V40: 2001 V40 Phase 2 front suspension

[damianomigani]

Hey all,
I have a 2001 V40 automatic, it's a phase 2 and recently the front suspension broke.
Basically the passenger side spring collapsed but the strut seems fine.
I wanted to replace the spring myself, but i don't have a spring clamp tool, so i opted for purchasing a used strut assembly with spring from another V40 (1.9diesel manual) on ebay and just swapping it out.
Doing a little research online it seems that manual and automatic V40 have different front suspensions. I do not understand what the difference is though.
When i got the part in the mail i compared it with the old broken one and couldn't find any difference. height, weight, shape, all bolts and nuts seem to be in the same place. even the top part seems identical.
I decided to mount it anyway and it fits fine (haven't driven it yet). I thought maybe the spring stiffness is different, but the car sits flat and seems to bounce back at the same rate when i push on the bonnet..
Any of you knows more on this subject?
Thank you!!
damiano

[Antz]

Rubbish.

All struts are the same. The only difference is the spring stiffness which varies between comfort, dynamic and sport. This is indicated by two coloured dots on the spring themselves. You need to make sure the coloured dots on your old spring matches the coloured dots on the new spring IDEALLY.

But I wouldn't say you'll burn and die in a horrific accident if the dot colours are different.

If the car sits the same level and feels the same when bouncing the corners, then the chances are you've got it right.

[damianomigani]

this is what differs:
Automatic
http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...200b547e6295e6
Manual
http://www.partsforvolvosonline.com/...oducts_id=7361

I agree with you though.. they look identical to me.

[damianomigani]

fitted and drove around and all feels fine.
so even though they sell the top strut part as different between auto and manual, i can say first hand that they are exactly the same.
Perhaps someone will prove me wrong eventually.. ?

[happy diver]

Parts for Volvo online sell a lot of stuff manufactured and supplied to them
under the name PROFESSIONAL PARTS SWEDEN.

A lot of these parts are substandard, certainly not up to VOLVO standard.

The top mounts that you have linked are made in Taiwan for PPS and are far from OEM
They are AFTERMARKET substandard parts with a questionable lifespan

The Taiwanese are quite capable of making excellent parts, which they have been doing for about half a century (or perhaps 50 years) the problem arises when the company ordering the manufacture of same parts namely PPS to on sell to the retailer PFV is only prepared to pay a ridiculously low price per piece in order to maximise profits whereby quality is sacrificed
to the detriment of the consumer.

Suggesting different top mounts for auto and manual just shows a complete lack of understanding of the component as is also evident with descriptions of various other parts on their website, however if PPS has it in their heads to list different parts, numbers and applications for the same thing, the people at PARTS FOR VOLVO ONLINE wouldn't have the knowledge to understand either way.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rc..._w_UoMBsBWk_kg

[DXMachina]

Originally Posted by happy diver

Suggesting different top mounts for auto and manual just shows a complete lack of understanding of the component as is also evident with descriptions of various other parts on their website, however if PPS has it in their heads to list different parts, numbers and applications for the same thing, the people at PARTS FOR VOLVO ONLINE wouldn't have the knowledge to understand either way.

Volvo dealers also suggest separate strut mounts for auto and manual, and in fact the strut mount tops fitted to an auto have a different part number

It may well be that they are interchangeable, but they are differentiated.

[ITSv40]

They are in fact different. Mayle also make different mounts for auto and manual.

I recently fitted two genuine Volvo mounts to mine and when I popped into the dealer to order them, I was asked 'manual or auto'. I asked what that had to do with it as the suspension has no bearing on the transmission, they are completely separate entities on the car. The response was that the auto box is much heavier than a manual and the mounts are made to withstand the extra weight. My further question to that was 'why not just make the manual mounts heavier to cope with the extra weight of the auto'. The parts chappie did not know the answer, but, the Volvo engineers have decided there is a need for the mounts to be different.