Volvo S40

kevmy85

I'm thinking of getting a used Volvo S40, just wondering about people's thoughts/experiences with it.

Good car? Any serious issues with them?

I'd be looking at the 2l Diesel, prob somewhere between 05-08

nicol

Had a 06 1.6D for a couple of years. It's a lovely car to drive, lacking a bit in power so the 2L option would be better in that regard. Rear leg room isn't great, not uncomfortable but could be tight if ferrying taller passengers around. Boot isn't particularly huge either.

kevmy85

Yeah I had heard I should go for the 2l option alright.

Not too concerned about the back seat - it'll be mainly me (+ possibly one passenger).

How small is the boot? Would you have difficulty getting normal items like TVs or golf clubs in there?

nicol

kevmy85 wrote: »

Yeah I had heard I should go for the 2l option alright.

Not too concerned about the back seat - it'll be mainly me (+ possibly one passenger).

How small is the boot? Would you have difficulty getting normal items like TVs or golf clubs in there?

Not a golfer but I'd say a set of clubs should fit. Bring a set with you when test-driving, easiest way to be sure.

The Last Bandit

Grand car, I've the 2.4 D5 version which shuffles along nicely. The 2.0 is also decent enough, I've not driven the 1.6 but I'd suspect its a bit underpowered.

Boot space is low but deep, you should have no problems with a set of golf clubs but the fixed low parcel shelf will prevent you getting and large objects in there.

The biggest gripe I have is the intrusiveness of the bloody diagnostics, very hard to do anything other than the most basic of repairs/maintenance without the factory VIDA tool.

lab man

does this mean you have to go to a main dealer for any repairs etc,

useless

I used to have one. My golf clubs had to go diagonally in the boot, as it wasnt wide or deep enough to place them any other way. A 32 inch flatscreen TV in its box fitted fine in the boot, but only when I dropped the rear seats. The boot is a fair size, but the access to it is crap- the boot opening is like a letterbox.

I had a 1.8 petrol for 5 years and thought it was a lovely car. Only problems I can recall were a new alternator and a tendency to eat headlamp bulbs.

dibs101

+1 with useless. I had a 05 one for 6 years and loved it. The alternator and solenoid pack for the ABS went on me costing me the guts of 1500 one year. The boot opening is small and rear legroom is bad and it used to eat bulbs but I still went out and bought a new one 2 weeks ago as I did love the car. It is definately the safest car I have ever owned and in my opinion you get a whole lot of car for your buck if you are buying one 4 years old.

kevmy85

Thanks useless and dibs101. Yeah I've been looking around and the spec you seem to get is great for the price.

lab man wrote: »

does this mean you have to go to a main dealer for any repairs etc,

What about this? Does it have to be a Volvo dealer or can any decent garage do repairs?

GreeBo

Clubs will not fit without taking out the driver.
Anyone over 5'10" cannot sit in the back seat without their head touching the roof and their knees in the back seat....turned me off buying one...

The Last Bandit

kevmy85 wrote: »

Thanks useless and dibs101. Yeah I've been looking around and the spec you seem to get is great for the price.



What about this? Does it have to be a Volvo dealer or can any decent garage do repairs?

Really depends on the nature of the repairs and if the independent garage has access to the diag tools then I'm sure they'd be more than able to do it.

MrDerp

I've done 22,000km in my petrol 1.8 S40 (picked it up last March)

Boot is fine, small opening, but I've carried 3 sets of golf clubs in there with 3 small gear bags. You'll fit two standard bags diagonally side by side on the floor of the boot, then another across the top of those. It's bigger than my Focus HB boot was, it's just harder to utilise the space. Packing to go home for christmas I took everything twice to re-organise the order things went in.

Back seat legroom is small, but the seat is comfortable enough overall.

No evidence of bulb chewing so far - that's 22,000km with DRLs on.

One thing to watch out for is tyres. The 17 inch alloys take 205/50/R17 - an uncommon size so you get fleeced. Mid-range come in about 140-150 online. That makes for a pricey set of 4 fitted.

Dr_Colossus

How come the newer 04+ version are so much smaller? I've the older 01 model and find the boot very good and have got 3 sets of golf clubs (2 carry bags and 1 tour bag) with 3 push trolleys and 3 pairs of shoes in the boot. The boot is alot smaller on the newer version and overall cabin size feels more confined.
There's nearly 200k km on my 1.8 petrol and car is very reliable, haven't had any bother with it in the two years I've had it.

The Last Bandit

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

How come the newer 04+ version are so much smaller? I've the older 01 model and find the boot very good and have got 3 sets of golf clubs (2 carry bags and 1 tour bag) with 3 push trolleys and 3 pairs of shoes in the boot. The boot is alot smaller on the newer version and overall cabin size feels more confined.
There's nearly 200k km on my 1.8 petrol and car is very reliable, haven't had any bother with it in the two years I've had it.

The older model is based on a Mitsubishi platfrom, the newer one is based on the Ford Focus .

lab man

can anyone tell what are the 1.8 dsl cars are like i've a golf 4 and am thinking of changing to a volvo too they seem to be well priced but i don't many around, sorry for intruding k,

Matthewjohn

Sorry there isn't any 1.8 dsl just 1.6 2.0 and 2.4

Dools2007

Had the 1.8 petrol version of one of these. Lovely car and if you get the SE version, loads of extras, leather seats, 6 cd, heated mirrors, etc.

Nice car to drive, 17 inch alloys make it slightly bumpy on country roads but not too bad.

Boot opening is quite small alright so you may have some issues getting larger items in but the boot itself is average enough size.

Only had mine 7 months though so can't comment on the reliability but I had no issues during this time. Car was written off while parked unfortunately.

lab man

are the 1.6 not great power then compared to a 1.9 golf i've never driven a 1.6 dsl thinking of the tax etc

bazz26

lab man wrote: »

are the 1.6 not great power then compared to a 1.9 golf i've never driven a 1.6 dsl thinking of the tax etc

The 1.6 is as powerful as the 1.9 in the VW. The 1.6 delivers the power alot better over a wider rev range though. The 1.9 TDi is an old engine and the power delivery band is very narrrow.

Just remember that the 1.6 has a diesel partical filter (DPF) fitted for low emissions. If you do alot of short trips or city driving then the DPF will get blocked and will need replacing, they cost €1k. Modern diesel cars are not designed for short trips as it defeats their purpose.

Ardennes1944

Do the 2litre and d5 have dpfs bazz?

bazz26

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

Do the 2litre and d5 have dpfs bazz?

Not sure about the D5 but the 2.0d has one from 2005 onwards. Both the 1.6d and 2.0d are Peugeot/Citroen HDi engines.

fifth

I was driving a base spec 2006 Honda accord and changed to an 07 1.6D Volvo s40 SE with cream leather seats, 6 cd changer etc. Nice looking car, really economical, lacks power so I'd say the 2.0 would be a bit better in that regard.

Small boot opening, tried getting a largeish tv in and it wouldn't fit. Had problems getting other stuff in too. Rear passenger space is tiny, not many compartments either and they have very little space. vs the Accord it didn't have electrical folding mirrors or a sunroof, which the accord did. It was more uncomfortable over bumpy ground and vibrates more on main roads than the accord. The 'premium audio' system was poorer quality than the accords base spec stereo as well.

Not great handling either, car felt heavy and unbalanced in corners. Plastic 'wooden-look' dash and drivers side button area creaked a lot when you rest against it, felt a bit cheap.

I'm changing back to honda this week after driving it for 6 months, and wouldn't really recommend the volvo.. unless your current car is fairly outdated. Just my two cents.

A2LUE42

Same as previously posted. Lovely car, but the access to the boot is a pain, the rear legroom isn't great and it eats h7's.

lab man

bazz, u seem to kno yer stuff are u a mech? i would be doing about 25/30 k per yr the boot would be an issue though is it really that small,

bazz26

lab man wrote: »

bazz, u seem to kno yer stuff are u a mech? i would be doing about 25/30 k per yr the boot would be an issue though is it really that small,

I wish, I used to own one of them that's all. Boot is not small, it's average size but access to it is narrow making it awkward. I think most folks see the S40 as in the same class as the BMW 3 Series or Audi A4 when they are not and expect the same boot size, rear leg room. Volvos for the last number of years have always been inbetween the market segment when it came to size. The S40 is actually based on the Ford Focus meaning it was always going to be limited in size.

Just watch the electrics on the S40, they can have a mind of their own at times, the altenator is weak on them and prone to failure. The ABS control module is also flakey on them, a faulty one will through up an "Anti-skid emergency service" warning on the dash. If you see that then you are looking at €500+ for a new unit. DPF had to be replaced on mine at 85k miles at a cost of €1k. Volvo main dealers know how to charge even for servicing. Other than that they are a well built and finished car and you will buy nothing German with the same spec for the same money.

roashter

The boot is actually quiet deep so can store a lot.
The problem is that the height of the opening is not great so while you could fit a large flat screen TV in, you would struggle with the old style box TVs.

Hard to explain it in print, but if you can stop into a garage and have a look you would see exactly what I mean.

I have the car about 6 months (1.8 petrol SE flexifuel), and I really like it. No issues so far for me.

lab man

thanks guys i think i'll have a good look maybe hire one out for a week mite be the best way about it

Eddie Smart

I drove for couple of weeks my friend's S40'06 1.6 Diesel. There is same engine as on Focuses 1.6 TDCI. It is VERY economical and drives ok. Not a racer for sure, but have way better torque than 1.4 1.6 petrols.

mikelan

1.6d shares same engine as Citroen c4, most peugeots, ford focus, Mazda 3 and others.
Gives big problems if wrong oil is used. Avoid unless you know the history of it. Google for turbo problems.

Poulgorm

I owned an 07 S40 1.6D - bought new and serviced by a main Volvo dealer. No problems until 100,000 km: then they came in waves - ABS, DPFand EGR valve: got indications that the DMF and turbo were next, so got rid of it fast.

Would not recommend it as a second hand buy.

The_Honeybadger

I had a 07 1.6D and I liked it, however the same issues as above, boot access is a pain and rear passenger space is very small. Put about 40,000 km's on it with no issues. I changed the tyres once and the invoice nearly made me faint, was a company car though so I wasn't paying the bill thankfully. Nice car overall, but I wouldn't buy one because of the boot and rear seats.

lab man

tks poul, mick. u have to pay to learn

RobertNavan

guys, sorry to bother you but i've got a problem that one of you might have met before. i couldn't find anything related on the internet and my local volvo dealer probably gave up on me too.
the rear fog light on my 06 s40 stopped working a while ago.
i brought it to Drogheda(IE) volvo garage where they checked the fuses and relays and couldn't find what's wrong with it.
they said they'll need to look up the diagrams as it might be the wiring and they'll let me know when to go back.. it's been nearly a month since and never heard from them again..
the car is now due for the test and the rear fog light is still not working.
the rear fog light led(red), on the small dash, next to the steering wheel is always on(dim not strong light). when i press it turns on and back off the next second - the rear fog light doesn't react at all.
the bulb is fine as i've tried it on the tail lights.
connections are all clean and tight.
i've looked up all diagrams on the internet an there's no fuse or rellay for rear fog lights coming up for 2006 s40 1.6D.
i would really appreciate any help.
have a great weekend!