Living with a Volvo S60 for 12 years & 1 lakh kms: Ownership updates

Without the fan, the car could not be even driven to the service center which was 45 kms away.

BHPian psispace recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just missed taking the 100k photo:

12th anniversary got over some time back in March.

Had to change the battery in February this year. Damage - Rs.10,200 for an Amaron

Insurance premium this year was Rs.16,900 for an eye watering ADV of 9,00,000

In May, the compressor fan went kaput. A new set had to be ordered. The fan comes built into a control unit which had to be purchased together. It costed around Rs.65,000. Part was not available in India. My service guy sincerely tried to see if he can scavenge parts from some totalled car from my generation of S60 to allow me to drive the car till the part arrives. Without the fan, the car could not be even driven to the service center which was 45kms away. The only other option would be to flatbed it there. Fortunately the parts arrived in a weeks time. My service advisor also offered to change it on-site and then drive it to the service center to complete the rest of the service. Till then I was advised to drive only the short distance to and from the hospital where I work. Trips to my hometown in Thrissur were done in my wife’s Polo during this period.

Brake pads were effective even at this level.

The regular service involved changing the rear brake pads which cost 10000. Along with the regular service and the compressor fan replacement, this sojourn to the service center cost – Rs.1,02,000

All glow plugs sensor issues I had mentioned last year are no more there. However, having crossed 100k they will need to be replaced soon. Although I was willing to change them now, I was advised by my trusted service advisor to do so only at next service as it was good to go for some more time considering my limited running.

Due to a couple of near misses, I finally convince myself to get a dual dashcam fixed.

I first tried a cheaper (Rs.5000) dashcam from a local accessories guy. This was a dashcam that was being marketed by a vehicle tracking agency called Letstrack. Although the functions along with their android app and the real time tracking were impressive, the image quality on the camera even in FHD was very poor. Night image quality was pathetic and would not serve its purpose in case of an accident. To make things worse, I started getting bombarded from their call center for renewing subscription for tracking facility. After refusing to renew subscription, they started spamming me via Whatsapp, SMS, emaiI and bot calls. I finally ended up disconnecting the camera and had to threaten them with legal repercussions if they continued spamming me. So much for cheaping out on the camera.

After some research here on the forum and elsewhere, I decided on the 70mai A800s. They had very good pre and after sales support. They guided me throughout the purchase process and gave me contacts for live support for installation. I got it installed at the Volvo service center. Installation was straightforward and did not need live support.

I found the rates on Amazon to be cheaper and after consulting the 70mai guys, purchased from there.

Rear camera is quite small, records in FHD and is reasonably discreet.

Front camera not so discreet, at best may look like an extension of the ADAS Cameras, records in 4K

Also note a random crack on the windscreen. Its’ been there for a while and I have no idea how it happened. The crack is not lengthening, nor is it hampering the cameras, so I’ve let it be for now.

The official Volvo wipers were not lasting long in the type of weather here in Kothamangalam. I found myself changing wipers more frequently. I found other alternative solutions.

The Blaupunkt website doesn’t have Volvo in its’ drop down list of manufacturers. But buying the correct size (26” and 20”) would suffice as these come with multiple adapters for different makes of cars. Just be aware that the Blaupunkt site does not take returns or offer refunds. They will only offer to replace the product if it is defective. But this is a time-consuming process as it has to be coordinated with a local dealer.

One of my remote keys stopped working. It was found to have had an electric short – most probably after water seeped inside after one of my cleaning sessions, or after I had replaced the battery.
I had a new one ordered – damage, Rs.20000, and losing the car for a day to have it programmed at the service center.

This headlamp washer cover had come out when I reached back from hospital one evening. Don’t know if it was vandalized, or just popped off during some heavy rains while it was doing its business. Anyway, for some reason its’ not as expensive as the tow hook cover below it. Cost 3000 (as opposed to 5000).

These are the condition of the seats at 12 years. No extra coating done on the seats, just me and the service center’s TLC over the years. The tan colour masks abnormalities a lot.

Some random photos from the past year:

Shot of the engine bay during a pollution check. That is the rpm monitor sensor on the engine mount with it’s cable. They are more stringent with diesel engines these days, and some pollution centers are reluctant to test diesel cars. Some owners start fussing when it gives a higher reading and they can’t give the certificate. This center has the equipment and since I am a regular, he is confident mine will pass. Consistently shows a smoke density score of 0.35 (upper limit 2.45).

Chance meet with a friend from the Volvo group at a hotel in Kochi with our Polestarred rides.

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