volvogirl
Hi everybody i really need some advise, im looking for a safe half decent car for my son, he is about to turn 19 and get his P plates. Im looking at a v40 wagon for him as he wants a wagon and its in our price range including the new belt ill will do once i get it home. I want side airbags for him and the car has to fit into our little budget. Some are saying v40s wagons are great others a saying stay away. He does have a limited budget for on going repairs, so do i. The car has done 97kms its 11 yrs old so ill have to do a timing belt(thats ok i can afford it) and ill get it checked. Its interstate so it will have to be driven to melb. Is this car a good choice or will it send me to the wall repair wise, some say they are pretty good with costs and others say stay away. Ill be going interstate so i cant afford to waist money that could be used on another car. Ive looked into servicing cost and they are ok but the rest im unsure He is relying on me to find him a reliable car and as a female im not great with all of this so i thought id ask you guys! Its really stressing me out trying to get a good, safe car etc
thanks
Philia_Bear
What year
Which motor
Which trans?
V40s are some pf the most solid cars volvo ever sold
However
Volvo also sold the ocasional one with a bad 1.8 mitsu gdi motor and a reno 5 speed manual (as oposed to a volvo made 5 speed manual)
Both to be avoided
Thus futher details requied
nickm
I have a 2002 S40 T4. The phase 2 is reported to have sorted out some of the earlier problems and there is no reason why the white block 2.0L 4 is not as rugged as the 5 cylinder one. They use the same components.
They are a solid car, seem to not age as badly as some other makes. They would be a fair bit safer than the equivalent Toyota.
Cam belt is a must.
Problems I have encountered.
roof liners fail.
The Cooling system need to be checked hoses ,tstat and temp sensors.
The fuel regulators seem to be a common issue that results in hard starting.
Some brands of tyres are noisy, don't know why but kuhmo ku31's make it seem you have a bad bearing.
Just make sure the motor has been looked after with regular oil changes.
volvogirl
Philia_Bear;47515 wroteWhat year
Which motor
Which trans?
V40s are some pf the most solid cars volvo ever sold
However
Volvo also sold the ocasional one with a bad 1.8 mitsu gdi motor and a reno 5 speed manual (as oposed to a volvo made 5 speed manual)
Both to be avoided
Thus futher details requied
Hi thanks for replies its a 2004 phase 2 non turbo one. AUTO I think (fairly sure) its a 2 litre,
1948 (cc)
Engine Configuration Configuration of cylinders within an engine. In-line
Cylinders 4
Camshaft Camshaft is an internal component of a vehicle's engine. DOHC with VVT
so i gather its not the 1.8 mitsu gdi motor???? but i dont have a clue...thanks for any more advise
jaykenneally
volvogirl
jaykenneally
looks okay to me... the 2.0L Volvo motor in that car is reliable, its gutsy as well and good on fuel. 5 speed auto should be okay as long as you keep the fluid changes up (changing transmission fluid is about a $200 job and only needs to be done every 50,000kms), good car in my opinion!
nickm
If it is that car seems like a good prospect. Photos are not great but if there are few scratches and dents it may give a bit of bargaining room.
A Camshaft is part of the motor the belt that drives them is what needs to be maintained.
That is a Volvo whiteblock B4204S with the 5 speed auto.
Make sure that all the dash lights come on and someone is not trying to hide an engine code transmission fault by removing the globes
volvogirl
Thanks guys knew i came to the right place! Ok those lights nicko (@nickm) are they the the plain red ones 19- 23 or are they the ones above it? thanks heap you guys are ace
nickm
21, 20, abs, air bag. Come on and go out after you start
Philia_Bear
I see nothing wrong with that car
04 is by far the year of win
With the non turbo 2.0 it wont be all that quick... but more than enough
Its a total base model car... which means there is that much less to break
Things you need to plan for are
1. Trans fluid flush (replace with only Synthetic)
2. T-belt replacement (source parts from USA for 1/5th cost in australia)
3. Replace following filters; Fuel, Engine Air, Cabin
No reason you should see less than 300,000KM out of it
volvogirl
Ok thanks heaps guys im leaning more toward it even though i was warned off by others :(|) Voldat seem like the place to get the timing belt done in Melb anyone have experience with them?
A_Volvo_Driver
I haven't been to Voldat personally, but they do get recommended a lot on here. Some of the other members here might have other places to try too.
jaykenneally
Never used Voldat myself either but they get good recommendations, I usually get my car serviced at Berry Motor Group in Mitcham, one of the guys on here works there, goes by Mark @iceton1975 they're good, timing belt job cost my mum about $700 which is reasonable for a Volvo. There are also Swedish Wreckers in Keilor East. I use to take my car there but I don't like them as much as Berry. They service the car just fine I think its just not the same level of customer service. I also recently begun doing it myself because its too expensive to keep paying people every time it breaks down, I have the VIDA software for these cars on my laptop so if your son is more than welcome to bring it to me as well for a checkover.
Ex850R
Voldat is great , both John and Mark are exceptional techs and the old cars there are great to look at as well as a mini museum , toys , parts etc .....@rob would love it!
Highly recomended.
volvogirl
thanks Jay @JeremyK when you say everytime it breaks down doesn't give me confidence, is that regular occurrence? We live near many country roads, I would want him stuck in the bush all night, thanks Snoopy @Ex850R I spoke to mark he seems like a good bloke
Philia_Bear
volvogirl;47554 wrotethanks Jay @JeremyK when you say everytime it breaks down doesn't give me confidence, is that regular occurrence? We live near many country roads, I would want him stuck in the bush all night, thanks Snoopy
@Ex850R I spoke to mark he seems like a good bloke
@JeremyK has the very unreliable xc70 model (transmission issues galore) it shares no parts of significance with the V40 that have any reliability issues
jaykenneally
@volvogirl as @Philia_Bear said I own a different car with a completely different motor and transmission... and it only breaks down because I never service it and inherited a long list of issues from the previous owner. It always starts though and has never left me stranded. The V40's are a different car completely and are actually a lot more reliable. Service it every 10,000 kays and you won't see any issues.
Vee_Que
I wouldn't leave it 10,000km intervals. 8k at the most unless its only doing highway driving. Volvo say that in the user manual even.
Ex850R
Plus a big problem with servicing by mileage is that losts of short city drives may make 8000k too long a time for the oils.
So change by time not miles if you do lots of short trips.
So many city cars ariund here fail cos no hwy miles or proper oil services..