Now at the Wreckers - (The End of) New Owner - S40 2.4i R-Design MY2009

engellion

Hello people.

We've just bought an S40 2.4i R-Design MY2009 - first registered May 2010 as a dealer demo. It has 95326km on the odometer. I think we're the second private user. It is a really nice looking car. Titanium Grey Pearl (metalic paint). The only issue was the front lower spoiler lip - its gone - assume they ran over something that took it out. Vendor is getting it fixed as part of the deal.

This is my second Volvo. We also own a 1998 S90 that we bought while on a holiday to the USA - cheaper than renting a car. It is garaged with my wife's relatives in the USA for when we next go over there. The S40
is my first Aussie model Volvo.

I'm not sure what to expect in regards to issues to be aware of for the S40. But any help is appreciated.

One question I have is the timing belt change over period. In the USA they say 10 years or 120,000 miles. What is the reccomended interval in KM for the S40 here?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

PaulC

Rob

I believe 180,000km is when the belt is due.

engellion

Thanks @Rob

Philia_Bear

My rule has always been 7 years or 120k km as I have seen a pile of them fail at 8 and 9 years

Steadfst

Welcome.

95,000kms ~ is a good age. Should get a few years of easy motoring before it gets to the age where things need mid-life replacement.

No huge issues with the S40 to mention, just general wear and tear. Shocks tend to go at 100K+ kms, I know my fronts did. But that's typical of any car really. Also depends how it was driven and where.
If it's an auto it might be worth doing an atf flush as volvo doesn't include this in the service schedule.

But overall they're a good car. Driveline is pretty bulletproof if you maintain it well.
As PhiliaBear said, timing belt will need doing at 10 years.

Nice car and welcome to the forum!

engellion

Thanks @Steadfst Appreciate the tips. Will do the ATF flush. And keep an eye on the shocks.

Drives great right now. Before I bought it, I flew from Brisbane down to Adelaide and took for a test drive around the southern hills of Adelaide out to McLaren Vale and back down the freeway. Handles beautifully. Not quite the pick up of a T5 but still a lot of fun to drive.

It will be my wife's daily driver, but I will be definitely testing it out regularly on the weekends to make sure it is running right ?

engellion

Question. I just got quoted by the Volvo service centre in Brisbane, $1079 for a timing belt change (inlcludes tensioner pulleys etc.)

A Dayco timing belt kit is currently on special for $188 online at automotive.superstore.com.au Is this a decent brand/price?

Also, How many hours would it take to change the timing belt? Is this an easy enough DIY? Any special tools required?

Thanks.

timbo

Depending on your skill set it's not too hard and you should knock if over in a couple of hours.
You need to support the engine while you remove the r/h engine mount or you will strip the aluminium threads.
As long as you're not planning to do the oil seals you will not need special tools.
30mm socket and rattle gun/big breaker bar for the crank pulley and 5mm Allen key for the tensioner.
Volvo uses 13/15/18mm bolts so as long as you have a comprehensive metric socket set you'll be fine.
Dayco kit is decent quality the OEM timing belt kit is about $430 from the dealer.

engellion

Thanks @timbo
Appreciated.

Steadfst

engellion;152628 wroteVolvo service centre

hah, there's your problem. I know my dealer service centre charges $180/hr for labour.
Best finding a good indy mechanic who knows his way around a Volvo.

If you do end up doing it, let us know how you went.
Mine needs doing sometime this year. Will probably just end up giving it to my mechanic to do since I know he won't rip me off, but would be interesting to see how DIYable it is.

Philia_Bear

Better than OEM quality for the belt at less than Volvo pricing

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-high-performance-timing-belt-tensioner-kit-minor-tbkit331c-rb

engellion

Philia_Bear;c-152672 wroteBetter than OEM quality for the belt at less than Volvo pricing

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-high-performance-timing-belt-tensioner-kit-minor-tbkit331c-rb

Thanks for this.

Would you recommend seals and/or water pump too? The car as done 95K over 8 years.

engellion

Steadfst;c-152668 wrote
engellion;152628 wroteVolvo service centre
but would be interesting to see how DIYable it is.

After watching Robert DIY's video ( I'm inclined to give it a go with help from a friend.

engellion

timbo;c-152633 wroteYou need to support the engine while you remove the r/h engine mount or you will strip the aluminium threads.
.

Thanks Tim. I've read on another thread that the engine mount might need replacing. Would it be a good idea to have one on hand and do that too, and if so, would you only do the r/h engine mount or l/h mount too?

Is there anyway of checking if the engine mount needs replacing before I actually start working on the timing belt change? Or is it a matter of wait-and-see? Just don't want to pay a $200 bucks for a mount that I won't need.

timbo

You can get the r/h mount off ford dealer for like $115. The l/h gearbox mount rarely gives trouble
I'll take some pictures of the old ones I have kicking around to show you how to check it.
I would do the water pump while you're there but If the seals aren't leaking then leave them alone

engellion

OK. So today I added Bluetooth to the S40. The car came with a factory AUX port, so this made things easy. I picked up the Sony RM-X7BT In-Car Bluetooth Commander cheap from JB-HiFi.

It comes in two parts -
1. The Bluetooth adapter, powered via USB, and
2. the remote Commander wheel, used for pairing phone via NFC, map zooming in and out (Waze), volume control, seeking tracks, play/pause and answer calls.

It works well. I tried to mount it where I had room while trying to maintain the simple aesthetics of the interior. The remote wheel was a challenge but centre of air vents was the best place.

I ran an AUX extension cable along the driver's side of the centre console to the front dash, mounted the input jack just under the dash next to the waterfall control panel. Tucked the extension cable in the sides of the waterfall panel. Ran the supplied AUX cable from the Bluetooth adaptor on the left behind the waterfall panel across to the extended AUX input jack on the right of the waterfall panel, then tucked the loose cable up behind the waterfall panel and dash, so all nice and neat. I then ran the cable supplying power to the Bluetooth adapter from the rear 12 volt accessory socket via a USB 12-volt adapter plug, along the passenger side of the centre console, tucked it in the side of the waterfall panel up to the Bluetooth adapter. Keeps the cable neat and out of the way.

Long term plan:

1. Run the AUX cable underneath the centre console so it comes out behind the waterfall panel.

2. Mount the Bluetooth adapter on the roof lamp housing. Would look more factory-ish IMO. Just need to work out getting USB power to it. Pulled out the roof lamp housing and found that there's a wiring harness running above it in the roof, so assume I could take power from there somewhere. But that's another project.
Any how here's what it looks like.

VolvoMike

Your gearshift blind is broken.

engellion

VolvoMike;c-158898 wroteYour gearshift blind is broken.

Yes. And there's a couple of other cosmetic things. Handbrake cap broken. A couple of boot liner clips missing. But all in due course :-)

Ex850R

Oooh,does it need to be sitting out in view? Bit ugly....

engellion

Ex850R;c-158902 wroteOooh,does it need to be sitting out in view? Bit ugly....

Which part? The rectangular BT adapter contains the microphone, the remote Commander wheel needs to be accessible by sight and hand. So yes they both need to be out in view.

As I mentioned, the rectangular BT adapter could be relocated to the interior of the roof, fixed to the roof lamp housing. But need to work out how to run USB power to it.

As for the wheel, not sure where I could relocate this to.. Attaching it to the waterfall console looks uglier, and no room on the console except next to the 12 volt adapter socket. But that area contains the small storage recess (where the BLIS button would go) so not flat.

So happy with this for now. It works. ?