just a bit of advice really

[craig1992]

Evening, Is there anyone on here who ha's ever brought an ex police v70? I'm looking at buying a 2011 v70 d5 twin turbo with 136k on the clock.I was wondering if anyone out there that would be able to advise as to what to look for when buy ex police and any problem area's they may have.
T.I.A
Craig

[Orca2]

There are a few ex plod cars owned on here mate, I'm sure there will e some good advice .
Welcome aboard .I used to know a like who ran helicopters and he always bought ex military ones.
He reckoned they were much cheaper and if anything could be broken, it already had been , and replaced,
I guess plod cars are similar, they kick them to death but have a huge budget to fix them that Joe Punter would never have.

[M-R-P]

Personally, I've not heard many bad things about P3 ex plodders.

I think that, because of all the technology involved, plod have no choice but to fix any issues and that's the only time money is no object - they'll get it fixed with genuine parts. Beware of AWD and/or auto varients tho as they've got a reputation for failing.

Older cars, despite popular belief regarding police servicing their vehicles to a high standard, are ignored until they go wrong in a way that means they can't use it.
The oil and brakes (and other basic service items) get done on a schedule but knocking and rattling are ignored. When I changed the shocks on my P2, they were the original shocks with about 180K on them.

[craig1992]

Thanks lads, it's appreciated I have heard about the auto's having problems and I know auto box's are difficult to repair. Even worse if it's auto and awd so I've chosen to look for a decent front wheel with standard manual gear box

[M-R-P]

To be fair, most of the D5s are fwd manuals so it shouldn't be a long wait.

[craig1992]

There one I'm looking at that fits the bill minus the Bluetooth and satnav but it's just over 6k with 136k but I know volvo last forever so mileage shouldn't be a problem it's just how much have the police thrashed it that's the worrying part

[M-R-P]

My ex plod is on just under 218k now and I'm about to fit a bigger turbo :)

[craig1992]

Not bad. You got any number? Or you gonna dyno it after?

[The Flying Moose]

Well having a few at work in the "blue light service" and having driven them I'd say they are pretty good. Certainly eat tyres driven harshly I think 5k for a set of fronts was my record however we have to change them at 3mm.

Seats in emergency spec (non leather) seem to tear easily and one thing woth the ones we had and have is the early models twin turbod seemed to eat turbo too however they were thrashed from cold.

Generally those in traffic spend there days crusing so I wouldn't worry too much about abuse on a cold engine.

As Martin says usually serviced within 1k of due date and repaired when necessary. On a plus all ex service vehicles will have decent branded tyres if they come direct.

[M-R-P]

Not bad. You got any number? Or you gonna dyno it after?

290-300 as an educated guess (dyno'd at 278.8 before the last set of mods), I'm hoping for a bit more poke but being the original engine, I'm not gonna push my luck lol.

[craig1992]

Sweet and thanks moose. The one I've looked at is part leather and looks in good nick. I'm gonna get seat covers as I work in the building trade so usually covered in plaster/cement dust. Unsure of previous use but I won't be tearing around in it as I may be only 23 but ragged the hell out of my punto which I currently have and looking for something practical and big yet pokey ;) looking at upgrading power slightly having looked about would people recommend rica? They say with stage two remapping it could produce about 275 is that realistic and if so what other alterations would I need to make or would it manage as it is? In regards to the cooling system.
Thanks

[M-R-P]

Rica are widely regarded as being outdated and not as good as they were. A basic stage 1 remap will be more than enough for your needs I imagine. Shark, hlm, bsr,
Aet, kalmar union etc all have maps for Volvos so shop around.

[Blackdog]

It can be after market mapped but will require a visit to a company in the first instance. If it ex-plod it may well already have a Polestar map on it. A main dealer should be able to confirm from the reg number.

[craig1992]

The company I'm buying from haven't advertised with any maps just standard so I'm guessing it will produce about 205-215 on a standard twin turbo. There's a Marshall''s volvo near me will they be able to see if it has polestar mapping?

[Blackdog]

The company I'm buying from haven't advertised with any maps just standard so I'm guessing it will produce about 205-215 on a standard twin turbo. There's a Marshall''s volvo near me will they be able to see if it has polestar mapping?

You can try but personally I have never got on with Marshalls. The company advertising the car may not know if it has been mapped as there is nothing to show as such. If you PM me the reg I will ask the main dealer I use.

[craig1992]

Ah nice one the plate is gn11cvr

[Blackdog]

Feed back is that without plugging it in they cannot tell from the records if it is Polestar mapped.

They also mentioned that police spec cars are usually mapped, not by Polestar, but by external companies.

[craig1992]

OK thanks for trying where would you go to get it checked with your experience with a country wide rep or would it just be easier to search for Nottingham based tuning companies?

[Blackdog]

Have a word with Shark. They did my last one. Remember with diesel's it's more the torque than the BHP. That said I'm sure the T5 guy's will differ.

[craig1992]

As long as it pulls and pulls quick I'm happy as larry says 7.5 sec in book so add a bit on so I'm not too unhappy with it as my current car has 60bhp and gets to 60 in about a decade

[M-R-P]

I think Mr. BlackDog's car made a 15 second quarter mile so you'll probably be quite happy.

[LiamT4]

I think Mr. BlackDog's car made a 15 second quarter mile so you'll probably be quite happy.

15.4 which is pretty good for a big diesel estate.

[craig1992]

That should do me just fine haha any advice on where to get quality aftermarket parts like induction kits etc?

[Kingsford G]

From my experience between Rica and MTE,MTE is a progressive map which u`d enjoy and not harsh on DMF etc.

[M-R-P]

That should do me just fine haha any advice on where to get quality aftermarket parts like induction kits etc?

You won't need an induction kit, they're well known for having massively overengineered inlet systems. Downpipe and catback is worth looking at tho.

[craig1992]

OK then are the aftermarket parts expensive? Only real experience's have been with my punto and everything is dirt cheap on that anyway. Just done a quick search for mte but notice their in Singapore?? Anyone know any dealers UK based?