Volvotips

This site is under construction right now, but we’re working very hard to create some nice content! Every day new content will be published.

Did you know you can follow us at Twitter?

 At this website you will find all info about:
- Volvo PV
- Amazon
- 140 and 164-series
- P1800-series
- 240- and 260-series
- 740, 760 and 780
- 940 and 960
- 850

Stay tuned for many, many updates!

Update July 15 2011: at the moment we’re working very hard on the History-pages of the various types. A new domain will be introduced next week or the week after: www.volvotips.com instead of the Dutch extension (Volvotips.nl will be a redirect for the .com-version).

Update July 30 2011: www.volvotips.com is the new URL for Volvotips! The Dutch .nl-extension is now active as a redirect for Volvotips.com.

Update August 1 2011: many people ask me where the photo (with the Duett and PV) above is taken. It is taken at a World War II-museum in Son (The Netherlands). That weekend a veteran car show was held at the museum and the PV and Duett were standing at the entrance. Also big news: we’re working very hard to publish the upholstery pages of the Amazon (including samples of the interior colors). Also the search function has been improved. Stay tuned for more content, and follow us at Twitter to get in touch!

Unfortunately the current owner of NedCar, Mitsubishi, decided this morning the NedCar-factory in Born (The Netherlands) will be closed at the end of 2012 (at this moment it seems it will be closed on the first of December this year). At this moment NedCar has 1.500 employees and they build the Mitsubish Colt and Outlander for the European market. NedCar was the former factory of Volvo where the Volvo 340, 360, 440, 460, 480, S40 and V40 were produced.

The history of the factory in Born began in the early 60′s: DAF (a Dutch car and truck manufacturer) wanted to expand their factory in Eindhoven but the Dutch government wanted DAF to build a new factory in Limburg. The reason for this was very simple: Limburg had a huge unemployment because the mines were closing. The Dutch government were willing to pay a part of the new plant and the deal was sealed. The new plant was ready in 1967. DAF were producing the 44 and 55 in Born, and later the DAF 66 was also produced in Born.

When Volvo took over DAF (see History of the Volvo 340) the Volvo 66 and new Volvo 343 were also produced in Born. Thanks to Volvo the Born-factory were expanding in the early 80′s: the Volvo 340 was a big hit and the factory got some expanding during the years. But at the end of the 80′s it seems the growth of Volvo wasn’t enough to cover the expanding (about 120.000 cars were produced and the factory has a capacity of 180.000 cars per year), so a partner was needed to get the most of the factory. In 1991 negotiations with Mitsubishi and the Dutch government started. They took each 33% of the shares and in 1992 the new name was presented: NedCar. NedCar replaces Volvo Car B.V. and the headquarters of Volvo Car B.V. in Helmond were closed. NedCar produced the Volvo S40 and V40,the Mitsubishi Carisma and SpaceStar.

In 2001 Mitsubishi got 100% of the shares of Nedcar. DaimlerChrysler took a 37% share in Mitsubishi and in 2003 the Smart ForFour was build in Born, which went out of production in 2006 and was the start of the problems at NedCar. But with the production of the Outlander at NedCar the problems were (temporary) solved.

But the recent economic problems in Europe have also effect on car sales and Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi is planning to stop all European car productions and they will stop production of cars at Born in December 2012. But the factory will not be closed immediately and it’s for sale. Costs? Just 1 Euro, but you’ll need to have a good job for all employees. The Dutch government is looking for a new owner and it seems it might be found already: some sources say a car manufacturer wants to start production of a new car in 2015 with 800 employees. Let’s hope it’s Volvo who wants to produce a new small car!

The winter was very warm this season, until last week: the weather changed immediately from 9-10 degrees Celsius to -10 degrees Celsius. And yesterday it was snowing very hard! The Netherlands is covered with 10cm snow (some places even a bit more) and last night the temperature was about -20 degrees Celsius. Very cold, especially with a strong wind!

My 244 diesel didn’t start well yesterday: it was -12 degrees Celsius at that moment and after the fifth attempt the car kept running (the four attempts weren’t the best: the D24 engine only ran for a few seconds).

When I went to the supermarket I saw a Swedish rival. Seems to me the Swedish cars are designed for these weather conditions.

My Volvo 244 and a Saab 900 Turbo 

My Volvo V70 covered in snow 

I’m considering some updates for my 2001 Volvo V70. Since the car is a very basic Comfortline (but fortunately I have climate control and a HU-1205 radio with GPS-system) the car is limited in several options, like: no roofrails, simple 15-inch wheels with hub caps (now used for snow tires and for better circumstances I have nice 16-inch Volvo Mimas alloy wheels) and no speakers in the rear doors. The speaker-issue was solved earlier by installing rear speakers (see the how-to here).

But I think the missing roofrails is a big loss for a V70. It makes the car a bit too low on the rear side and without roofrails it seems the car has a worn rear suspension (which is not the case of course). I won’t use the roofrails, so installing a rear spoiler could also be a nice upgrade and could help to solve the “sagged look”. But I’m still not convinced yet.

Another upgrade is a MP3-module for the HU-1205. Listening to the radio isn’t bad, but the car hasn’t got a CD-changer and switching cd’s in the HU-1205 unit every time isn’t a very good option (especially since the HU-1205 needs the navigation cd-rom when you’re using GPS). In my other cars I always installed a Kenwood or Sony mp3-radio (except for my 850 T-5R which also had the original radio) and I still miss such option in my V70. Of course I can remove the HU-1205 and insert a doubledin aftermarket-radio but I think it would be ugly in a V70. The HU-1205 has the same color as the rest of the interior and almost the same display background color. I’m not a person who says cars should be in its original condition, but in this case the interior is on its best when the OEM-radio is installed.

Right now I’m using a FM-transmitter sometimes, but in most cases I forgot to use it (plugging the FM-transmitter, adding it to a MP3-player or my phone, adjusting the transmitter and radio to the right channel etc). It takes too much effort I guess. What I need is very simple: plugging in a USB-stick with a lot of music on it and go!

The companies Motrade and Volvotech both sells MP3-boxes which also works on the HU-1205. A friend of mine (who owns a Volvo V40) also had the same issue and also didn’t want to give up the OEM-look of his car. He installed the GROM-module (as sold by Motrade, but he bought it directly on Ebay). I think I’m going to do the same. The modules are pretty expensive (it costs as much as a good aftermarket MP3-radio with USB-support) but hey: you’ll keep the OEM-look but still have the profit of a MP3- and USB-interface! So I think I’ll order a GROM-module one of these days, but at the moment it’s too cold for fixing things in the car.

Of course I will post a how-to tutorial on Volvotips.com when I finished installing the module.

Did you know that Volvotips.com has a own Youtube-channel? You can find it here.

At this moment there are about 15 videos but new videos are being uploaded weekly. The most videos are from one of my cars, lik the walkaround-video below.

Just visit the Volvotips videochannel on Youtube for more nice vids!

Volvotips.com wishes all Volvo-drivers a safe and happy 2012!

My 2001 Volvo V70 is a very basic version: the Comfortline. The Volvo V70N (2000-2008) is a very luxurious car but it can be limited in very small things, like only speakers in the front or a manual airconditioning system (but most V70s are sold with electronic climate control). Fortunately I have climate control but a very poor sound system. The car was originally equipped with a Volvo CR-503 single DIN radio (about the cheapest Volvo ever made) but it was replaced by the previous owner with a HU-1205 navigation system. If you bought a Volvo V70 with HU-1205 it came with a better sound system (Performance Line, which includes 6 speakers). My car only has two front speakers and two tweeters (all speakers are installed in the doors).

I always want a nice sound in my car, but I don’t give a lot about a top-of-the-bill sound system. If there are some speakers in front and behind me and don’t produce a distorted sound I’m happy. The speakers of Volvo itself aren’t that bad, so if I install a pair of original speakers the job should be done!

Click on the “more” button to continue this story and the how-to for installing rear door speakers in a Volvo S60/V70/S80.

(more…)

I forgot to post the installation of the new genuine Volvo parts (the New Old Stock parts as mentioned in a blog-post before), but here is an update!

The net pocket isn’t installed yet, just like the cup holders (it needed an extra part, which also was bought at Advanced Performance Parts) but fortunately the map pocket and the new steering wheel are installed!

Installing a storage pocket in a Volvo V70 or S60

The storage pocket (Volvo part number 9481249) was immediately installed when the parts arrived and is a very easy job. See the how-to manual below how easy it is! I’m very happy with it because the storage pocket is mainly mentioned for maps, but a small cd-sleeve will also fit pretty good in it (see the last picture). Click on the images for a large version.

Behind that plastic cover there is a anchor point for accessories.	Use a screwdriver to remove the cover.	This is how it should look like when the cover is removed.
The two screws on the pocket will fit perfectly in the two holes, Ikea-style!	Insert the screws in the hole and use a screwdriver to turn the screws about a quarter and you’re done!	Perfect!

And the final result:

The new leather steering wheel for my 2001 Volvo V70

At the Volvo Overstock-order I also bought a nice brand-new leather steering wheel (part number 30741097) for my V70. The car had a plastic version which was pretty worn. Because a friend of my (who works at the Volvo-dealer) was convinced the airbag module would be damaged if I did it myself (without special tools) I decided APP should do the installation of the steering wheel, since the airbag was only 6 months old (it was replaced because the date was expired). APP did a fantastic job and the interior looks so much better now! APP: thanks again!

Before: the worn steering wheel

After: the brand new original Volvo leather steering wheel

It’s a really big difference and the color is exactly the same after I put some leather conditioner on the wheel. The leather was pretty dry because it was in an old dusty Volvo-warehouse for a while and now it’s in perfect condition.

Because the battery must be disconnected before replacing the steering wheel the radiocode must be entered again. And of course: I’ve got everything of history, invoices etc with the car but not the radio code! I found a radio-code but it appeared to be for the old radio (the HU-1205 was installed later), but fortunately the Volvo-dealer can look it up. You’ll have to pay EUR 20,– for it, but you can listen radio again! And I’ve got the code back now.

Thanks to Advanced Performance Parts (APP) I received a lot of New Old Stock (NOS) original Volvo-parts for my 2001 V70 and MY1980 Volvo 2440 D6 diesel. APP (Baarlo, The Netherlands) has a huge overstock of Volvo-parts, but they also sell some nice tuning-stuff and replacement parts for modern and classic Volvos. They are also specialized in tuning B18- and B20-engines for the PV, Amazon, P1800-series and 140. Dutch classic Volvo-enthousiasts will remember them: Tinustechniek is now a part of APP.

The parts for the V70 are mostly accessories and the parts for the 244 D24 are for some maintenance which I should do on a short term.

The collection of the New Old Stock parts

I’ve ordered the following parts:

Volvo V70 leather steering wheel	Volvo V70 net pocket for cargo compartment	Volvo V70 map pocket for centre console	Volvo V70 cupholders	Volvo wheel cover 15-inch
Volvo D24 diesel timing belt	2 Volvo diesel D24 oil filters	Volvo D24 fuel filter	Volvo D24 airfilter	Volvo S60 cupholders

Click on the image for a large version

The current steering wheel of my V70 isn’t a leather version but the “simple” cheap plastic version. It is very worn so it really needs a replacement. The wheel cover is needed for the winter tires but I’m still missing one hub cap to have two complete sets (the second set can be fitted on the Volvo 740 GLE of my girlfriend for her winter set).  The S60 cupholders was a small mistake, but fortunately my brother just bought a Volvo S60 so maybe he will be happy with it.

Tomorrow I will install some parts into the V70. I’ll make a blog-post about it.