V40: And so it wins!

[andyv40turbo]

Hahaah my car is hence forth also known as PUSS, previously it was called vulva so not too much of a change lightend my mood to know someone else is in the same boat. they will fix though, science proves it, just gotta fix whatever the fluff is broke!

[twilightflyer]

I have had my V40T for 10 years now (1998 model) and since that time I have renewed the following, these are over the normal servicing items such as brake pads and like.
Here we go then:-

Front top suspension bearings
Wishbones
Front drop links
All discs
Front Calipers
Rear trailing arm bushes
Rear top control links
Rear back plates
Silencer from rear of cat to rear box
Battery
Fuel pump

All the above was carried out by myself.

It has let me down once and that was when the fuel pump packed up on me and finally it has passed all its MOT's since I've had her (apart from the odd advisory)

So I can say my V40 has served me very well.

[puntodan]

I know volvo's are pretty reliable cars but they all need looking after and if you don't keep on top of it then it does turn into a money pit, pretty much the same as with any car!

I have a 1997 T4 which I bought 3 years ago as a 'stop gap' and the bloody thing is still going strong! It's had services and a new exhaust, brakes and fuel pump and bar the intercooler hose popping off it has never failed to start or do anything it is supposed to do in all that time come rain or snow!

Yes you bought it blind but to be fair that is your fault, some cars are tarted up to sell on but a careful look over at time of purchase you'll see all of these things and you can adjust the price accordingly. Jap motors are just the same, you got to service them and replace stuff when it wears out, it's a facet of life nothing will last forever!

[twilightflyer]

Originally Posted by puntodan

I know volvo's are pretty reliable cars but they all need looking after and if you don't keep on top of it then it does turn into a money pit, pretty much the same as with any car!

I have a 1997 T4 which I bought 3 years ago as a 'stop gap' and the bloody thing is still going strong! It's had services and a new exhaust, brakes and fuel pump and bar the intercooler hose popping off it has never failed to start or do anything it is supposed to do in all that time come rain or snow!

Yes you bought it blind but to be fair that is your fault, some cars are tarted up to sell on but a careful look over at time of purchase you'll see all of these things and you can adjust the price accordingly. Jap motors are just the same, you got to service them and replace stuff when it wears out, it's a facet of life nothing will last forever!

When I bought my V40 in 2002 from Volvo in Doncaster, they gave me a parts warranty for 3 months, had it checked out by the AA for a nominal sum and they let me have a test drive in it which took me all of 1/2 an hour. They replace 2 tyres on the rear and I have got all the previous MOT's and a full service history stamped book.

So yes I am more than happy with my V40 and the clock reading has just turned 135k miles.

[spanner110]

Originally Posted by puntodan

I know volvo's are pretty reliable cars but they all need looking after and if you don't keep on top of it then it does turn into a money pit, pretty much the same as with any car!

I have a 1997 T4 which I bought 3 years ago as a 'stop gap' and the bloody thing is still going strong! It's had services and a new exhaust, brakes and fuel pump and bar the intercooler hose popping off it has never failed to start or do anything it is supposed to do in all that time come rain or snow!

Yes you bought it blind but to be fair that is your fault, some cars are tarted up to sell on but a careful look over at time of purchase you'll see all of these things and you can adjust the price accordingly. Jap motors are just the same, you got to service them and replace stuff when it wears out, it's a facet of life nothing will last forever!

Well I guess that's me told off.
I now have a mental image of 'puntodan' wearing a cardigan and flat cap, wagging his finger at me whilst pointing out the folly of my ways. 'puntodan' you cheered me up today, thank you for putting a smile on my face
Looking back over my short tenure as a Volvo owner and despite my frustration at walking into my own problem, I am happy to laugh at myself for this myopic episode. As long as Gordon of the garage comes up trumps then I reckon I might keep 'PUSS' for that is now her namefor some time to come. I never got round to PM'ing Gatos as my dear wifey distracted me. I should do it now.

[spanner110]

Well this just keeps getting better.
I left 'PUSS' with Gordon of the garage on 17th Dec when I left for Spain, I returned on the 19th Dec and 'G of the G' had subcontracted an auto sparky to root out the trouble..fair enough, I can wait, after all I had the use of the pool transport over the festive season.
Fast forward to 29th Dec and I rang the sparky for a progress check, which he assured me he was all over it (earth problem for sure....the only thing he was sure about was that he wasn't sure which one it was) but it would be fixed either that day or the following one and he would phone me when it was ready.
He wasn't answering his phone at teatime of the next day - it would transpire that no-one wanted to talk to me because everyone's phones were switched to voicemail. So I left it until New Years day; I had no choice as the pool car was being assigned to one of my colleagues and the handover was scheduled for yesterday I phoned 'sparky'....and his wife answered. Well she flipped straight into attack mode when I asked if PUSS was fixed and when I may collect it. I got a sanctimonious "well my husband is entitled to his New Years day off" followed by a lame excuse that he had also been laid up in bed with the Norovirus for the previous two days. Never mind the fact that the call was taken whilst they were out for a drive, as I heard him giving his wife instructions on where the key was hidden so we could collect PUSS in their absence.
The Mrs and I set out to collect PUSS from sparky's place way up in the hills behind the town, we did locate it eventually and yes it did start, even the heater works along with everything else. What I can't work out is how a quarter of a tank of diesel has evaporated in 15 days and been replaced with an additional 170 miles on the odometer, furthermore I am curious to find out about the presence of a 6.5hp petrol generator that is currently sitting in the boot. It weighs a fair bit and I would struggle to remove it without causing damage to myself or the car, and I have no idea who owns it so was reluctant to lever it out and dump it in the yard for the pikeys to steal, thus I am still chugging around with it eating into my fuel economy.
As yet, amazingly no one has phoned me to claim it!

[andyv40turbo]

not good!
still at least your car is 6.5hp more powerful

[stephend]

Also looking on the bright side, if yours was a petrol V40, you'd be half a tank down.

Seriously, sounds like the sparky was seriously taking the **** - and Gordon at the garage maybe needs to be a bit more choosy about who he subcontracts out to...

[sarumboy]

Nice chap, your Sparkey. If he doesn't know anything about the lost 170 miles, then tell him you don't know anything about a petrol gen in your boot!

If all else fails Spanner 110, forget cars, take up writing! Your stories would put a smile on anyone's face!

Sarumboy

[puntodan]

I would say forget about the 170 miles and forget you have the generator in the boot as well and give it a month or so and then ebay it, will probably pay for the work you had done!

Dan