- 02/22/2015
- 2 Min Read
- By: Alex Fiehl
3 Affordable Genuine-Quality Kits for Volvo V70/S70/C70 (P80)
Maintaining a European car often involves shopping for parts that meet or exceed OE quality, but aren't. This is almost always in the interest of cost-savings. Depending on the part, Original Equipment (OE) parts can sometimes be exorbitantly priced when similar OEM alternatives do the same job for half the price or more. These are three of my favorite kits that utilize parts made by Volvo's OEMs, but are priced like aftermarket. The peace of mind of using Lemförder and Bosch is always appreciated when I'm on a long trip and can't worry about the quality of parts in my car.
Sway Bar Links
Lemförder is the Original Equipment Manufacturer for many European brands including BMW, Volvo, and Audi. Holding one of these links in the hand, it's immediately noticeable the jump in quality over an aftermarket piece. The ball joints move freely, the hardware is top-notch, and the boots are sealed on both ends.
The original Lemförder links lasted over 150,000 miles on my 99 Volvo S70, and in this case I saw no reason to replace them with anything but when the time came.
Volvo Sway Bar Link Kit Front 2 Piece (C70 S70 V70 850) - Lemforder KIT-P80FSBLKT2P2
Strut Mounting
Relatively speaking, strut mounts and bearings are not a high failure item on P80 Volvos - I've seen these last from 130,000mi all the way to 180,000 without issue. But, with the collector following these vehicles are starting to attain it is becoming necessary to refresh the front suspension to make 200 and even 300,000 miles feasible.
Sachs spring seats and FAG strut mount bearings are another OEM kit that is fairly priced, leaving little reason to shop for less expensive alternatives.
Volvo Strut Mount Kit with Spring Seats (850 C70 S70 V70) - OEM SMKITOE
Timing Belt
At 105,000 miles, many Volvos hit a crossroads. It's timing belt time, but is it necessary to change the water pump at this interval? I'm of the belief that if a Volvo still has its original Aisin water pump installed, only the timing belt and accessories need to be changed. These are very stout water pumps, and 210,000 miles is not out of the question. However, there is no question that the tensioner, belt, and idler pulleys need to be changed at the 105,000 mile mark. Not maintaining these is a recipe for disaster, and the price for OEM components is chump change compared to a top-engine rebuild after a neglected belt breaks.
Volvo Timing Belt Kit (S40 S60 S70 S80 V70 XC70 XC90) - INA TBKIT331A-OEM
Volvo Water Pump (850 960 S40 S60 S80 V70 XC70) - Aisin 30751700
About the Author: Alex Fiehl
Alex
is FCP's Blog Editor and a Desktop Engineer from Endwell, NY. He has over 9 years of experience working on a wide array of import makes, but has found his home with European cars. With a Volkswagen and Volvo at home, the garage is always busy.
