stricky's V70R stage zero +

[stricky1967]

Well been meaning to do an introduction type post since joining the forum so here we go.

My name is Jon and home is in Cumbria UK, I own a 2003 V70R that I bought back in 2004 with under 10,000 miles on the clock. I had owned a p1 V70 T5 before that and loved everything about the car, the room, the safety , the comfort and of course the pace.

I wanted an auto (yeh I know ) as I did a few miles up and down to where I worked in London, I saw the V70R advertised on the internet it was titanium with atacama trim it also had the SAT-NAV, TV, phone heated seats and the 18" pegasus wheels, everything I was looking for. and basically bought it unseen from Bells in Kettering under the assurance from them that it was immaculate. I wasn't disappointed when it arrived and paid the balance via bank transfer. The car was previously registered to volvo cars UK in Didcott , maybe a demonstrator, I don't know ?

A while later I went down to see Hamish in Bromsgrove again and had the RICA stage 2 tune done, removing the torque limits from the gearbox, although it technically voided the volvo warranty the car was even better now!

Fast forward 12 years and 100,000 miles or so and I have to say the car is still a joy to own, although as you know, expensive to maintain and to run.

During storm Desmond that hit last December, and with parts of Cumbria practically submerged, winds howling , trees shaking and roads closing by the hour myself and the family reluctantly and with trepidation made the decision that we simply 'had' to try and get through. After all It was to a surprise 80th party for granddad people had traveled from far and wide to be there that night.

During the trip we drove through a flood on an A road that appeared passable as others were going through. The water turned out to be only 8 or 9 inches in depth, but afterward the car developed major electrical issues. Needless to say we never made it to the party that night and tried for 3 hours to make it back home.

The car got worse and thought it wise to start the ball rolling with the insurance company. I was gutted and have to say a bit emotional to see the car being carted away on the back of the low loader with the possibility of never seeing it again. After-all we'd been through a lot, we'd had 3 more kids since 2004 had many family camping trips, holidays, visits to old friends up and down the length of the country, and all the time that grey car never missed a beat.

I spent the next few weeks negotiating with the insurance company who were pushing to write the car off. I battled with the insurance company to try and have it diagnosed 'properly' but they insisted quoting misguided repair costs approaching £9,000. But what would we get to replace the V70R, we looked at VW van type thing, land rover thingys, Merc Viano whatsits, nothing was floating any boats. Under pressure to make a decision I gave in and the car was written off with the proviso that I could buy back the 'salvage' at 25% of the value....surely it was well worth the punt?

Now the fight back began to save her, previously the car was looked after by the local volvo dealer. This was my family car a daily driver as they say. I didn't know what VIDA was? what an angle gear did? what a CEM was? But began to learn fast, I got up and running and with the help of people like yourselves, enthusiasts on the volvo forums soon got all the strange and wacky faults traced to one particular module.....the DEM.

I got the DEM sent off and repaired by volvo diagnostics in London for the princely sum of £99, took 10 mins to fit, started it up and all those nasty red and amber codes disappeared and never came back...The V70R was back from its watery grave!

At this point I think I was truly bitten by the volvo bug, I started to appreciate the rarity, the practicality and the performance, I was particularly impressed by seeing other owners with nearly 3 times as many miles as my own R.

I started to think, maybe Volvo is for life.

I'll update this thread with the trials and tribulations of getting the car back to as new as practicable , Stage Zero +.