First of all, special thanks to DanDan the VolvoMan who we were able to find 3rd row V70 seats through his eBay store. Via his website http://www.resultsautoparts.com, Dan is running a family business which started back in 1972. If you need a Volvo part (or any other car)DanDantheVolvoMan is your man for the job.
Now, there is a YouTube 10-part video seriesdone by a great Polish mechanic, but is quite hard to follow it while installing the seats. You can watch the videos for a reference if you’d like, but this work sheet may be much easier to follow while working.
A. First off, start with the back area:
(1) Remove the spare tire cover. You may later need to remove the spare tire and its plastic nest, so do it now while you are at it.
(2) Remove the two side covers by popping them off with the help of a big screw driver.
(3) Unscrew the two brackets (two screws each) supporting the rear hard cover.
(4) Slide out toward you the rear hard cover. Don’t try to lift it or pop it up. It is fixed by 2-3 brackets and easily slides out.
B. Now move to the rear seat area:
(1) Remove the rear seat arm rest covers. They easily pop out as you pull them out.
(2) Remove the two vents. They pop and slide out. The are not broken but factory precut so you can put the seat belt in them. Be careful that if you pry on them when cold they could break.
(3) Remove part of the door seal gasket to uncover the plastic side cover where the door closes.
(4) Then remove the plastic rectangle on the top where your seat belt will be attached and then the ceiling side plastic cover.
C. You are ready to install the seat belts:
(1) Start by unfolding some of the seat belt giving it enough slack so you can install it. If it is locked, you have to hold it straight and gently pull. It may take several pulls till you get hang of it.
(2) Fit the belt mechanism correctly on the frame and fix the bolt.
(3) Extend the belt to the ceiling and do the same with the belt hanger.
(4) You can now safely put back in place all plastic covers, the door seals and the rear seat arm rests.
D. Seat belt floor locks
(1) Fit the large T-shape metal frame in the provided hole to your left which is fixed with two bolts to the frame (one on your right side and on the bottom of the mechanism).
(2) You will need to mount the two brackets, which you removed in the beginning, to the back side of the backrest with the provided 3 small screws for each of them.
(3) You are now ready to slide the backrest piece into place.
(4) Once it is in position, raise it and mount the two lower brackets to the car frame. They may need to be pressed firmly and bent a little to fit just right over the two holes.
E. Last but not least:
(1) The small plastic lock may take most of your time, but it is important to tweak it just right so your 3rd row Volvo seat may securely lock when raised.
(2) You will need to cut just right through the vinyl seat cover after finding the small opening on your back right side of the seat just bellow the head rests.
(3) You will need two small ears on the bottom of your cut for the piece to fit just right.
(4) Once finished with the cutting, install the plastic piece starting by pressing first on the top and then on the bottom until it fits just right. Once in, slide it upward to snug and lock. If it does not lock your 3rd row seat will not be secure.
(5) Try if it works by raising your 3rd row seat. If installed properly, the lock sticks should lock securely and then easily release when the latch is pressed. If you run into the problem where the latch will not release properly you may need to cut a bigger hole.
F. You may also want to change the seat carpet covers if they are worn out.
(1) The one with the seat is attached with metal brackets to the hard cover and easily pops out when pulled firmly and then you have but a few screws to deal with while transferring the seats.
(2) The back rest, however, will need some modifications as the two head rests have to be attached to it, but only after you have cut through the wood in order to install the locking mechanism. Without it, your 3rd row seat will have nowhere to lock in order to stay in the sitting position.
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Apr 11, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
Volvo will drop its V70 wagon from the U.S. lineup for the 2011 model year. The V70 will continue to be sold in Europe. Only 1,800 V70s were sold in the U.S. last year.
DETROIT — Volvo has confirmed for Inside Line that its V70 station wagon is going away in the U.S. for the 2011 model year. “We sold only 1,800 V70s last year,” said Volvo Cars of North America spokesman Dan Johnston in response to an e-mailed query on Friday. “Kind of hard to make a living on that few units. “Our XC70, XC60 and XC90s account for about 42 percent of total sales, while V70 is only about 2 percent. Buyers voted with their pocketbooks and chose an XC over [the] V70 in our market.”
Johnston said the V70 will continue to be sold in other Volvo markets such as Europe. The news of the V70′s demise in North America was greeted by the European automotive media with such comments as “Americans Hate Wagons.” Johnston noted that later this year, Volvo will bring out an XC70 front-wheel-drive model. But he said pricing on that is unavailable at this time.
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Mar 17, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
Wow and I thought I was loyal about advertising products. Been thinking about getting a tat on my back with “ourVOLVO.com. But now I’m not sure, because THEY say these things are contagious. But when I think about it, who are “they” anyways. I’m going for it. Stay turned. I think I got the courage …
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Jan 30, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
So a few hours after our purchase of this great 1999 Volvo V 70 and a few hours before we could even get it on our insurance, you guessed it . . . it began to hail out of nowhere. All of the sudden a black cloud covers the town and then dumps buckets full of marble sized hail on our pristine condition car.
So what do we do?? We run out in the middle of the storm. Take the cover off of our Classic 89 Honda CRX and go and protect the Volvo, what any other loving owner would do. We risked our lives to save another. Nobody was hurt in this attempt, although we do suggest to NOT ATTEMPT THIS ON YOUR OWN. We are trained professionals for all we have a website ourvolvo.com
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Jan 25, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
This post deals with detecting problems in your ETM (Electronic Throttle Module) manufactured by Magneti Marelli (Fiat) for Volvo between 1999 and 2001.
A few years back, VOLVO denied the problem and did NOT recall the part, but extended the warranty to 10 years or 200, 000 miles (whichever comes first). So, in most cases you are out of luck for the warranty. Don Willson at VEXEDvolvo.orghas put a list of all affected Volvo models as follows:
White label means your ETM is original and has not been replaced by Volvo and/or the previous owner
All Volvo dealers we contacted were aware of the problem. They all said it could be fixed for around $1,000 after a mandatory two-hour inspection at the dealership at a cost of $89 per hour (Volvo of Chattanooga), $99 per hour (Clayton Volvo of Knoxville) or $105 per hour (Dyer & Dyer Volvo of Chamblee, GA).
However, generally Volvo dealers put the same model ETM part during repair, which causes the same problem after a while. You can purchase the same part manufactured in Canada with already preloaded software and the necessary warranty at: xemodex.com/ (Thanks for the recommendation by Don Willson at VEXEDvolvo.org)
Apparently, you can get the ETM for your Volvo from any online auto-part store located in Europe even cheaper, but you will need Volvo to load the software on it, which they most probably will not do for you. At least, not for free, judging from their prices above.
You can watch the video bellow of a Volvo with ETM problem and use the following PDF chart to diagnose your ETM. (Chart courtesy of Chris at xemodex.com – Thank you!)
A very, very special “Thank You!” goes also to Rob from VolvoTips.com, who helped us our engine’s condition remotely.
Chris has shared a video of a Volvo with ETM problem on YouTube. He said that Volvo dealer “just cleaned the throttle body and upgraded software which reduces the sensitivity of the light but only really masks the problem, I’m living with it as the light only comes on for 5 miles out of every 50-100 now. Should have pushed harder for a replacement but its too late…”
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Jan 20, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
Well I tried! I couldn’t get the radio working and it said OFF when turned on.
So I call “my local Volvo dealer” . And ask for the Volvo radio code. It was either that or bringing it to their service department which charge $105 per hour. So I got the code for the radio for MY VOLVO after giving them the VIN number.
So now you are asking well, how did you get the radio to display “CODE” instead of “OFF” so you can even enter the code they just gave you. And I’m glad you asked.
STEP 1: Leave the key in the ignition in position I (one – with the door open in case it locks on you)
STEP 2: Wait for 2 – 2 1/2 hours
STEP 3: Enter CORRECT code – you have 3 tries or it will lock again. You know you have entered incorrect code when it displays EEEEE.
So I enter the code the dealer gave me that is associated with my VIN number and I get EEEEE 3 times and it locks. Hummm…. So I called back the Volvo Dealer of Memphis who were exceptionally nice again and they tell me how to pull out my radio and get the serial number and part number so they can give me the correct code because it appeared the radio had been changed.
After taking the radio out (by pushing in the 2 little handles on the sides which pop out) I see that it is a remanufactured part and they give me the correct code. I wait 2 1/2 more hours, enter the code and I’m good to go listening to the Music in The Air. I love that song.
Again, THANK YOU VOLVO OF MEMPHIS. Your service department was extra kind and helpful.
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Jan 15, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
Detecting a problem with the brake lights on 1999 Volvo V 70 Classic (North American Edition) is easy, especially with the help of our friends at http://www.volvotips.com/
If your light bulbs and fuse are OK, the problem is most probably the self adjustable brake light switch located at the top of your brake pedal. The problem in 99% of cases is there and not in your relay. BTW on the North American Classic model the relay is NOT in the trunk compartment (neither left nor right side, since they are empty) but behind your radio. Start messing with the relay ONLY if you are sure, the problem is not in the (1) fuse, (2) bulbs or (3) the switch.
The brake light switch on the 1999 Volvo V 70 is a fairly simple device fabricated by Volvo to activate your brake light when the pedal is pressed and deactivates when the pedal is not pressed, in which position the pedal and the switch actually touch.
The most probable reasons why your switch is failing, is the small white cylinder which provides the adjustable part of the switch. Often, if you press on the pedal with one hand, you can adjust the white adjustable cylinder with your other hand for a (temporary) fix.
In most cases, however, the small tracks on which the white cylindrical adjuster moves ware out and cannot be restored. The safest thing to do is order a new one at about $40-50 at any auto part store. We got ours at Advanced Auto Parts which has always been helpful in diagnosing our problems. The replacement of the switch is shown on the following picture (and yes, it is possible to remove the switch without breaking it):
It is also possible to take the switch apart. In our situation, the switch had started to fuse together at the two metal points which provide the actual contact for the electric circuit. Yes, you could brush it and clean it to be reused, but do you really want to do that at the risk of your brake lights not working (which BTW is illegal to drive with in North America).
Posted by OurVolvo.com on Jan 10, 2012 in 1999 Volvo V70
We’ve seen this car on the internet a few days ago and had planned to go see it as an alternative option. When Sean Auto (Duluth, GA) and OnlineCars.com failed to furnish their promise for the reason of false advertisement, and Nalley’s Toyota of Roswell would not give us the time of the day, we decided to stop at Palmer Dodge across the street.
Sure enough, among the beautiful V10 Vipers they had a very nice, well kept and maintained, 1999 V70 at only 84,000 miles. With the exception of one small dent on the driver side fender, both the exterior and interior of this car had been kept in pristine condition. It had the same 2.4l 5 cylinder engine and automatic 4-gear with overdrive transmission as our old 940, which the spring tornado of 2011 retired forever at 274,000 miles.
So, when all hope was almost gone, the legend continues.
This post is an ad of gratitude toward a great customer care and professionalism of Palmer Dodge. If you are looking for a good deal (Dodge especially) Scott and Buddy at Palmer Dodge are the people to go see. I guarantee you nothing else but great service.
So we take the journey to Roswell, GA over a 100 mile drive, because of all of the listings for Volvos for sale there. Here is our story.
Before we called each location with all of the BUYER SMART QUESTIONS and were assured there are no problems with the VOLVOs we were interested in.
But when actually getting to the dealers the picture was greatly different.
FOR SALE BY OWNER: 2001 Volvo v70 with 105K miles good care – $5600 (Roswell). Listed on craiglist. When we got there the Volvo was running and then when we asked to shut it off and start it up ourselves it wouldn’t start. The title was not even in this guys name – George from Georgia the country not the state.
SEAN AUTO SALES Located in Duluth, GA but foreign owned and operated (no prejudice here, just stating the facts)had a beautiful ad of2002 Volvo V70 Cross Country AWD $4,777. This car had white smoke coming out from both engine and muffler (an obvious oil burning turbo problem) and obviously been in a wreck although the seller said that there was a “clean” title and it was not a salvage vehicle. Yet, it was – all right side panels had been poorly replaced as well the interior. After pointing everything out to seller, he still would not clear say if the car had been wrecked. After looking at most cars on the lot, they all had some type of (poor quality) body work. BUYER BEWARE!
CARONLINE.COM: (located a few miles down the road, also foreign operated) had a Volvo V70 for $3500. The car had a very bad interior and the air did not work AT ALL, although they said everything was in perfect working order we we telephoned them before making a 2 1/2 hour drive. The car was not even at their car lot and they brought jumper cables when they went to pick it up. When we told the salesman we would just go to the “other lot” to see the car, he told us we could not because the “other lot” sales manager gets mad when he brings outside customers over. BUYER BEWARE! [BTW their website does not even work - should have known right there not to mess with them]
NALLEY TOYOTA OF ROSWELL: An used 1999 Volvo V70 Cross Country was posted for sale by this dealership. We called on the phone when we were 30 minutes out and they confirmed, that they still have it. When we got there the car was not even on the lot and we were told they had sold it to an auction company (in the past 30min. I guess).
They were not personally involved and customer service was lacking. This included 4 salesmen behind a computer, 3 salesmen on the sales floor, and 2 secretaries talking to each other and on the phone at the same time. The only 1 guy who would even talk to use was a mechanic from their service department. Sorry – not buying a car there if they would not even give us the time of the day!
. And ask for the Volvo radio code. It was either that or bringing it to their service department which charge $105 per hour. So I got the code for the radio for MY VOLVO after giving them the VIN number. 
The brake light switch on the 1999 Volvo V 70 is a fairly simple device fabricated by Volvo to activate your brake light when the pedal is pressed and deactivates when the pedal is not pressed, in which position the pedal and the switch actually touch.
