I have a 2004 V70R wagon. Great car all the way around except for the darn front bumper, it is just too close to the ground. This causes to problems:
1) when you park, you have to be really careful and not go over the parking blocks, if you do the front bumper gets caught when you try and back out. That causes the plastic to get pulled out of shape.
2) whenever I pull in or out of my driveway the bumper drags on the ground, getting all chewed up.

We already replaced the front bumper 2 times (once because the bumper got caught on a parking block and the whole thing ripped off when my wife backed out) and the second time becuase the car got vandalized. But the bumper is again deformed from getting caught.

Is there any solution to this other than being incredibly cautious or regularly replacing the front bumper?

I thought about somehow pulling up the under bumper lip as a fix but I don't want to destroy anything in the process...

Any suggestions?

I am having the same problem! I was thinking about putting a bolt/washer through the lower bumper to shore it up. Currently, it's bent and hanging down. It really looks bad! Any ideas????

Hi, i have a 2004 S60R and have had the same issues! I parked over a high curb and when reversing managed to pull out the bumper on the nearside (only the headlamp wipers held it on!) and also pull the bottom of the bumper all out of shape. I managed to get a length of 25mmx5mm steel and pop rivet a 3 feet length (corner to corner) inside the bumper lip. Looks spot on now.

My wife just did the same thing on our V70R. I know that this is not the most timely rely to this post, but I thought it might be helpful for everyone else who will have this same issue.

You will need:

A) Instructions finding your way around the fascia removal process. Attached in section 2 is a very good set of instructions from an aftermarket intercooler replacement from Bell Intercoolers (you can also find their instructions here.). (NOTE: If you use the Bell instructions, note that when they talk about "drivers lights", they mean the halogen fog lights. Also, to the folks at Bell, these are really nicely done instructions! They look like a Bentley manual!) The folks at Swedespeed.com have a similar set of instructions and lots more pictures here: for their HID headlight replacement.

B) A 12mm socket, wrench, and extension bar, for the two front fascia bolts.

C) A Torx T25 wrench, or a drill gun with a T25 bit. When you get to the part in the instructions where you're using this, in order to get the best clearance for the wrench, you will be best off to turn your steering wheel full lock in one direction, back the screw out, go full lock in the opposite direction and take the other screw out. (If this doesn't make sense now, it will when you get to doing the work.)

D) A tarp laid out on the ground for putting the bumper on. The paint is very easy to mark up!

E) A heat gun. I used a Black & Decker with a three inch-wide diffuser.

F) One heavy glove, like a leather yard glove. Definitely don't do this project unless you can protect your hand with a good glove.

Optional: G) A helper, if you think you need one.

Optional: H) Any missing pop-rivets, etc. that might have come off when the damage occurred.

Optional: I) Painter's tape. The Bell instructions say you might want to wrap your Vise Grips in a rag - you can just put some blue 3M painters tape on the bumper wherever it might get scratched - like around the wiper area and the trim pieces. I didn't do this around the trim, and I kind of wish I had...


IMPORTANT NOTE: This is one of those "work in a well ventilated area" projects.

Here is what to do for each "dent" in the fascia/bumper:

1) Take off the bumper, using the instructions in A above.

2) With a diffuser on if possible, heat up your heat gun until it is at working temperature.

NOTE: When doing the heating, work as much as possible by heating the unpainted side, with your heavily gloved hand on the painted side. Start with a lower heat than you think you need and work with more heat only if/when you really think you need it - this is for the plastic's integrity as well as to keep the fuming down. Also, its probably a good idea to work in stages - heating/shaping/cooling and then heating/shaping/cooling again until you're happy with the results. Don't over do it!

3) Heat the area where the dent is located, as well as about three inches on either side of the dent. Heat the plastic only until it feels pliable and soft like a well-done steak, not until it feels floppy like raw meat. Use a fanning motion to heat everything evenly. Use your gloved hand as a mold to form the plastic back into shape. Work slowly and don't over heat any one spot, or the paint is likely to start peeling off.

4) Turn off the heat gun and, with your "mold" hand still in place keeping the plastic in shape, cool the area down by blowing on it. Keep your hand in place until the plastic has completely cooled.

5) When the area has completely cooled, check your work. If you need to, repeat steps #3 and #4 until the plastic is back in something like its original shape.

NOTE: Re the post from S60RMonster, this is the time to put in the reinforcing bar he suggests. My wife didn't want to go for a reinforcement upgrade. If it were my car, I would have gone for it. Aluminum might work better than raw steel. I would do a counter sink in the metal in order to keep the bolt heads from catching on anything, and do a nice wide washer on the inside of the bumper, along with some thread lock adhesive to keep the bolts from coming loose from road vibrations while driving.

6) Replace the bumper. This is a good time for your helper to lend a hand since the alignment can be tricky.

This whole process took about an hour and a half.

I wish I had before pictures - there were two "dents" that were both were about three inches deformed from normal, and the fascia would not re-attach. Heat-gunning it brought it back to something passably normal. But, I have a feeling that I will need to do this again, so I'll do pictures then...



Attached File(s)
 VolvoV70R_Manual.pdf ( 1.23mb ) Number of downloads: 29

uh, people you have an R. it is lower than the regular models. you can always just get a the bumper from a regular model and swap them in, but why, it wouldn't look like it was supposed to?