Buying Ex-Plod... What you should know.
There's been a lot of discussions recently, regarding the purchase and running of Phase 2 ex plod cars so here's some handy information.
I'm basing this on my own experiences with my car and various bits of information I've gathered over the last couple of years, so if I miss anything, please feel free to add to it.
The Ex-Plod car
The average plod Volvo does a lot of miles, usually with the same few drivers. Contrary to popular belief, they're not just a pool - car that's grabbed by the first guy to grab the keys. They often do a lot of miles just plodding up and down dual carriageways and motorways, waiting for something to happen. Rarely do they get driven hard from cold. The seats and interior will be basic and depending on year, may not even have cruise control.
MY 2000-2004 cars have cruise control, central locking, air con, full info on the speedo, 4 x electric windows, central locking button on both front doors, headlight wipers, rear window locks controlled from the drivers door, no premium sound system but tweets and 6" speakers in the front doors and 6" speakers in the rear doors (the centre and D-pillar speakers are not there but the connectors are, and they're active), there'll be a 5th alloy instead of a spare wheel (you never see plod running on a space saver). There's no comms pack (phone or bluetooth) unless it's fitted after decommissioning.
Buying a pre-2004 P2 Ex-Plod can be tricky. They all have the overhanging threat of DIM failure. This is where the speedo basically goes mental, causing all sorts of problems from unexpected brake failure warnings to the dials going crazy and mine even tried to catch fire!. Repairs aren't cheap. To get it replaced by Volvo, with an updated DIM costs over £700 and for that you get a remanufactured DIM with chrome rings around the dials. Something to look for when buying a model of that age - if it has chrome rings, the DIM has been sorted. There are companies that will redo the DIM for £50-£80 but sometimes they don't fix the problem. The cheapest way is to do it yourself - the Motorolla chip needs to be cleaned and resoldered. Anybody with good skills with a soldering iron or hot air torch can do this if they take their time and do a thorough job. A good tv/mobile phone repair shop would probably do it for about £40. You can also get a 2nd hand DIM reprogrammed by someone like HLM for about £350.
Another killer of the early P2 cars is the ETM (Electronic Throttle Module) the pre-2003 models used Magnetti Marelli ETMs that would wear themselves out and cost a fortune to fix. Volvo got in a lot of trouble over this in the states as it was considered a safety floor and ended-up replacing thousands of modules for free. Check under the inlet manifold - if the ETM is about 6" wide and has either a white or yellow label (sometimes there's no label) then this is a Marelli ETM and will probably give you trouble. If you see a 3 1/2", rounded ETM with BOSCH written on it, it's been changed and you've nothing to worry about.
Beware of geartronic... The auto box with the semi-manual option was another bane of the early P2 car. once past 90-100k miles, avoid the car like Gary Glitter in a playground, unless you can get evidence of a recent gearbox service/replacement.
The 16T turbo on these can also suffer with a sticky wastegate so grab the actuator rod with both hands and try moving it, it should put up a bit of a fight but move smoothly.
MY 2004-2008 cars mostly have less kit than the older models but come with the more powerful 2.4 T5 engine that gives better tuning potential (320 bhp from a remap rather than 280 from the older 2.3 engine) It also benefits from having all the little bugs that plagued older models fixed.
Pretty much all Ex-Plod V70s come with a reinforced chassis, uprated anti-roll bars, uprated droplinks, Nivomat rear shocks and a few other heavy duty parts that ultimately cost more to replace "like for like". The Nivomat shocks can just be swapped for standard rear shocks when lowering the car - no new mounts required. All other suspension parts can be swapped for standard/pattern parts should you need to save a few bob.
There's differing theorys about what plod do the engine i.e. ECU and turbo etc. Some believe that most plod cars don't have anything done to the engine, as it's believed to be fast enough but individual forces may tinker with them slightly. Mine doesn't cut the throttle when it overboosts but who knows?
It's widely believed that the speed limiters are lifted or removed but I've not tested that at all.
The plod servicing is usually very good - new brakes every 20k miles, clutch every 50k miles (depending on usage), oil change every 4k miles or so. However, things like shocks, wishbones and engine mounts are only changed if they break, or appear to break. For example, If you get yourself a 3 year old ex plod, with 130k miles, expect it to have all original suspension and steering. The gearbox probably won't have been flushed if the clutch hasn't been changed.
What to look out for
First, go for a test drive. Throw it about and listen for knocks from the front, which could indicate tired shocks/bushes/mounts. Vague or wooly steering will indicate worn wishbone bushes and don't forget to try the brakes.
Come on and off the throttle in 2nd or 3rd, if there's a knock, it'll be the hub bolt(s), a good bargaining tool - takes 5 minutes to sort but you can make out that it's gonna be expensive ;).
At the end of the test drive, leave the engine running and pop the bonnet. Open the bonnet and pull the dipstick. If there's puffs of smoke, the PCV (positive Crankcase Ventilation) system is blocked somewhere. This is another bargaining point as a replacement PCV system can cost £200 + fitting BUT it's something any amateur spanner-monkey can do and sometimes it's just a hollow bolt that needs cleaning. Then have a good look in the engine bay, look for signs of repaired crash damage - one wing gully cleaner than the other or overspray on the subframe are giveaways, as are tape or dots of paint on hoses, bolts or parts of the wiring loom - this would indicate large amounts of the engine have been removed and refitted.
Walk around the car and look at the alignment of the doors - the gaps should all be equal and the trims should line up.
Move to the boot and lift the floorboards. Lift the spare wheel and tool kit (make sure it has all it's tools) and look to see if the lower boot floorpan is free from distortion, ripples and dents. Remove the access panels on both sides and try to look inside, look for signs of repair. Remove the speaker grilles in the D (tailgate) pillars, look at the spot welded seam, if it is missing paint, it's had a new wing fitted - crash damage.
Grab the bottom of the tailgate and try to twist it, it's plastic/fiberglass so if it's had a bump, it'll be a bit floppy.
Check the roof. It will have had a light bar and at least one aerial so look closely. If there's any circular cracks, it will leak in heavy rain. I resorted to vinyl wrapping my roof as I just couldn't get it to seal.
After that, do the usual checks you'd give any second hand car and make your decision.
What can you do with them?
Basically, the same as any other P2. Remap, air filter, big brakes, uprated intercooler, lowering etc. I would definitely recommend polyurethane bushes on the wishbones and mounts for a more confident feel to the car.
You'll probably want to update the interior so watch the scrappies as a full interior can cost peanuts (I got mine for £55.50 which meant everything inside the car if I wanted it).
Just remember - P2 cars are very sensitive to things being unplugged. If you intend removing the speedo, seats, steering wheel or anything with an orange plug, remove the negative terminal of the battery for 2 hours before commencing any work. Switchpacks just require the key to be removed.
Due to the possibility of triggering the airbags, Volvo recommend having the key in position II, in the ignition, prior to reconnecting the battery.
The roof lining is a lot easier than you'd think but remember there's 2 4' curtain airbags, running down the length of the car so be careful.
To conclude...
A P2 car is a fast, safe, comfortable car. The Ex-Plod is merely safer and handles slightly better.
If you want a cheap project that you don't mind throwing a few quid at, then grab the cheapest one you can find with a good engine. If you want a cheap, fast car that won't break the bank to use as a workhorse, avoid anything that was a rapid response, motorway traffic or interceptor.
A good one to look for would be a driver training car or armed response, as they take less of a kicking.
With some TLC and some blood/sweat and swearing, you can turn a tired old plod car into a very nice place to be.
Don't overlook the plodders ;)
Martin.
