Johnno's registered as blue but technically green '03 V40 2.0T

Johnno_

About time I posted this one. I've owned it since December 2021 and just been to Emu Plains Old School Cars and Coffee.

It's a 2002 manufactured……..registered in 2003 V40 2.0T. Originally bought as a hobby car but has somehow become my daily.

First day of ownership. 9th December 2021. Bought at auction from Melbourne during Covid restrictions.

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Cars & Coffee this morning at Emu Plains with Stu Oldfield, Clive and Michael Furner

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I'll have to do a bit of a back story over the next few weeks. I love this little thing to death.

Johnno_

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Drone shot (taken from the web) of the "Old School Jap and Euro Cars and Coffee" at Emu Plains last Sunday…..w-a-y out west in Sydney at the foot of the Blue Mountains. "Bluey" is near the entrance next to Stu Oldfield's 850 T-5R.

It's become a very popular event. First one I went to had around three or four rows of cars.

Johnno_

So it was the COVID lockdown November '21 and I had been looking for something cheap to fix up and this middle aged guy to gain some extra car-fixing-up skills along the way. Initially liked the Honda Jazz but came across this V40 wagon on FB Marketplace. It was a stock 2.0 with steelies. Deceased estate, lowish mileage with no rego over on the North Shore of Sydney.

Ummed and aahed for a while. Towing costs were prohibitive and would have added another 30-50%.

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Then did a search for Volvo V40's and came across this down in Melbourne at Manheim auctions. For some reason it appealed to me immediately. Had to have it. No rhyme or reason, it was love at first sight. The added bonus of a turbocharger and the colour added extra points.

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Pics from Manheim's website at the time.

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It looked pretty good externally. Roof lining was completely collapsed, missing bits in the cargo area and there looked to be damage on the LHS side skirt. So I put a bid on 26/11/21 and won it on the 29th.

Arranged transport from Melbourne to my door which wasn't much more than a tow from The North Shore to my place.

Johnno_

Recent repairs/workaround to a broken steering lock.

Ignition was stuck on position III and not able to engage starter. A small piece of metal had broken off from the steering lock mechanism. Workaround without dropping the steering column was to pull out the key barrel, pull out the steering lock internal barrel and remove the offending broken steering lock engagement arm.

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I'll do a guide on the Know Stuff About first generation S40s and V40s thread

Johnno_

First day of ownership 9th December 2021.

Arrived via car carrier from Melbourne. Side skirt held on with gaffer tape. Plastic trim looked very thirsty.

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The cat inspects the cargo area. This had been treated harshly. Lots of deep scratches, broken plastic trim and a missing cargo cover.

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Engine bay looked tidy and original. That small pile of tiny leaves top left were everywhere in joints, gutters, sills. these were washing out for months.

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Roof lining was stuffed.

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Interior was reasonable. The front seats had been repaired at some time, were cracked and the driver's seat had a very long split along the airbag side. Bridge of Weir leather doesn't like the Aussie sun. It did not smell very good in there.

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Aftermarket Pioneer deck was wired in well but a dodgy fascia install into the DIN2 hole. Reversing alarm had been done by a pro. Wiring looked very tidy and I've not had any electrical gremlins since purchase.

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Johnno_

Sudden loss of "soft brakes" and a sputtery idle on a dark Sydney morning. Hope it isn't the master cylinder. Nursed it home. Had a sleep and looked for for the possibility of a popped off vacuum hose.

Sure enough the brake check valve had snapped off a connector.

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A quick call to Mark Iceton @iceton1975 and one is in the mail. Thanks mate! A recent T4 Phase 1 arrival had a different valve, however one was available from an older phase 2 he had in stock.

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Johnno_

A quick parts run down to Goulburn and some glamour shots on the way home. "Bluey" likes to stretch its legs. Looks a lovely shimmery silver if you get the right angle on the sun.

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Johnno_

New alternator, a big detail (supervised by the cat) and then a road trip down to Wodonga for the Oz Volvo 2025 Nationals. Appreciate that this group gives me the opportunity to get out and have an adventure for a day. It was really good!

The little V40 swallowed the miles with ease a really comfortable drive with the cruise control set on 110.

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Johnno_

If I'm short for free postage for Amazon USA, I'll usually throw in some car detailing material. So, time to try out some Dewel Recoloring Balm on a worn bolster. Ingredients state 35% Sheep fat (Lanolin) 25% Parrafin wax & 40% Water. So now I have the recipe. I usually use RM William boot polish but it tends to wear over time.

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Before.

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After

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Johnno_

About time I did a bit more history on this. I did a bit of a detail and replenished some of the dried out plastic trim when this arrived in December 2021. The job that required immediate attention was the roof lining. The foam backing between the roof shell and material degrades over time , de-laminates and causes the roof to sag. It was too far gone to try a temporary fix. Plus it just looked and smelt bad.

Note the gaffer tape holding it on the rear hatch!

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I'd tried a restoration with a Commodore a few years before and it just didn't look right. So I decided to book a pro and booked Ryans Mobile Roof Linings just up the M4 from me at Prospect. He had the the highest Google rating and has maintained it since. I booked him in just before Christmas on 23/12/21.

So Ryan rolled up and managed to remove (almost) all the 20 year old plastic trim without casualties. He removed the shell through the rear once everything was out the way. Used this shot a couple of times on V40 forums when guys ask about Phase 1 & 2 roof lining differences. Phase 2 has the side air curtains.

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He brushed all the foam that had turned to goo off with a stiff brush. Vacuumed away to balls of gunk. Very nice bloke who wasn't afraid to share some information and let me take some pics. It was bloody hot that day….so better him than me!

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New roof lining in the shade with some new & improved foam backing. He also said he used good quality 3M adhesive. he smoothed it down really nicely, no bumps or crinkles.

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Reinstalled the shell which looked and smelt better already.

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Once the roof was in he couldn't bear to see the ratty looking A pillar trim so recovered them as them as well in some nice fresh fabric.. Again did this without snapping any of the clips.

Really happy with the results. it really gave the old girl a lift and has held up very well in 4 years since.

I'd recommend a pro if you are a bit nervous about breaking trim and getting a factory looking finish.

Only casualty was a pair of visor clips which was unavoidable, they were crispy. unable to get any from a wreckers as they break off when removed. So ordered a couple through Volvo Penrith & promptly complained on forums of public opinion about the Pineapple treatment from Volvo Australia Spare Parts. I'd been used to some gouging from Mercedes over the decades but WOW!

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GreenGL

I saw a tidy V40 at the OzVolvo nats, and lo and behold, I log in to the forums and realise its yours!

Think you were the only nedcar there from memory.

Johnno_

GreenGL There was also a bit of a unicorn in the Nedcars, the uber-cool 480 Turbo. I got runner-up…..out of two. I'll take it!

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Johnno_

Annual service with Stu @ Voltek. No major dramas apart from some worn bump stops & will need new bellows and top mounts. I'm still the only S/V40 on his books. Always good to catch up.

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Loaner was a XC70 diesel with a lot of grunt. Really soaked up the bumps. I can see why these are the spiritual descendent of the 240. Comfortable, solid and very nice to drive.

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Johnno_

Johnno_ No major dramas apart from some worn bump stops & will need new bellows and top mounts.

….and they're fixed by Stu on Thursday. I'll need a wheel alignment as the steering wheel is sitting "left" a bit.

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Booked in to O'Briens on Monday to fix a small crack that became a big crack on a 42 degree day.

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I work at a beverage factory, so we're busy in summer lots of overtime and trying to squeeze in the car for when I'm awake. Spare money for cars but little time to do anything.

I was getting a bit of a shimmy from the front and had the Potenzas rotated and re-balanced last Tuesday at my local Bridgestone service centre, still 60% tread after a almost 2 years. I've been super happy with the 003s on the V40. The after sales service through Bridgestone is great, with a free rotation and any necessary balancing every 3 months.

The Bridgestone manager there tells me there's a new Potenza RE005 coming out with more stickiness and 100% better wear. He's getting a sample pair to trial out on the track, I said I'll be first in line for a set when released too!

Johnno_

Some shots around the new Western Sydney Airport. Unused roads and railways. Opening soon!

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