I have done timing belt on my z32 two times. 1st time I used Gates timing belt and the timing marks were not ideal. After a while I gave up and just left it being not ideal. 2nd time I used OEM Nissan timing belt (Z1 120k timing kit) and the OEM belt definitely fits better and timing marks aligned perfectly. I don’t think there was any difference in how the car ran.
All I can say is that the belt in this picture is 1000x better and will probably last longer than any non Volvo OEM pieces of garbage you’d buy off the jungle sales app. Heck those might not even get you back home.
This is a solid car at a fair price. I had 3 of these over the years and put over 1 million miles between them. Timing belt every 90k with oem or gates belt only is the only real thing to worry about.
I bought the Gates kits (\u00a3180 total) and decided to do my first timing belt and aux belt. Done over a thousand miles on it since and all great \ud83d\ude4c hope you enjoy your new car
I bought the same 2012 S60 but a T5 for $5000 in August with 124k miles. It was a single owner vehicle with great maintenance records and my mechanic gave it a once over. I had to replace the timing belt and will probably need to replace the AC compressor next summer. I expect you'll need to do the timing belt too, and maybe some other things noted in the service manual, but even with $4k of work, you'll be well below your budget. I honestly smile every time I drive it, it's a blast.
Do you have a gates timing belt kit on this? Usually gates makes a whine when revving and coming down in revs and at idle makes a funky sound
Gates lasted 50k miles …. Aisin or OEM seem to go longer
I installed a Gates timing kit on my 2011 2.5 N/A 5 speed manual 50k miles ago (150k total). The belt snapped while I was doing 80mph on the turnpike. My valves were bent with deeper internal damage more likely than not.
Personally I use the gates blue racing T-belt, I've had a belt snap prematurely and it was within a few months of owning my e30. Belt was only 4 or 5 years old too.
One this I did notice. Your belt is a gates t240, when I bought my truck the previous owner had that belt, and I found issues with it. The proper belt for mine is a gates T154. 154 being for 92 and earlier and 240 for 93 and up.
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If choosing timing belt across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare timing belt across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Gates were overall better than OEM Volvo.
In March 2026 on PartReview, timing belt Gates were overall more popular than OEM Volvo.
By vote balance, timing belt Gates surpassed OEM Volvo:
By number of reviews, timing belt Gates surpassed OEM Volvo:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, timing belt Gates led more car-specific ratings than OEM Volvo:
Gates are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Civic, and others.
Timing belt OEM Volvo have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of timing belt Gates with: AISIN, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO.
Also available: comparisons of timing belt OEM Volvo with: AISIN, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, OEM Toyota, Continental, OEM FORD, Mitsuboshi, Contitech, OEM Subaru, DAYCO.
You can also see who is better among other timing belt manufacturers: AISIN or Gates, Gates or OEM Volkswagen, Gates or OEM Honda, OEM Toyota or Gates, Continental or Gates.
