O.K. first of all, the "local" dealer is no longer a Volvo dealer, I got what seemed like fair prices from them. Now I have to go to the dealer in Marietta, they are owned by the same people as the Honda dealer. The thing is they routinely charge 30-50% above the MSRP that i have in Audatex or Mitchell (the most recent update), when you try to call them on it they just shrug (they know they are the only game in town I guess).
Fortunately I can get a large percentage of the needed stuff from Pelican Parts/Drivewerks and IPD.
Now the other thing is this car is an "S90" which is a 960 (or more specifically a 964 being a sedan). You frequently have to look up parts for a 960 instead of an S90, but you really have no way of knowing if things are the same. EVERYthing is an ordeal.
So its over due for a major service and I gather the parts I know we need before she brings it down. While the timing belt and water pump fit fine nothing else does...The fuel filter (listed for an S90) is wrong (it has the one for a 960 on it) the serpentine belt is exactly the same as the one on it and put back on the way the old one was on, but doesn't match the diagram in the owners manual (and won't go on that way) Spark Plugs - don't even get me started on spark plugs for the thing, you would never believe the hassle that was, and lest you think "oh surely you could just run down tot he local box store and pick six up" let me just reassure you that unless you want an autolite or champion that covers about 3 times the heat range of the proper European plugs, that is very much not the case. That turned out O.K. though because it had Volvo plugs in it and the Beru that I got even had the same number on them.
Volvo doesn't even know if it has an AW30 or an AW71 in it by the VIN have to crawl under it and read the tag - they want 100.00 for a strainer kit, they say they never change them (????).
The usual way to drain a newer Volvo differential is to pull the lower rear cover bolt and let it drain there, trouble is this car has IRS with a transverse composite spring and you can;t get the lower bolt out because of the mounting cradle, which also makes it nearly impossible to remove the fill plug (it takes a 13mm universal socket, and a socket with a universal won't work)...
Anyway, there is no real point here, I'm just venting... thanks for listening...
It is a very nice car, alas unless the Chinese sell it back to someone in the western world, It will be my last Volvo
) 740 intercooled turbo that was a fantastic car, wish we still had it in fact...
