Ask the Car People.SM


Volvo S40

1807 messages,  Last post on Jul 01, 2011 at 7:51 AM

You are in the Volvo S40 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volvo S40, Sedan



Messages Page 51 of 182

#494 of 1807 Volvo S40 Hmmm by geedawg

Aug 19, 2001 (9:23 am)

Well. it does sound like the Phase I version of the S40 was not the greatest of autos. The Phase II (2001) seems to be much better. I'm satisfied with mine to date (3,500 miles).
 
I'm sure you realize most people on forums like these are more likely to complain than praise their autos. Nobody comes onto a forum and says "hey, my heater's working great!"
 
I would recommend the S40 thus far.
 
FYI: A large delivery truck slammed into the right rear area of my S40 a couple days ago. The S40 felt very solid on impact. No injuries but car is out two weeks. Bummer.

#495 of 1807 S40 - "Luxury"??? by godeacs

Aug 19, 2001 (11:31 am)

I speak as a 19 yr Volvo owner who is not happy with the recent reliability issues they are having. The S-40 is NOT a luxury car - at best it's a low end "near luxury" car. For the money an Audi A4 1.8T is a much better choice. Unless you're willing to spend more to get the S60, I would look elsewhere.

#496 of 1807 Volvo S40 Hmmm by sachino

Aug 19, 2001 (9:31 pm)

Geedawg: I think you are mistaken when you say that most people are more likely to complain than praise. You need to check out the A4 forum. There are a lot more people praising than complaining.

#497 of 1807 Hard To Believe by stevem327

Aug 22, 2001 (8:43 am)

That so many people are having problems with the S40. I had always heard that Volvos were known for their reliability. I was considering an S40, but after reading all of the complaints here, I'm having major second thoughts. And I have to agree that it sounds like a consistent theme of recurring problems with the car, rather than just one or two lemons out of the whole bunch. That's a shame. A neighbor of mine has a 160 or 190 Volvo that has almost 300,000 miles on it...drives it every day.
 
I'll be fair and reserve final judgement until I see the 2002 or even 2003 models. The 2003 is supposed to share the same platform as the Ford Focus, though, so I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. See www.swedespeed.com or www.volvospy.com for more info. The S60 seems like a nice alternative, but it's obviously more expensive.
 
I hope all of the S40 owners out there having problems are getting their situations dealt with fairly. Hang in there!

#498 of 1807 Brake Problems Also by tboney

Aug 22, 2001 (6:37 pm)

I have a 2000 S40 and have replaced front pads twice and rear just recently (25000miles). Dealer said they were surprised the rear pads made it this long. I was shocked. Most cars, almost all cars you only have the rear pads replaced once, maybe twice in the lifetime of the car. At least no sooner than 60-70000 miles. What is going on? I thought I had a good safe car. I have it at the dealer every month or more. Any comments?

#499 of 1807 Soft Brake Pads by stevem327

Aug 23, 2001 (6:21 am)

I've heard that Volvo uses softer brake pads than some companies. The benefit of a softer pad is that it gives you better braking ability and braking grip. But the downside is that the softer pads wear out much faster than harder ones.
 
I believe that the pads on the 2001 S40's were designed to be a little harder than the ones found on the 2000 S40's, so they're supposed to last a little longer, too.
 
If you read through this whole thread from the first message forward, I believe there's some other info on the brake pad issue. Good luck.

#500 of 1807 Volvo S40 Hmmm by geedawg

Aug 28, 2001 (10:38 pm)

Sachino: Maybe your right but my unscientific experience in newsgroups tells me otherwise. While there is a certainly information sharing that goes on, the majority of the posts are about problems.
 
P.S. I'm glad people are happy with their A4s. I'm happy with my S40.

#501 of 1807 Volvo S40 nightmare by henryrobin

Aug 31, 2001 (7:49 pm)

I recently traded in my 2000 S40 after 11 visits to the shop. Check engine light 8 times...no explanation. New cars should be somewhat stress free. Vovlo's corporate offices were unresponsive. Depreciation was outrageous.

#502 of 1807 Happy But!! by bblockie1

Sep 01, 2001 (10:05 am)

Have 21,000 on my S40 and have been mostly pleased with performance. However, after reading about so many problems I am a little nervous. Yes I did have rear break pad replacement and complained. But wasn't as upset as some because on a 740 wagon I had for 10 years I had similar wearout. They told me at the service center that Volvo was addressing the break pad problem with longer wearing ones soon!! Also had the headlights replaced already. But my anoying problem is a high pitched noise when traveling fast on freeways usually going in a N to S or S to N direction. Even taped it - coming from the drivers side I think.By the way I'm an "older lady" and everyone thinks I'm cool in my S40!!

#503 of 1807 Volvos by boxer6

Sep 02, 2001 (4:36 pm)

I own an s70 and it sounds like the problems with Volvo's are consistant. Nothing but complaints on their boards (Except the s60...so far). The sad thing is the Edmunds boards are not complaint boards in general so when the volvo boards are primarily compliants that should tell you something. Can anyone spell C-L-A-S-S
A-C-T-I-O-N? Any lawyers out there want to take the case. I would say us abused volvo owners are collectively due millions!! I can write a five page letter with my complaints.

Messages Page 51 of 182

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement