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My VR is starting to fall apart....

8K views 56 replies 23 participants last post by  fallenfenix87 
#1 ·
I have 90,000 miles/150, 000 km on my VR and the list of things starting to go wrong is getting bigger every month.
-It is using at least a quart of oil between oil changes
-My right headlight wiper won't work
-My angle gear is leaking pretty good
-There is a vibration/rattle under the center console during full throttle
-The rattles and shakes over bumps are getting brutal (under dash is worst)
-The engine was surging, but was fixed with new spark plugs
-Then the engine's power delivery started getting lumpy again.
-Rotors are warped again
-The rear end is wandering on the highway......
I do love certain things about this car, I just wish it was built like our Toyota.
 
#4 ·
-It is using at least a quart of oil between oil changes

Welcome to owning a High Output Turbo....You will burn oil...It's normal at a quart between changes.

-My right headlight wiper won't work

The most worthless thing on our car 3 seasons out of the year.

-My angle gear is leaking pretty good

Well at 90k it's expected...find a specialist that will lifetime guarantee it...I'm going in for my 3rd this week.

-There is a vibration/rattle under the center console during full throttle

Bevel Gear, Loose Intake Snorkel, OTE Pipe/DP/Turbo loose connection.

-The rattles and shakes over bumps are getting brutal (under dash is worst)

LCA Bushings, Spring Seats, Strut Bearings, Struts....just fix it it's worth it.

-The engine was surging, but was fixed with new spark plugs

Coils, Plugs, Clean filters, Do oil changes more frequently.

-Then the engine's power delivery started getting lumpy again.

See Above.

-Rotors are warped again

CONVERT TO SOMETHING WORTH USING

-The rear end is wandering on the highway......

Alignment, Camber Bushings, Tires.

I do love certain things about this car, I just wish it was built like our Toyota.

I am sickened by this....disgusted even.

My .02
 
#7 ·
I'm surprised he didn't say something more harsh like...

-Sell it to someone who will appreciate it and go buy a Camry.

-The rattle could also be from the A/C fan bearings.
Mine has a slight grinding noise if I take corners with the fan off, or when turning off the fan. Otherwise it is fine, and I will do other things more important.
 
#10 ·
I have a similar problem with my car, it sounds like there's a can under my car.. My mechanic told me it was my steering rack
 
#11 ·
MrCarter! I'm glad to see that you have gotten your account activated! The steering rack may go however I would personally get under there and bang around some things. If your car isn't having a problem steering than I would highly doubt the rack is going.
 
#13 ·
yeah man I am with you...with all the rattles and shakes it's time to bail...I'll give 4000$ cash for your R and headaches will be all gone instantly and you can get a nice used "00 Toyoda" ...you'll fall in love fast. :D
 
#19 ·
Vio-TT-R reply was about perfect. I am the only owner my VR has ever had and I do really keep up on the maintenance of the car. Sure, I have had to put some bucks into it in the last year, as it has 106,000 miles on it, but it is honestly about the best car I have ever owned. Hell, I am on the original rotors and my second set of brake pads.
 
#21 ·
Mrcarter978 -check the little ring around the steering column in your footwell
Jexx -it's a cool little collaboration for scion, but they are far from pushing any limits sadly
OP -It sounds like that thing Started to go a long time ago. At least you are here to collect an educated opinion on the direction you should take. It's your call on catching up with it, or if you feel comfortable handing off your troubles.
 
#23 ·
I lol at this thread I mean how do you expect a car that has almost 100k miles to require no maintenance, I mean that's just a naive expectation. Like others have said any high output turbo car is going to require more maintenance than a Camry, if that doesn't sit right with you sell the car. What did you expect posting this here anyway lol.
 
#26 ·
What did I expect posting this here? Some help. Thanks for yours.

That's right by the way. I have NEVER maintained this thing. Not even an oil change. Surpising that it has lasted 80,000 miles....
I have over $6000.00 in reciepts for all the other things that have gone wrong (some my doing-drive shaft). All this new stuff all happened in about a month.
 
#27 · (Edited)
911Etarga

My Volvo maintenance has gone up over the years along with the performance My 98 T5 234K is cheaper to maintain then my 2000Xc 304K ( 4x the cost of the T5 ) which I'm sure will be cheaper than I anticipate with the R.


Sorry you got reamed here but the R is an expensive car to maintain. I'm glad I did the research on it as well as check with my mechanic and the dealer before I bought mine. Volvo for Life is where I'm at, so for performance , comfort and equipment the R was the only place to go and stay with Volvo.

Its not a car for everyone

But also take deep breath before reading post after this as I said the testosterone and enthusiasm gets a bit deep here sometime LOL .

Really like you guys but, you youngsters get a bit intense at time
 
#30 ·
Well it seemed like you just were complaining to me the rattle in the dash is most likely a combination of the glove box rattling which can be fixed with some weather stripping around where it latches as well as shot front struts I even had a broken passenger front spring which made horrible noises over bumps. You probably are also looking at coils a new wiper motor and an angle gear reseal. Now get fixin and quit whining!
 
#44 ·
I feel your pain; my 855R did the same thing and my VR goes thru "phases" of self-destruction.

The P2 is not as robust as my 122, 1800S, 240 OR 85Volvos were, but it beats all those cars for comfort, safety and performance.

There are few cars made that can offer all the P2Rs do, and they are usually even more money to maintain.

I say fix your car and enjoy it, that's how I roll.
 
#45 ·
I can sympathize... but can't imagine myself in something else just yet. Since the beginning of the year:

-Rebuilt M66
-rotors & pads
-repacked angle gear
-strut mounts
-front end links (again)

Put new tires on today, got it on the alignment rack, and found out control arms are shot. Also still a solid chance I'll need rear wheel bearings and I'm chasing down a re-occurring anti-skid message. I've gone so far as to check out several other new-ish vehicles, but the VR is unfortunately in a class of its own (for better or worse!). I could live with a 4-dr Golf R or A3 quattro but they're pretty damn small compared to the Volvo. B8 A4 avant is meh. CTS-V is a bit out of budget, but interesting.
 
#46 ·
I know BMW is iffy on this forum, but how about a 335 or 535 wagon? I don't remember if they offer the xi on those _35 wagons or not. Actually, the thought of a rwd wagon is kind of turning me on... :D
 
#49 ·
Like 911Etarga, I'm having all sorts of things start to fail on my 07 VR. Not that I didn't expect it, but I'd be just a little off-put if I had an old 911 that wasn't experiencing the same failures. Yes, the V and SR's are performance cars and it is still impressive today to have a 2.5 L engine generate 300hp/tq, not to mention some great brakes, a comfortable interior (driver and passenger, because my kids don't find the back seat comfortable now that they're growing teenagers), but after that, things like wheels that both weigh a ton and are prone to bending (especially in the pot-hole midwest), an active chassis system that may be extremely complex and competent but never seems to be right and wants to give up the ghost after 60k miles. I won't go into the typical engine and tranny issues, because that is part of owning a high performance engine, but there are other makes and models that don't suffer the same issues - and there are others that make their owners suffer even more.
 
#54 ·
Well, those will have the 2.0L turbo in them now, won't they? That could be a potentially good setup for future mods, I suppose.
 
#56 ·
335Xit stick would be a great car! On warrenty.... My friend owned a 535Xit and loved it until about 50,000 miles, then it was a thousand dollars a month just to keep it going. Too bad. Audi A6 Avant 3.0t is a great car, and a little more reliable as I've heard, but they aren't made anymore.
I've started chipping away at the list of repairs on the R, starting with new rotors and pads, an alignment, and Seafoam(where is the vacuum hose??). I think the vibration under the car is the angle gear...gulp.

P.S. Perfect wagon: Take a VR and add the solidity of the A6, suspension and steering of a 335 ....and the reliability of a TOYOTA!
Oh and the turning radius of a mini...
 
#57 ·
The vacuum line is a slight PITA, or was for me the first time. The best one to tap into is under the fuel rail cover and connects to the intake manifold. You'll want to remove the charge pipe to get the cover all the way off, then put it back on so you can start the car. You'll have to destroy the factory hose clamp and use a tiny worm one to replace it, but it worked great. Tons of white smoke for 2mins. Should have recorded it :D

There's a thread on this. google search "how to seafoam your R" or something like that
 
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