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Volvo S40
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Comments
I have an S40 with 33000 miles on it and I am to say the least not very pleased with the quality of this vehicle. Although I have not had any major failures, the constant maintenance of the "little" items have led to a major headache.
To list a few:
1)Had to have rear brake pads replaced at 18,000miles.
2)Had to replace both headlights twice(4 bulbs)
3)Check engine light constantly comes on. (even after recall servicing to fix the problem with the check engine light )
4) Temperature gauge gives inaccurate reading of temperatures ranging from -99 to 140 degrees.
5) Rear taillight bulb burned out. (Oh did I mention that I had to replace both headlights TWICE...)
6) The cover on the Side air curtain on the rear drivers side keeps falling off.
7)Strange noise (sounds like grinding metal) comes from the center air console when you turn on the air conditioning.
While these individual items, if taken separately might sound like I am being nitpickey. The effort combined with the time and cost of having to have these things fixed, replaced, adjusted; has convinced me to stay far away from any VOLVOS in the future.
First can anybody recommend a good engine and brake break in procedure for the car. I am a firm believer that the first few thousand miles on an engine will dictate the long term reliability. I've never driven a turbo vehicle so i'm not sure if there are any special precautions. Also after reading the Owners manual it states that the engine runs best on 91 or higher octane with 87 being a minimum. Are people acutally always running high octane or will 87 be fine. My 2000 Dakota actually warns against running High octane all the time.
One more thing is I am considering running Mobil 1 in the car after a proper break in period. The manual uses 7500 miles between oil changes and that seems a little long. I guess I still have 3000 miles stuck in my head and cant seem to get rid of that habit. Is 7500 miles on Mobil 1 5w30 acceptable?
Thanks in advance and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everybody.
John
As far as break in is concerned, Volvo asks that you keep it out of redline for the first 1000 miles.
Use the 91 octane gas, thats what the car is designed for. It can burn reg unleaded, you just won't get the same performance or mileage.
Synthetic oil is fine, believe it or not the 7500 mile interval is fine unless your racing the car every week. Volvo's standard oil now is a synthetic blend, don't know if you'll see any major benefits from full synthetic.
Anyway, enjoy you new car!
I've got the Black Sapphire too, but as good as it looks, I think it will be my last black car.
So is the S40 a safe bet with an extended warranty or should I stay away from it all together? I don't want to get rid of a flawless Accord for a problematic Volvo.
Another question ... do any of you S40 owners have small children? If so, is the S40 roomy enough for 2 adults and a baby? We have an LS400 so we would have an alternate trip car but the S40 would probably be the car of choice.
It was introduced this week at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. I don't know why Edmunds says nothing about it in their coverage. Other websites have a lot of information and photos.
You can fit 2 adults and 2 kids no problem but I wouldn't go much more than that. I would really use the S40 as a second car, not the main car as it is a little on the small size.
Since this is the last few months of the old model its a great deal. I got a car with premium pack, cold weather pack, booster seats for about $22k. I believe its a much better value than the Honda, but as a former Honda owner also can vouch for their reliability.
One more thing- you don't have to make a decision on the extended warranty until one month before the four year 48k mile warranty ends - you can buy it up till then.
Also, can I install the integrated child safety seat or is that a factory installed option as opposed to a dlr installed option?
I'd like to add a cd player. If I buy the Volvo HU615 (that was the optional unit for this car), is it simply a matter of plug and play w/o having mess with the wiring, etc.?
There seems to be alot of confusion over what DSA actually does. Can someone clarify this for me? Is it simply a traction control system or is it an electronic stability program as well? The owner's manual mentions something about the DSA keeping the car stability so I am led to believe that it is more than just traction control.
Are the wood dash kits available aftermarket? I'm looking for a good price on it.
TIA.
John
I was given the opportunity to simply leave it at that or find an S40 that drove straight. Much to my surprise, the next three 2004 S40's all pulled to the left. This was very disappointing, because I'd really love to own one of these cars, but the consistency of this problem concerns me.
Assuming tire pressure and road conditions have been accounted for, what's going on here? Is there something intrinsically wrong with the alignment/suspension of these vehicles? Has anyone else had a similar problem, if so, how was it fixed?
Any and all comments are welcome.
True the new 40 will be nicer, but will also be more $$$$.
Lots of incentives for the current 40.
If your leasing who cares about resale anyway?
Thanks
John
So figure on $23-29,000 for MSRP.
Obviously if your looking for a deal go with the current car.
I am about to purchase an '01 S40 SE. I have done a lot of research on the car. I am impressed. The one piece of research I have not done is maintenance cost. Can someone provide some feedback in regards to the cost of maintenance on this car.
Your input is greatly appreciated.
concerned in LA
Wonder if any of you current S40 owners have had encounters with the engine stuttering on aceleration occasionally - any fix suggestions
could never duplicate it at the workshop.
Mechanics states the Engine and sparks are fine?
I know some posters have had problems but in our case we would definately buy again.
Anyway, it's good to hear some positive comments about this vehicle. If I like everything else about the vehicle, I guess I could live with frequent headlight replacement and a brake job every 15K or 20K. (But at 109K I don't ever recall replacing a headlight bulb on my '94 Corolla wagon, and I'm still on the original brakes; manual transmission helps on the latter, I'm sure.) In addition to the V40 I am considering the Subaru Outback wagon, and the as-yet-nonexistent Mazda 6 wagon.
Two more questions: (1) Why hasn't anyone crash-tested the S40/V40 as yet? The reviews say "crash test results are not available, but Volvo is known for safety." (2) Does anyone know if the S40/V40 engine is interference type or noninterference type. In other words, if the timing belt/chain breaks, could the engine be fried?
It did relatively good, but wasn't rated a best pick like the cheaper Lancer, Civic, Aerio, Corolla, Bettle, Jetta, Impreza, and Mini Cooper.
We had similar experience with my '91 Accord (5-speed manual) - original brakes to 115K miles. I think headlights replaced twice in the 160K miles we had the car. However, Honda seems to replace MANY more parts at normal maintenance intervals - almost all factory recommended based on owners manual. That seems to be why maintenance is lower for us on our Volvo.
In 2005, the V40 will be replaced by the V50 - that should be a sweet car, especially with the normal 5 cylinder engine options and I think manual transmission availability.
If you are used to wagons, the S40 may be a disappointment in size and functionality, but certainly not the ride and solid feel.
Regarding last two questions, I cannot offer any information.
Good luck!!
I asked the salesman about gasoline, and he claimed that all Volvo engines are designed to run on regular. So it's interesting that the owner's manual recommends 91 octane. When pressed, the dealer did admit that they put mid-grade fuel (89 octane) in cars with turbos when they fill them for the first "free" tank of gas.
The crash test website is great. Very interesting that some of these cars score better than the S40.
Regarding his implication that the octane level is important in turbos only - now that is a complete crock of ****! Our S60 is a non-turbo, and the difference is MUCH more noticeable if we change octane levels. With the non-turbo you are pushing the engine more to its limits and therefore need to take full advantage of the high compression by letting the engine fire at is most efficient point for performance.
The manual seat can be adjusted for height.
pull up on the front lever and lean back, this will raise the front half of the seat.
Pull up on the rear lever and lean forward, this will raise the rear half of the seat.
Reverse the process to lower the seat.
It is highly unlikely that you would find a base V40 w/ a power seat.
Also, V40's can no longer be ordered.
I've replace rear brakes at 20k miles but no fronts through 31k miles...odd but true.
I've also replaced each headlights once in 2 years. Since they are on all the time I figured that's not unreasonable.
The manual height adjustment would be fine with me. The brochure talks about "driver seat with manual tilt, recline and adjustable lumbar support." The salesman told me in no uncertain terms that I would need the power seat to get full height adjustment on the seat cushion because the manual seat adjusts only tilt.
Salesman also told me we could special order a V40 since the V50 won't be introduced until a year or so after the new S40 -- because Volvo still is under contract to produce the V40 "for a while yet."
Regular gas. Moonroof doesn't take away any headroom at all. I'll find that the V40 is smaller than my Corolla wagon (not true) so I really should be looking at the V70. And the V40 is selling like hotcakes, which is why they can't keep them on the lot. This salesman obviously doesn't know the first thing about the vehicle.
I also had a problem with the air conditioner freezing up. That was corrected by the dealer with a software update.
I got 30k miles on the back brakes and 46k on the front.
Anybody have a strage squealing/high pitched rubbing sound when turning the wheel at driveway speeds. I do not believe it is the tires as it sounds like it comes from the steering column and never occured before 4-5 months ago.
I am attempting to use SWAPALEASE to get out of my care early. I think that I have a person lined up and may be getting rid of it soon. Want to make sure things are right for the next lessee. Price, no equity, and a desire to not have a car anymore has fuled my desire to get out.
Anyhoo...any comments would be appreciated!
As for styling, most European automakers choose to have a consistent theme with their products.
The reinforces brand image and gives a sense of continuity to the brand.
Mercedes C class, E class and S class look alot alike, so do Audis and Bimmers.
Volvo's new style is quite a departure for them,and remember this is a car that has to look good 5 yrs or 10 yrs or 15 yrs from now. I don't think a wild car will age well and be accepted well at resale time. See Bangles BMW's for example.