[foxfriend]

Guys,

I am from Dallas, but trying to purchase what looks like a really nice 99 V70XC from Kansas City. I have been getting some weird signals from the 3rd party inspectors over at Superior Volvo in KC. They say that the tie rods seem a little loose and should be replaced. My concern is whether this is fairly common, or if it could be an indication of abuse. Furthermore, it seems plausible that the Volvo dealership is making more of this to sell some service time. Hoping someone out there knows if this is common, possibly misdiagnosed or any other thoughts. I need to be sure this wagon is on top shape before I trek out to KC to drive it back to Texas.

Thanks!
Russell

 

[JRL]

Re: Loose tie rods on 99 V70XC - Kansas City to Dallas (foxfriend)

Of course it's common, these cars need a FULL suspension rebuild every 80-110 miles or so, depending on the roads it was driven on.
Tie rods are a common failure as they are in many cas

 

[foxfriend]

Re: Loose tie rods on 99 V70XC - Kansas City to Dallas (JRL)

Thanks JBL. You think it is a fair deal to pay $7k for a 99 v70 XC AWD w/65k mi, one owner, all service records, dealer maintained, every major scheduled maintenance done, evap core replaced, immaculate in and out, black body on light taupe or ivory leather... needs tie rods, tires, sway bar links, brakes soon, tailgate latch kit, rear passenger door panel vinyl separating slightly... has XC AWD Outdoor Package, XC AWD Sunroof Package, TRACS/Cold Weather Package, carpet and interior very clean, no rust or corrosion, straight body, no reported accidents. Gonna cost me $400 for the tie rods and alignment at Superior Volvo in KC, plus tires, but flight's free, so driving home in top condition save for aging breaks @ $7,800-ish. eBay Item number: 170325193856. Your opinions are appreciated!

Russell

 

[Big Will]

65K miles! That's a very low mileage XC considering it's over 10 years old. Good find.

It sounds like some of the big ticket items have been done such as the evaporator and knowing it's at least been serviced every 10K miles is good peace of mind.
Hopefully during your check-up the dealer confirmed that the AWD components are functioning as intended. I always recommend changing the oil in the angle gear and the rear differential. You'll probably want someone other than the dealer to do this job if you can't do it yourself. Just find someone with a Mityvac pump to suck out the old sludge that's in there. It's easy and worth the small cost of the gear oils.

 

[JRL]

Re: Loose tie rods on 99 V70XC - Kansas City to Dallas (foxfriend)

Quote, originally posted by foxfriend »

170325193856. Your opinions are appreciated! Russell

JRL not JBL. (I'm not a audio speaker)

It looks like a VERY nice one, it's a shame that they didn't take care of the suspension but overall this is the best one I've seen (at least cosmetically) in a couple of years.
You may want to just rebuild the entire front end now and be done with it, you won't believe how nice they drive afterwards.

If it were mine, I would do...

New inner and outer tie rods. NEW front struts and STRUT MOUNTS. New sway bar end links (I recommend IPD's HD pieces) and have your mechanic (or whoever is doing the work) look at the front control arm bushings and be done with the front end for 60-80K miles.

Oh and you should do the timing belt and tensioner NOW, it's been 10 years. The rule of thumb is 105K miles OR 7 years.
You don't want to blow the engine up for deferring, this is more important than the suspension if you can't afford to do all at this time.
BTW, $400 is WAY too much for outer tie rods. This part (and all of the front end) is not Volvo rocket science, take it to ANY GOOD mechanic and save big time on your labor.
Do the inners at the same time as an alignment is needed for either or both.
Buy the parts on line and you should be able to save at least 50% over a Volvo dealer's price. Also, as was said, change EVERY fluid, transmission, bevel gear, etc.

Darryl Waltrip Volvo (TN) has the best parts prices anywhere if you choose to buy your parts on line

 

[volvotool]

Re: (Big Will)

As a fellow ebay purchaser, I'd advise never buying a car off ebay. ( Or any other car "sight unseen" from an unknown seller. Live and learn.) Just because you've "agreed" to buy the car with your bid doesn't mean you can't refuse it if the car doesn't match the pictures. As a photographer and a car nut, I feel I can say that there's no way to accurately assess the body condition of a car via pictures. There are better and worse pictures, of course, but there's no substitute for a five-minute walk-around with your own two eyes.

If it matches the pics, then you've got a good deal on a sweet-looking car, though. G/L with the pick up! http://********************/smile/emthup.gif