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for those who think modding a grand prix is expensive.

I'm not saying imports are impervious to flaws or failure, they just tend to have better fit and finish and better reliability.
 


I would say used to have better fit and finish. Just about all of the big players are pretty close as far as fit and finish goes now with new cars. Its hard to find just a company now that has just all around terrible products. Unlike the 70'sand 80's. Where everyone built **** imo lol.
 
whitehead said:
I would say used to have better fit and finish. Just about all of the big players are pretty close as far as fit and finish goes now with new cars. Its hard to find just a company now that has just all around terrible products. Unlike the 70'sand 80's. Where everyone built **** imo lol.
Click to expand...

Get in new cars, they're going downhill now they've built up their brand's image.
 
I was just in the new Impala. That car is amazingly well built. I have been in the new Malibu, again, very well done. The only two cars I actually didn't sit in so far from Chevy is their new corvette and camaro. But I had pretty good access toa new vette with no crowd around it and my god is it gorgeous and the materials look top notch. I don't get whyeveryone is hating on American cars and yet you all drive one. What's going on her lol?
 


Its actually Car and Driver :) . But really, I got to take most of the models out for a spin and check them all out. So I have first hand experience and seeing them in person lol.
 
I've got a 2001 Volvo V70 and some aspects of it are definitely a better fit and finish. The paint still looks immaculate on it, and the lines and body look basically timeless in my opinion. Really sharp. The leather is 12 years old and we have raised two kids in it over the last six years we owned it and the leather isn't cracked or peeling, it looks used, but you would never guess it has been abused the way it has. All of the writing and stuff on the window and door lock switches, the radio buttons and knobs, the blinker switch that has all the wiper controls etc, and the steering wheel radio controls hasn't rubbed off over the years. Literally, none of it has rubbed off at all. It has a superb finish.

But after that, I'm not so sure. The oil trap clogs in it every 15 or 20 thousand miles and has to be replaced SOON after it does or it WILL start blowing seals and leaking oil. You got to get the parts at the Volvo dealer. Its about a $250 job and a pita. An axle went bad one time and had to get it from the dealer. $388, for an axle. The transmission went out at about 150k miles, and I'm frankly embarrassed to say what that cost. It is a great car in some respects but it's way to expensive to maintain, let alone mod. Parts availability has eased up in the last couple years, and now you can get more at advance and autozone, and that helps. But in other respects, virtually every other manufacturer in the world can match the quality of that axle, and the transmission, and the PCV system, so there is absolutely no way to justify the cost of the parts for it. To top it off, you can't get a manual for it, so you have to rely completely on your own experience and ability, forums, or just pay a mechanic.

That Volvo is a lesson I learned that helped lead me to the Grand Prix I have now. I wanted a car that I could get the family in, with enough room to go on a trip and the kids in the back aren't packed in so tight that they fight like h***. A big enough trunk for all our crap when we go on a trip, yet still a little fun for dad when the kids aren't with me. As important, PARTS AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL FREAKIN STORE!!!

I doubt that I will ever buy another European car again after the Volvo. I've had good luck with the only Toyota I ever owned, and love the Honda Accord we have. If I ever get to a point when I can declare my GP as a spare car or back up car, I'll probably have it back up another Accord or Maxima. I'm sure I will have the GP as a daily or back up pretty much forever though.

Its got a great bang for the buck factor IMO.
 
Daveliz99 said:
I've got a 2001 Volvo V70 and some aspects of it are definitely a better fit and finish. The paint still looks immaculate on it, and the lines and body look basically timeless in my opinion. Really sharp. The leather is 12 years old and we have raised two kids in it over the last six years we owned it and the leather isn't cracked or peeling, it looks used, but you would never guess it has been abused the way it has. All of the writing and stuff on the window and door lock switches, the radio buttons and knobs, the blinker switch that has all the wiper controls etc, and the steering wheel radio controls hasn't rubbed off over the years. Literally, none of it has rubbed off at all. It has a superb finish.

But after that, I'm not so sure. The oil trap clogs in it every 15 or 20 thousand miles and has to be replaced SOON after it does or it WILL start blowing seals and leaking oil. You got to get the parts at the Volvo dealer. Its about a $250 job and a pita. An axle went bad one time and had to get it from the dealer. $388, for an axle. The transmission went out at about 150k miles, and I'm frankly embarrassed to say what that cost. It is a great car in some respects but it's way to expensive to maintain, let alone mod. Parts availability has eased up in the last couple years, and now you can get more at advance and autozone, and that helps. But in other respects, virtually every other manufacturer in the world can match the quality of that axle, and the transmission, and the PCV system, so there is absolutely no way to justify the cost of the parts for it. To top it off, you can't get a manual for it, so you have to rely completely on your own experience and ability, forums, or just pay a mechanic.

That Volvo is a lesson I learned that helped lead me to the Grand Prix I have now. I wanted a car that I could get the family in, with enough room to go on a trip and the kids in the back aren't packed in so tight that they fight like h***. A big enough trunk for all our crap when we go on a trip, yet still a little fun for dad when the kids aren't with me. As important, PARTS AFFORDABLE AND AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL FREAKIN STORE!!!

I doubt that I will ever buy another European car again after the Volvo. I've had good luck with the only Toyota I ever owned, and love the Honda Accord we have. If I ever get to a point when I can declare my GP as a spare car or back up car, I'll probably have it back up another Accord or Maxima. I'm sure I will have the GP as a daily or back up pretty much forever though.

Its got a great bang for the buck factor IMO.
Click to expand...

ETM? MAF? LCAs? Injectors?

I wrote a big list somewhere:

http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=56142

From another poster:
Repairs made to my Volvo 2000 S80 T6 with 129000 miles
Rear brake pads
Broken fuel pump plastic housing
Squeaky glove box latch
Clunky sunroof glass
Drive axles right and left
Control arms w/bushings
Sway bar links
Turbo boost solenoid
New transmission
Headlight lens right side
Most vacuum hoses due to rot
Click to expand...

What I had to add:

74K miles here.

Seems you're missing:

engine mounts, mine were toast.
all the plastic charge tubing, also toast.
rubber hoses for the diverter valve/intercooler hose, toast.
CEM, mine is okay.
ABS module, toast.
ETM, went with xemodex on that one.
Less common but possible: ECM, TCM, DIM, SRS, UEM, REM.
Siren module, currently without a functioning one.
struts/shocks, leaking struts and worn out shocks at 72K.
spring seats, also broken at 72K
Tie rods, outers causing knocking noise at 72K.
Ball joints
J hose for charcoal canister
gas cap seal, gas door hinge, gas door lock solenoid
master cylinder, tends to leak into the brake booster. You should never have to add brake fluid, ever.
brake booster, loud sucking noise inside the cabin.
oxygen sensors
map sensor
MAF sensor
headlight shunts can apparently fail and melt the cem housing.
latches for air box, only broke one.
radiator end cap leaks, can take out the headgasket. Very low tolerance for being overheated.
car is old enough that anything made of rubber can and likely will fail. For example my door seals look a little tattered in spots.

if you have geartronic, the shifter has a few components that can fail
ignition cylinder has a pin that can snap, key won't turn past I.
immobilizer ring can fail causing no starts.
Voltage regulator
clock spring
CD player in the radio dies, regardless of model. I have two dead ones.
Electric seat controller
Head gasket, see radiator.
Burnt exhaust valves, apparently extended low octane + abuse. Read elsewhere 87 octane is all the vehicle needs, I beg to differ if it's summer. In the winter, it seems fine regardless of fuel.

Front main seal, rear main seal, cam seals, valve stem seals, flame trap seals, oil cooler seals, turbo return seals etc. My rear main started, but as per a recommendation on here, the bars/rilsone rear main seal seems to have fixed it for now. It was a very slow leak via the small hole near the flexplate/converter/bellhousing. Flame trap seals, oil cooler seals and turbo return seals all leaked.

Oil cooler can fail and let coolant into your oil.
power steering system in general. Namely the pump feed hose, the cap seal, the reservoir itself and the rack. My cap seal and reservoir are both questionable, however after changing the fluid and ensuring the correct level, it appears just the cap is in need of replacement. The pump feed hose appears to have been replaced once before and is now damp. Will need replacement eventually.

AC compressor clutch, can be shimmed for a while but you will need a new one eventually.
Rad fans, but those should have been fixed via recall years ago.
turbo wastegate actuators can fail, difficult to find functional replacement.
turbos can go, unlikely.
Click to expand...

Lol new cars.

My next car will have coil near plug, fuel injection, electronic fan control and that's it.
 


Yeah Matt, I hate that car. I wish it was better, and I don't understand why it's not. But I hate that car. I can't wait to see it go.

I have the loud sucking sound coming from the brake pedal now.
Also got the clunking sunroof now. I'm also without a working siren module, which as you probably know, also controls the sunroof. So neither of them work. I replaced the ABS module. Pulled one of the shims out of the A/C clutch last summer and that fixed it, but it was worn, bad worn, and I expect it to need replacement any time. My message center says Engine System Service Required, I don't know what's wrong with it, and I don't care really. I had my Front Main Seal replaced, and cam seals, and since the leaking FMS slung oil everywhere, I had to replace the timing belt and alternator. My charged air pipe is pretty much toast as well, but I don't think I'm gonna replace it. The oil trap caused my turbo drain back seal to fail and leak oil everywhere. My radiator end cap also leaks, what's that you say about head gaskets? I hope you are joking. I've replaced the thermostat three times. Control arm bushings, too. Sometimes, well lots of times, when I turn the volume down on the radio, it actually gets louder. I can turn it down another half turn or so and it will then turn down the volume. Had to replace an engine mount, the top one. Hub assemblies...

When in doubt, C4. I'm out of C4.

Please come to Alabama Matt, please. I need help with my cars.
 
Oh yeah, I can't remember who it is, but there is someone on here who has on his sig or whatever that "I want a Volvo". My jaw dropped the first time I saw it. I thought about telling him, "no man, no you don't want a Volvo", but since I'm the new guy here, I just figured I wouldn't rock the boat. Maybe I can sell him mine, lol.
 
I simply threw my siren module out.

Haven't had an issue with the sunroof since.

That was Cam, he's changed his mind now. He now wants a Miata.

I tried two ebay Vidas. First was DOA, sorta worked, but only with XP, sometimes. The second one works flawlessly.

It's funny how the entire car falls apart around it and cannot diagnose this stupid boost overshoot, but it knows I put LEDs in the dome lights, then moved them to the map lights. Also knows that I installed a factory amp without having the correct software downloaded. It works fine without it, so I don't see the point in paying the money for it.

I am not joking about the head gasket. If your car starts to overheat, shut it off immediately and coast to safety. I would get a new rad ASAP or simply get rid of the vehicle altogether.

There's also an issue where the o rings in the oil pan will fail and cause oil starvation. Any bubbles on the dip stick while the engine is running is supposedly indicative of this type of failure.

I'm used to a GM where the oil is supposed to be a little frothy if it's running.
 
I tried an ebay vidas too, it didn't work so I never tried it again. Had All data, it was good till I got a virus and had to restore the computer, I still have it but I haven't put it back on. I have to get a new trans for my Grand Prix, and as soon as I do, that thing is gone.

I'm so glad that guy changed his mind. I don't know crap about Miata's, except there exists no car brand on Earth that is worse than Volvo. So, that makes the Miata better.

I do know you can put 5.0's in them though. Holy crap that's got to be fast.
 


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