - amzn.to/3W8owip 📚 -- First in Heist series - amzn.to/3w6JBiU 📘 -- Short read (Novella) - amzn.to/3ZCcVLC

[@baudelette]

One major issue with my '12 D3 XC70 is a faulty automatic gearbox. Since around 170k km, when putting it in Drive, it just bangs into gear like no clutch is applied whatsoever. Have had it flushed and have read about gearbox software issues online, but my Volvo workshop says that swapping out for a new gearbox is the only solution. They had one other XC70 with the same gearbox problem. Have been driving out for 3 years like this but it will go wrong one day. Other than that, had the windshield sealed again after 10 years as water was coming in (known issue apparently, but no guarantee by Volvo). Had the front bushings replaced around 180k km as well.

[@user-he4kh3zc4w]

You missed a recall that affected the whole P3 range, that of a front seat belt pre-tensioner fixing that had become corroded. The part being replace with a plastic/nylon part. My MY 2011 XC70 D5 was part of the recall in 2021. Loved the car but sold it in 2022 for something more modern and sporty, now want it back!

[@HowtoRestoreHeadlights]

It’s funny, they made that same body style for several years. It’s awesome how freaking nice these P3 xc70’s are for what they are

[@valterdecarli99]

2008 3.2 I6 (nat.asp) V70 - 242k here Thermostat housing replacement at 240k Alternator freeweel drive at over 220k Spark plugs at 200k (!) Disc brakes/pads - steering heads/joints (uniball) - CV joints boots - struts at 198k 3 batteries 2 Side door + back door central locking systems 11L/100km but mostly urban cycle - much less when cruising on motorway 10k/one year oil changes Rock solid and as new interiors Nice engine sound!

[@tommyhartman7920]

Great timing with the video, I'm looking to buy an XC70 within the next couple of months!

[@themilesdriven]

All the best with your next car, hopefully the video helps 👍

[@tommyhartman7920]

@@themilesdriven many thanks!

[@86Akos]

Great car, our law enforcement miss it

[@sports872]

Did you get 9ne and how is it?

[@tommyhartman7920]

@@sports872 I actually ended up with a 2016 V60 Cross Country 2.4 AWD, I saw it fairly local to me, went and had a look and it just felt a bit more modern than the XC70, I'm loving it so far! Handles really well considering the raised suspension, supremely comfortable, plenty of power, and the 5 cylinder lump sounds great. Also they are pretty rare, I don't recall seeing one on the road before.

[@nilsutt]

Never heard of turbo failures on these nor throttle modules and there are a lot of them here in Sweden. The front bushes mentioned in the videi goes out on every single one of them I would say if the car is over 150000km calculate to have them replaced if not done. Door looks are a common issue usually the car unlocks a door after you have left it when it activates the second stage of looking. If you have the Volvo on call app you will get a notification by the app that the car is unlocked and notice it that way. The connector for the tailgate harness in the roof gets loose pin fitment and melts on the big ground lead resulting in ground faults in the tailgate. More frequent on cars that operate the defroster on the rear window a lot in cold climate since it puts a lot of current through it, part at cheap to fix it ( Volvo sells new plastic connector housings for 4eur each and repair cables for 12 eur each. Cost will vary depending on how many cables are damaged. But can be hard to diagnose and misdiagnosed by incompetent mechanics since the faults are random and intermittent. Front strut mounts and bearings will eventually go out otherwise the front suspension is robust. Check for untreated rock chips / already rust above the windscreen since there is weak corrosion protection and rust will creep down under the windscreen and be expensive to fix. Interior is solid but the pre facelift center consoles are horribly squeaky, more so for cars that have seen dust and fine sand getting in between the massive numbers of layers of plastic. The ones with facelift center console squeaks to but ALOT less. When speaking diesel models the 5cyl Volvo diesels are very robust compared to the never 4 cyl VEA engines. The D5 5cyl euro 5 have self cleaning dpf with is very reliable but they self clean about every tank of fuel and to complete takes 30-40min of driving it is not a car for those who does not take long trips frequently so the dpf can finish its regen. The drive e models and the d2 are spa four cylinder diesel. They are very fuel efficient but slow. They have a lot less reliability than the Volvo engines and the dpf has a replacement interval during regular service. They require periodic refill if roots fluid by a mechanic emissions problems and dual mass flywheel problems are more frequent on these than the Volvo engines. A failed serpentine belt on Volvo 5cyl diesels can wrap around the crank pulley and take the it the timing belt and engine. I have seen many cases with belts severely damaged by small stones from the road picked up presumably by the wheels and getting punched in the belt by the pulleys. Inspect the belt biting service and replace it damaged. The turning radius on these cars are very bad for wheel widths over 225 there are steering limiters installed further worsening the turning cycle. My2013 and earlier have 245 wide tires in the bigger engines my14 and newer got 225s instead for most models having a better turning circle but probably less grip. The wider tires will follow the teacka of the road more and feel more nervous so the rim and tire option of the car will make a difference in handling. For the and cars a would go for the 225s any days but if you have a D5 fwd traction will be an issue and wider tires might be worth it.

[@jakedziekan3812]

Excellent vehicles, very durable and well built. I cannot stress fluid changes enough. Good quality oil changed every 5k miles and the rest of the fluids should be flushed every 25k-50k. Change the pcv every 50k and service the drive belt every 100-150k I had a 2010T6 had to do rear shocks a blower motor, trailing arm bushings, and an AC clutch over 250k hard miles. Fantastic car. I have many friends and family who also have the 3.2 and t6 powered volvos. All of them have 110k-300k miles on them.

[@themilesdriven]

Thanks for adding these helpful additional notes 👍

[@becooldontfreez]

I bought a 2008 cx70 with 247K kms for $5000. Original owner with all maintenance history. I hope I can get a couple of years of use from it.

[@johnridley1038]

I Own a 2015 V70 D4, on a service inspection, it was noted that the cam cover gasket was leaking, Upon removal it was found that the breather in the cam cover was blocked causing it to leak, I then discovered that there is a modified cam cover with a modified breather system, and so this got repalced and the leak fixed, The new cam cover was not an expensive item either. nice vid, Thanks.

[@ccraig4399]

I drive the 2.5FT, 5 cylinder turbo 2009 polestar optimized. Engine has 161,556 miles and still feels fresh. Great car.

[@pleHrueyoV]

Proud owner of a 3.2L I6 256000miles

[@jeffgroves4533]

3.2 here with 210,000miles!

[@quanticador1103]

@@jeffgroves4533 3.2 with only 32,000 miles. Anything I should look out for? Thanks.

[@theyumyums]

we all only qualify for Bronze medal Volvo high miler club. My 2004 D5 is at 285k. I've only ever head the diesels am tempted with a petrol

[@ianpuddick]

Just bought 2004 V70 1 owner 100k and full history with Volvo £700 and it’s ULEZ

[@ushenryin01]

Wow, that type of car probably cost 5000 or 6000 USD in California nowadays……was looking at a 2009 with 170K miles and it is asking 7K before tax and fee…………and similar car are asking for similar price as well. Saw a bad 2000 v70 with almost 200K miles and asking for 2.5K USD……where in the UK was your Volvo bought?

[@theyumyums]

you wont regret it. Many a Swedish shed miles should surely follow. Ive had several.

[@kierancurtis8545]

Excellent video! Thanks

[@paulhetherington6022]

Nice video. Two additional things; auto transmission fluid should done every 50k miles at the most. And... and I know this one from personal experience; around 2010 to 2013 there was issues with windscreen bonding not lasting. This applied to most models from the Swedish plant. My bonding broke away at the top and rain destroyed my infotainment. Volvo won't help you out even if the vehicle has full service history with them. Still love it though 🙂

[@themilesdriven]

Thanks for adding this extra information 👍

[@baudelette]

Had the same issue with my 2012 XC70. Had the original windscreen put in with new bonding by a workshop. Around €200.

[@juliuspeploe2197]

thanks for the video! it's getting time to replace my gen 2 xc70 due to CAZ in Bristol. found this very helpful!

[@ghunt9146]

The last of the range 2015/16 were Euro6.

[@axwelln]

I have a 2013 V70 T4 with a manual gearbox and I’m very happy with the drivetrain. It pulls well enough even when loaded with 4 people and a lot of luggage. Fuel consumption is good considering the size and age of the car at roughly 7 l/100 km with mixed driving. I would recommend the T4 to anyone who doesn’t fancy a diesel, can’t say anything about reliability though as I’ve only had it for 5 months.

[@themilesdriven]

Thank you for sharing your experience with the V70 T4 👍 It's great to hear that it is performing well, even when the car is loaded.

[@detailerslife8127]

As well as the usual proper maintenance (5,000 oil changes) make sure the filter in the power steering reservoir isn’t clogged. On the T6 and 3.2 make sure the Thermostat is replaced ASAP as these have a habit of breaking inside.

[@86Akos]

Btw, had the 3.2 on my xc90, incredibly good engine apart from fuel consumption. Which wasn’t to bad for its time

[@JamesMackayColorado]

Interesting! I currently have a 1998 XC70 with 251K miles on it. I am looking at replacing it with a 2012 XC70 with the T6 motor. My local Volvo Specialists shop likes the T6 motors. I have heard that the five speed transmissions on the 2002- 2007 years had problems. I live in Colorado, USA. Having a turbocharger for ascending mountains truly helps.

[@donmoore7785]

My 2005 V70 2.5T had a recommendation of never changing the transmission fluid. My Indy mechanic warned me the tranny would not last unless I changed the fluid every 60k miles - which I did.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

That is a crazy story with the police car😮

[@themilesdriven]

Yeah, I’ve been back to the same garage since and wasn’t surprised to learn that V70 has now been retired after many years of (very) hard work 😅

[@donmoore7785]

Based on what I have read, I thought that the 5 cylinder in 2016 MY XC70 had the "ring/piston high oil consumption at 80k+ miles" problem - for the entire year. The oil ring fails to function due to carbon buildup. For this reason, I bought the 3.0 T6 - just a few days ago.

[@flavioc5389]

You missed one engine, the rarest of them all: the MY2014 BI-FUEL. It was a 2.0-liter, 5-cylinder, 213 BHP, sold only in Sweden. It had a CNG tank that allowed a combined range of 1150 Kms.

[@themilesdriven]

Thank you for adding this great bit of information 👍

[@frecatorDementa]

I have a 2007 V70 T6 AWD Geartronic with 285k miles and an LPG system fitted at 40k miles. I suspect there is something wrong with the gearbox as it occasionally takes forever to shift gears, a few times I was left stuck in first gear even at 6000 RPM, refusing to shift even when switching to 'manual'. Also occasionally jerks and thuds as if I'd have dumped the clutch like a madman in a manual. Other than that, the car has been amazing in every other way.

[@DN-iw5km]

Sticky valves in the valve body. If I'm having this issue, I would add a little bit of Lucas Transmission Fix or Sea Form Trans Tune, run for several hundreds miles and do an oil change.

[@SetFree2830]

Just bought a 2015 Volvo XC70 w/3.2L I6 (T6) Platinum. This car makes a quantum jump from my traded '05 XC70 with practically every option. It had 151K miles but runs well. The transmission has a couple hiccups but I had that in my last XC70 although, it was a T5. Just replaced the PCV Oil Trap. Oil change, fluids etc. I've heard of using oil stories. I have all major mileage maintenance records from MD. Love this car. Any offering of advice for this engine and/or stories of the 2015 XC70 with inline 6 cylinder. Cheers

[@SetFree2830]

My 2015 Platinum oil stick was the wrong one. It always indicated too much over the max mark. I got the right one off amazon for $10. Regardless, love this car! As you say its got almost everything. I wish I had singular control over the front fog lamps. The 3.2L I6 engine (230hp) has plenty of power. I changed the PVC assembly first thing. I've put 3K miles plus on 'her' without oil loss. I run 93 octane premium gas even though it is a naturally aspirated (non-turbo) motor Getting 27 mpg average on mostly highway driving. No CHK ENG lamps! ;))

[@jimcree6869]

In the last year iv had 2 xc70s an 09 front wheel drivE manual. that had done 102k. It was nothing but trouble and i had to get rid of it . Thermostat. Electrical problems egr blocked maf sensor drive shafts drop links ball joints track rod ends . I also had an 05 auto 4wd both were 2.4 diesels With 91,k this one was a lot better only needing rear discs and pads . You could tell the older one was a real volvo and the newer one was not .

[@ruthless236]

the 1.6D engines were from peugeot, while the 2.4D are from volvo. Yes, a little more consumption but way better, even the newer ones that are from 08 and up.

[@user-pu4mn6oj8e]

Had a problem with EGR filter clogged. Washed with ultrasound and spared a lot of money. Now, its been running for 5 years already.

[@who8dapple]

Looking at a beautiful and well maintained 2006 XC70 w/140,000 miles. I've been trying to find any decent reviews on those and have not had any luck. Am I opening up Pandora's Box with someone else's problems or is it worth the purchase? Currently needs a new battery as the owner has had it sitting in storage for over 2 yrs. asking price is $2,500.

[@hungryboy424]

Sounds like a cat mee owing in background all way through !

[@carabara3947]

Why Is Yorkshire The Coach Leasing Capital Of The U.K. Y A-V

[@jeffgroves4533]

I still have a original thermostat on my 2011

[@valterdecarli99]

Consider replacement. In my case there was no warning leakage. It cracked open and I was left with no coolant and an alarming "Stop the engine" red message.

[@jeffgroves4533]

@@valterdecarli99 only problem I had was that hose to the heater core bursted and coolant leaked out with the Engine overheat stop driving message.

[@julijanmagda7855]

The xc 70 with a 2 point regulacioni of high end out of to mutch electroniks...exept control senzor of bosh pump worck,,,,end with 5 weel rear end new roof protector end mudl roll bars front end back plus filter for coean watter,,,,Will be a Rocket model in next 250 years famili farms ranc or of road ..extra mull survival helper....plus a little air compreesor end special tretman glue for tires from inside...witch can be end in wiackle before the use on field or roads,,,,basicly,..moust better mpv fir improwenent to future than a similar carawans or mpv

[@howardc218]

???

[@carabara3947]

B58 Steering Wheel A.E.C. Matador Copy Best Ever Least It Never Wore Out You Just Cleaned It

[@keithblume5159]

I wish the US had more wagons available that weren't lifted with hideous fender flares.

[@GwenGreenberg]

Can't argue with you except I think a black car is less obvious