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Broinkrist's 2005 S60 T5

40K views 190 replies 27 participants last post by  Phixion 
#1 · (Edited)
Broinkrist's 2005 S60 T5 M66 with 4C

So I figured it is about time to start my own thread about my first Volvo.

I purchased the car in September of 2010.

Car was listed for sale here on swedespeed, but i purchased it from Volvo of Princeton, New Jersey. My best friend and his family had and still have a very good relationship with the dealer (purchased 4 vehicles from them over the years), so I had no worries about the price I was paying, or that I would be completely covered in the case of anything.

Car was previously owned by JoshV70, or Josh@TKI. Seems like he never really drove the thing since when I purchased it, it only had 22,000 miles on it.

Listed for sale here:
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showth...-Warranty-located-in-NJ&p=1565212#post1565212

Summary of car specs:

2005 Volvo S60 T5, 6 Speed
4C Optional suspension (C/S)
CPO extended till Feb 2013 or 100,000 miles
Factory Lip Kit
Purchased at a hair over 22,000 miles.

So over the past 8 or so months, I have the car up to 37,000 miles now. Purchased a set of Blizzak LM-25 tires with generic tire-rack wheels, also found here on SS. All service has been performed on time either by myself, or Volvo of Princeton. Was in for Check Engine Lights twice, and both times went under the knife for warranty work, first time to replace the brake pedal position sensor, and the second time to replace the fuel pump.

Car has been great so far. I do have another car for the bad weather days, but I usually choose the Volvo because it is much more comfortable and enjoyable to drive in many ways than my Integra, which is just harsh all around.

As far as plans for the future, I pretty much just plan on driving it. The only real modifications I plan on doing in the near future is adding a boost gauge and ipd sway bars.

When the exhaust rusts away, I'll replace it with an EST downpipe and most likely make my own cat-back, with magnaflow mufflers and dual exits. But that is down the line. I also will be getting the ipd softloader with stage 2 tune, and am hoping to figure out a way to take the real-time datalogging feature and having it display those parameters in a more usable way, using the factory nav location for a screen for virtual gauges. It's a semi-tall order, I know, but I should be able to manage. If the 4C suspension goes, i'll probably keep it since it is nice to be able to switch between comfort and sport on the fly, although the KW Variant 2's have caught my eye...

A little about me, Engineer with a Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union. Spent several years specializing in the field of Automotive Engineering, mainly chassis and suspension design. Have my Master's thesis on chassis development for FSAE vehicles. I now work down in Princeton Junction at an Engineering firm that designs industrial gantry systems and other robotic scanning systems.

Anyway, the S60 has been great so far. I plan on keeping it for a while to come, taking care of it as well as I can, and hopefully it will last me for several years to come.

And some pictures to leave you with:

Vehicle registration plate Automotive side marker light Car Wheel Vehicle


Wheel Automotive side marker light Car Automotive parking light Tire


Automotive tail & brake light Vehicle registration plate Car Plant Vehicle


Comments/Criticisms welcome.
 

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#2 ·
Nice car bro. I love the body kit!
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the comments.

Are there production numbers for S60s anywhere so I can see how rare a 6-Speed T5 is? I know it is a rare model, but do not know how rare.

Also, are there any problems I should be looking out for? i already know about the transmission slave cylinder problems, but anything else?

Also, I will most definitely be contributing to the forum. I have already begun to brainstorm about taking the real-time data from ipd's softloader and changing the display interface to something that is more usable. This should be able to be done with simple programs like excel. Just need to work out file permissions, and adapting some kind of display mode to excel calculations. I also want to be able to use a Car PC of some sort, mostly for music and the display gauges. Will try to retrofit a netbook/laptop screen into the OEM navigation pod if i can find one and use the steering wheel controls, by finding a way around the CANBUS system.

Anyway, it's good to be here.
 
#6 ·
Well this is pleasant to hear! I have one of 72!! 05 S60 T5 M SR no 4c no body kit just the sport suspension. I was also incredibly close to purchasing Josh's car! Sexy as can be! She's a keeper! I know mine is!
 
#8 ·
You can search my same username on team-integra.net for pictures.

or halfway down the page here:

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/18-suspension-brakes/187095-hardrace-bushing-kit-pic-apex-coilovers.html

Thanks Josh! You took great care of the car when you had it. I feel almost guilty driving it as much as I do.

Thanks everyone else. It is a good looking car and I look to keep it for a very long time to come (as I do with all of my things)

Anyway, looking into the Bluepower unit once a few other members recieve theirs and post up some reviews. So I'll keep it simple for now. Bluepower, Boost Gauge, and maybe Sway bars.

A few notes:

I have a sort of rough feel when shifting from 2nd to 3rd. In all other gears, i get a nice mechanical thud when it goes into gear. For going from 2nd to 3rd, it feels like, sometimes, I hit a gate or something before I fully engage the gear. Every now and then, if i do not catch this and release the clutch, the gear grinds slightly and pops out into neutral. This happens a few times a week, but I am getting better at catching it so it doesn't grind. Could this be an early symptom of the slave cylinder letting go?

Also, what have people been able to do about the squeeky arm rest? It seems to me like it's not actually the joint that is squeeking, but rather the whole assembly as its not really secured very well, eventhough everything is tight.

With windows down, going rougnly 40-50, there is this faint whirring/swishing air sound. Is this a phenomenon of the car's aerodynamics, specifically the side view mirrors? It's annoying some times, and I'm always paranoid it is something else about to fail.

Currently as it sits, it's got 37,500 miles on it, so time for replacing some things like the oil, and air filter element...may upgrade to the EST or IPD intake. For either one of these systems, does the 2005+ T5 have the same engine layout as the R's? I have seen conflicting reports of that being so and others saying the opposite. Any input?
 
#9 ·
Just a quick update on what's going on with the Volvo:

Gathering up goodies for oil change and the 37500mi service:
Oil Change - Opinions on which synthetic oils to use?
K&N Air Filter
Brake System Flush

Any other items I should look to be replacing? All wearable items are still fine.

Will be ordering the SNABB turbo intake pipe.

Ordered the Bluepower BLP-840 Head Unit/Nav/etc.
Will be fitting a rear facing camera, as well as running lines back to the trunk for a sub/amp combo (already have 2 8" Alpine Type-R's in a sealed enclosure and MTX amp)

And after that, a full detail of wash, clay, polish, cleaner, and sealer...

pictures to come after all of that is done.
 
#10 ·
So I got around to doing some things to the Volvo this past weekend.

Installed the Snabb V2 Intake pipe (the R Model since the layout of the T5 engine is the same as the R engine). Plenty of surface cuts, but nothing major. Took a little while to figure out how to arrange everything, but it worked out in the end. Finished removing the OEM intake pipe, and installing the Snabb, along with the K&N Filter in around 2 hours, start to removing stock system, modifying the Heater sensor, reinstalling to cleaning up. Not a difficult job.

I was also able to install the Bluepower BLP-840. First time around took around 2 hours because I was taking my time. I had to remove my unit because it was DOA, but apparently after sending it back to Bluepower, they discovered it was the wiring harness. Nevertheless, they sent me a new unit back, and I had it in, up and running in less than 1 hour. Didn't get a chance to run the rear-view camera line yet, or the subwoofer wires, but that will come later. Everything on my Bluepower unit works so far. There were some issues with the navigation software and map packs, but a new SD card and helpful member in the R forum fixed that pretty good I believe. Everything else seems to be working pretty well also. System sounds just as good, if not better than the HU-650 system that was originally in my car.

So now, maybe a few more projects with the car, such as adding in a factory Navigation screen to work with the bluepower for a dedicated Nav screen (if the Bluepower firmware can do that), running lines for backup camera and subwoofer/amp, and normal maintenance...I'll have some more pictures when everything is done. Now time to enjoy it and drive it...make full use of that CPO Warranty for the next 1.5 years or 58k miles...
 
#11 ·
ok so what did you have to do to get that lip to fit your 05? id like to find one for my 06
 
#15 · (Edited)
Wow, it's been a long time without updating this.

Car has around 68.5K miles on it now. Hasn't really given me any problems. Have really only been doing oil changes.
Warranty just expired and they ended up replacing the front 4C shocks because of premature wear. $650 each @ dealer prices! Yikes!



When spring comes around, things will get busy.

1. New stereo install with iphone 5 as source and no head unit, only EQ, DSP Sound Processor, Amp, Microphone, Steering wheel controls.
2. Brake pads and brake system flush
3. Swap out the winter Blizzaks with the summer Continental DW rubber
4. Clean and recondition the seats
5. Swap out air filters (engine and cabin)
6. Snabb short shifter stalk install and all new shifter bushings
7. Check over all suspension and subframe bushings
8. Possibly add in all 4 UR Braces
9. Possibly add IPD track sways front and rear
10. Projector retrofit for true HIDs
11. ipd boost gauge in ventpod

Also, some information I found while I was reading around

Production numbers for S60 T5 6-Speed manual cars:

2005 S60 T5M: 72
2006 S60 T5M: 79
2007 S60 T5M: 60

I'll update this when I find out how many had factory installed lip kits and optional 4C.
 

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#17 · (Edited)
Haha. That will come with time.

Planned mods in no particular order:
EST DP + EST Touring Exhaust
IPD Track Sways
Lowering springs (not sure how this will work because I have the 4C shocks...maybe I have to use R lowering springs?)
All UR Braces
ARD Custom Tune (To switch between economy and sport mode using the 4C button)
HID Projector Retrofit
Custom Front splitter, rear diffuser

A more recent shot with my D7000

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Automotive parking light
 
#19 ·
Curious to know how u plan on doing the hid projector retrofit? I mean 05+ s60 headlights are sonic welded the only way to open up the lens is to cut through it and glue it back together. If you have any other way of doing this i would definitely be interested to know as i too want to do a retrofit.
 
#20 ·
Only way to do it is to get an older set of lenses. Not sure how I'm going to go about it. used R head lights are still very expensive. the ALB Xenon lights are impossible to find and also very expensive.

I currently have DDM 35W HID kids in my 05 lights and they work pretty well. The plastic lenses are starting to get pretty beat up and cloudy (inside, not outside) so I may have to make the jump sooner rather than later.

All in all, I'm not looking to really spend much money on this car besides general maintenance and a few mods. More like a "upgrade to better aftermarket parts when the OEMs are finished". Saving up for more fun weekend toys.

Will update when I get to the headlight situation.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Lots done to the car since last posting. The winter was really harsh and the car took a beating.

  • Front lip got destroyed/lost driving to work in a blizzard.
  • 12" crack on the windshield after road debris.
  • Bluepower BLP-890 really took another dive so was removed.
  • Coming up on 100k miles.
  • Timing Belt/Water Pump service soon

The good news?
  • IPD Sway bars, linkages, bushings, inserts to replace (already purchased)
  • Ordering Lip and new Windshield next week
  • Nexus 7 Installed as Head Unit
  • HID Retrofit with TRS D2S mini projectors (either the 05+ Non-HID lights or a set of R lights I picked up on here) - Seems like my 05 lights can be opened up. Will try it when I have time.

Automotive design Vehicle Audio equipment Vehicle audio Steering wheel


More to come.
 

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#22 ·
^Nice!
 
#25 ·
The Nexus 7 works great for radio. So much more functionality than the traditional DD setups and the interface is so intuitive as it is the latest revision of Android. When I eventually call up Verizon and turn on my hotspotting feature, data connection will not be an issue.

More on the Nexus 7 Installation here: Post #63

We both have rare birds. Can't wait till my downpipe/cat/exhaust start rusting away so I can replace them with EST's setup with a tune to see what the T5 can really do.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Do you still have the bluepower? I pm'ed you.
 
#27 ·
My car is 05 6Speed T5 Black sapphire metallic with Gobi interior. No 4C.
 
#29 ·
Got to spend some time with the T5 over the weekend.

Installed:
IPD top front strut bar poly inserts
IPD top engine mount poly bushing
IPD rear sway bar with mounts
Meyle HD rear sway bar endlinks.

Still to install:
IPD front sway bar with mounts
IPD subframe poly busing inserts
new steering stops
new subframe bolts, plastic washers
2005 morimoto d2s mini retrofitted bi-xenon R lights. (finally found the correct harnesses)
Viva CBV

still to do before end of the summer:
new Volvo windshield (thank you insurance)
new front sport kit lip (thank you insurance)
new front air guides (thank you insurance)
new front underbody tray (thank you insurance)
painting front lip, front bumper, and maybe rear bumper (thank you insurance)

"Needed" in the not too distant future:
new downpipe w/ cat (EST)
new exhaust (EST Touring)
IPD drop in intercooler
Custom Tune

I'll get some more pictures up when things are finished for the summer.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Finished retrofitting one side:


Hood Automotive lighting Motor vehicle Bumper Trunk


Morimoto Mini D2S 3.0 X-Lens "Square" Projectors with Gatling Gun 2.0 Square Shroud.
2007 R bi-xenon headlamps with reflector, bulb holder, high-beam cam wheel, and some material removed. Painted the housing guts matte black.
Custom wiring harnesses based off of the 2005+ R headlamp harnesses. Added a wire for DRL and a relay harness to power the ballasts.

I know what all the pins do from the headlight harness to the R projectors so if anyone needs that information, check back here or in the other projector retrofit threads.
I will install both headlights and the wiring harnesses in the coming month when I get time to install the front sway bar and a few other goodies.

Stay tuned.
 

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#32 ·
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