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.

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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!

As mentioned in a previous blogpost I bought a rear spoiler for my 2001 Volvo V70. Since my car doesn’t have roofrails the V70 isn’t as pretty as it should be: V70s without a rear roof spoiler and without roofrails seems to have a bit “sacked down” back. A roof spoiler should solve this horrible look.

The version of the spoiler I have is a version you don’t see often. The most popular version is the original Volvo spoiler. There are aftermarket versions which are a copy of the original version (including center brake light which is too weak on the copycat-versions) but the spoiler I have is a version you don’t see often. It’s made in Sweden (or: the Swedish producer designed it in Sweden but the spoilers are made elsewhere) and it doesn’t have a brake light. See the image below for an example.

The spoiler for my Volvo V70 is the same as in the image above 

The spoiler isn’t painted when you buy it, but it’s ready for painted right away because it already is set in primer. Of course those prefab paint/primerwork isn’t the best and always needs some grinding and sanding to make the surface smooth. After sanding there is a bit more preparation needed: remove all dust and dirt. I always use ammonia for degreasing (some people use brake cleaner, but it’s way too aggressive). It smells terrible but works excellent.

The top of the spoiler 

The bottom of the V70 spoiler 

As you can see on the image above the spoiler can be mounted by using bolts, but that won’t work very good since the holes of this spoiler doesn’t match with the original position of the holes which should be drilled in the tailgate. The best option here is to glue the spoiler, using two-component adhesive or window sealant. I think I’ll go for the last option.

After I sanded the entire spoiler I sprayed it with several layers of primer. After a couple of days drying it should be ready for painting.

After spraying the primer the spoiler is ready to be painted in metallic dark gray 

After the first side is done the spoiler is being taped the other side can also be sprayed in the right color. Of course it’s better to hang up the spoiler and spray both sides at once 

I don’t have the after-photo of the painted spoiler right now, but the paintjob is pretty well done! And the spoiler isn’t fitted yet onto the car. I must install the spoiler one of these days, but since the weather is pretty bad right now it still couldn’t be done (maybe this weekend). Stay tuned for the update!

This how-to guide is almost similar to the tutorial of the Yatour usb-unit I posted earlier. But now it’s about the very popular Grom Audio iPhone/iPod/USB interface which is mostly used on the Volvo HU-radio.

I tried the Yatour usb-interface earlier and it’s working fine but not for me: the file support for mp3-files larger than 50mb is a bit slow and since I mostly listen to livesets the Yatour just didn’t meet my expectations. But as basic mp3 interface it’s good enough for most people. Fortunately Motrade allowed me to return the Yatour interface and I ordered a Grom USB2 interface at Motrade. The Grom USB2 has 3 ports: an USB2.0 port (which supports flash disks, hard drives and usb-sticks), an aux-port (for an external mp3-player or Bluetooth-device which is connected by the optional Bluetooth-dongle) and an iPod/iPhone (which needs the optional cable). Since a few weeks the Samsung Galaxy S and S II (both with Android) are also supported. See the diagram below how the Grom can be connected with one of all these devices.

The Grom USB2 works on all Volvo HU- and SC-radios and steering remote control is also supported. The newest Grom USB2 also supports cd-text (if you already have the older version, see Johan Hogervorst’s tutorial how to enable text support).

Enough talking, now it’s time to show you how to install the Grom interface on your Volvo HU or SC radio!

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A couple of weeks ago my 2001 Volvo V70 went to the workshop for maintenance (see the blogpost here), but unfortunately the garage noticed the pulley of the camshaft adjustment was in terrible condition. Thanks to that the engine was leaking some oil, but fortunately not for a long time. To solve this problem the belt gear must be removed (also the timing belt to remove the gear wheel) and since the timing belt should be replaced in about 30.000km the mechanic of the garage and I both thought it was better to replace it all right away (not only the pulley but also the timing belt, waterpump and tensioner or adjuster). An appointment was made and on April 3 the car went to the garage for this operation (which took about 6 hours). Since I never done maintenance on a newer Volvo myself ( a modern Volvo is way more difficult than a classic Volvo like an Amazon or 240) I always go to the same workshop (which is specialized in Volvo).

The garage didn’t have a car for loan, so I managed to borrow a 244 DL USA-import at a Volvo classic specialist 

Later that day the V70 was ready and I took it home. But the car was missing a lot of power and wanted to stop running when waiting for the traffic lights. The next day the car had troubles starting and when the car finally was running the engine turned off when I moved the gear selector in R or D. After several attempts I managed to get the car working and immediately went back to the garage. When I arrived the car had even more problems with starting and even the warning light for the engine was on! In my opinion the timing belt wasn’t installed correct but the workshop denied to make such a big mistake and could be something else. I left the car at the workshop and they would investigate what the exact problem should be.

After two days the workshop called: they were sure the timing belt was installed correctly and it should be the camshaft sensor which causes the problem. They’re gonna to replace it and should be ready within one hour. But after 3,5 hours I was called again: they went to the Volvo-dealer who was certain the timing belt wasn’t installed correctly and replacing the sensor shouldn’t do the trick. The dealer lend the mechanic the original Volvo tools to adjust the timing belt. It appeared the timing belt was about 2 teeth wrong on its position. The mechanic adjusted the timing belt into the right position and the problem was solved. He also made a 40km testdrive to be certain the car was running fine.

The next day my girlfriend and I went to the garage to pick up the car. But when I started it there was a horrible screaming and wheezy noise coming out of the engine! I went back inside the garage and they told me the problem was caused by too much brake cleaner (they sprayed a lot of brake cleaner to the engine to clean some oil traces) which cleaned the roller of the multi belt. They inserted some teflon spray and it should be gone within a few kilometers.

But on the way home the car got some heavy vibrating and noises. I tried to call the garage but the phone wasn’t picked up. So when I arrived home I tried to call again but with no luck. I mailed them if the engine support rubbers were also damaged and the next day I got a mail back to check the wheel bolts. Very strange reply, and I thought it was very suspicious. So I checked it immediately: the left front wheel was very loose! After some intense discussion with the garage it appeared they’d thighten the wheels with the torque of a 850 (which should be 110nm, but their torque wrench is set on about 120-125nm) and not the torque the V70 or S60 requires (which is at least) 140nm. That could have caused the problem (the garage says it could also be theft, but the car was 4-5 days at their place). But fortunately there is no further damage on the vehicle, rim or bolts.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to install a Yatour (also sold as Motrade, Ycarlink and other brandnames) mp3 USB- and SD-card module for your Volvo HU- or SC-radio. You’ll connect this unit on the cd-changer-port of the radio and this sd/usb-module will emulate as a cd-dischanger but works as a digital music changer. Since the Volvo SC- and HU-radios don’t support mp3-playback this kind of units receive a warm welcome in your car because you don’t need any cd’s anymore.

Since my Volvo V70 has a Volvo HU-1205 navigation radio (which of course doesn’t support mp3-playback) and also doesn’t have a disc-changer I wanted a mp3-unit for a long time! I bought the Yatour usb-module at Motrade and is labeled as “Motrade digital music changer” (and not as a Yatour). Installation of the mp3-unit is pretty easy and Motrade sends the right equipment to make the installation a lot easier.

See the guide below how to install a mp3/usb-module on your Volvo HU or SC radio. Click on the images for a larger version.

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Last tuesday my Volvo V70 went to the garage for a 20.000km inspection. Besides the regular oil change (including new oil filter) also the thermostat and interior filter was changed. And of course: the Vredestein Quatrac 3 allweather-tires were installed on the Mimas alloy wheels.

Unfortunately there is a big problem with the engine: there is too much motion on the cam gear wheel so a lot of oil is leaked from the top of the engine and hits the timing belt. It needs replacement as soon as possible because oil can damage the timing belt and if the belt breaks the engine will be damaged badly. The timing belt should be replaced next year, so it’s not a real big disaster and with a new cam gear wheel the replacement will be about 350 Euro more expensive  (including wages) than a regular timing belt change.

The workshop also have some nice spoilers and other styling items for various Volvos. Since I don’t have roofrails on my V70 I think the car isn’t very pretty (the rear of the car looks a bit “sacked down” without roofrails or a spoiler). So I also bought a rear spoiler for the V70N which isn’t the replica of the original V70 rear spoiler (with third brake light) but a Swedish-made spoiler which is a bit rounder. And I can still use the original center brake light: on most aftermarket spoiler the new brake light is too weak.

The new rear roof spoiler of my Volvo V70 should look like this one 

The spoiler hasn’t got a color yet, so I decided to paint it myself. I will post an update when the spoiler-project is finished!

Last wednesday I ordered 4 brand new tires for my Volvo V70 and 2 new tires for the Volvo 740 GLE of my girlfriend. Since I hate to change wheels and the winters in The Netherlands are pretty soft I ordered 6 allweather-tires.

It’s hard to choose which tire I should get, because tests may vary in their results. Most all season-tires aren’t good enough in snow and others are too noisy or are pretty weak in wet conditions. My dad bought 4 Goodyear Vector 4 all season tires for his 2001 V70 and was extremely happy with it: good grip in the winter and snow, and at least as good as his previous tires (Michelin Primacy). The Goodyear Vector 4 was awarded as “best all season tire” at the ANWB and Autoweek. But the Vredestein Quatrac 3 (also an all weather tire) won the test at the German ADAC and Autobild allseason-tiretest. The grip in snow and ice is almost as good as snow tires and in wet conditions (which is almost common in The Netherlands) the Vredestein-tire scored a bit higher than the Goodyear Vector 4 and the Vredestein became the winner of that test. Allseason-tires should be a bit more noisy than summer tires but according to my dad his new tires aren’t producing more noise than his old summer tires. Both brands are allowed to add M+S and a snowflake-symbol on these tires.

Since I would like to support the Dutch economy and think the ADAC runs better tests than the ANWB (which also are very good, but sometimes they “buy” their tests from other countries) I decided to order 6 Vredestein Quatrac 3 all season tires at Toopneus.com. The tire size for both cars is 205/55/R16 and I ordered the 91H-version. The tires should arrive this afternoon.

Update: and finally they arrived! See the pictures below.

 
The tireset in the trunk of my Volvo V70. In the background you’ll see my old set (Mimas wheels with Continental tires) 

The Dutch police (KLPD) ordered 4 new Volvo V70s for high-speed pursuits. The KLPD already uses the Volvo V50, S60 and V70 (even a V70R) for daily use but those cars weren’t fast enough for pursuits.

A long time ago the KLPD had Porsches for high-speed pursuits but due cuts in the budget those cars were abandoned in 1994. Since then there weren’t real fast cars (although the Volvo 850 T5 the KLPD were using since then wasn’t slow at all). Unfortunately these days cars are a lot faster and police cars were way too slow in a pursuit (criminals uses faster cars these days and the cars of the KLPD are limited to 220km/h). There are about 2 high-speed purchases per week in The Netherlands and unfortunately most of the policecars are too slow.  That’s why the KLPD deciced to buy 4 new Volvo V70 T6 cars after a comparison between the V70 T6 and a BMW 5-series. Since the Volvo is safer, easier to maintain (the Dutch police are servicing their cars themselves), cheaper and has a better road handling (according to the KLPD test centre) the KLPD decided to buy 4 cars. But since the KLPD isn’t allowed to exceed its budget 11 older cars must be sold.

The Swedish police uses a V70 D5, the Dutch V70 T6 will be faster but will almost look the same (except for the livery) 

The new Volvo V70 T6 will be chipped and the speed limiter (245km/h) will be removed. The Dutch media and KLPD says the top speed will be about 250km/h but my very-well informed resources within the Dutch police told me the top speed will be higher than that.

A couple of weeks ago I posted an item about the closing of former Volvo-factory NedCar in Born (the Netherlands, where the Volvo 300-series, 400-series and S40/V40 were build). You can find the article here.

But yesterday Mitsubishi announced they’re willing to find a buyer for it (which was also said earlier: you can buy the factory for 1 Euro but have to take over the employees as well) and today there is some big news: 2 companies are very interested in taking over Nedcar. It’s a Chinese and an European car company. Needless to say: I expect the Chinese car concern could be Geely, which means Volvo can be involved. Geely is one of the very few Chinese car manufacturers which is active in Europe. The other company could be BMW, which needs to solve their capacity problems with the production of some new Mini-models.

Mitsubishi, NedCar and the Dutch government (the Economics department) will negotiate in the next three months to settle a deal. In the meanwhile other car manufacturers are able to show their interest in the NedCar-factory.

Since Volvo showed the first new V40-pictures it is expected that Volvo will produce the V40 in Ghent (Belgium), but what if the capacity isn’t there (in case the V50 will be produced for a longer term)? Ghent isn’t far away from The Netherlands (Born) and of course: Volvo knows the factory very well, since they produced cars in Born for more than 25 years. But rumours say a new (potential) owner wants to produce cars in 2015 with 800 employees. Since Volvo is planning to build a new small car (and looking for a company who wants to join in this program), it could be done in Born as Ghent might have capacity problems when the C30, S40 and new V40 are being produced there.

Will the new Volvo V40 be produced at NedCar?

It’s not unlikely Volvo will return (thanks to Geely) to Born and produce cars in The Netherlands. The Dutch Volvos were pretty good and the employees were very reliable. Since the factory is a bargain (it justs costs 1 Euro and Mitsubishi don’t need to settle a social plan when they sell the factory) and Volvo has increasing sales it wouldn’t surprise me if Geely takes over NedCar and starts producing new Volvos. Let’s hope the good old Volvo-days will live again in Born!

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