Volvo S40

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

You are in the Volvo S40 Forum.

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What is this discussion about? Volvo S40, Sedan

#655 of 1807 2001 Volvo S40 - Whoops its a Ford.... by johnmac7227

Jul 16, 2003 (8:40 am)

Ok so like everyone I've made a few mistakes in life, but other than holding onto my 9 shares of Enron Stock -now worth 50 Cents! I have to say leasing the S40 might have been the worst. Between the endless brake dust on the wheels, the headlights constantly burning out (i've gone through 4 in two and a half years and the power seats shorting out every time I sneeze the car has been a real POS.

Just today I've just been informed by my dealer that I need all new brakes and the car has 23,000 miles on it and he let me know that I had gotten more wear out of my brakes than most people. Cool another $350 I didn't want in my bank account anyway.

Luckily my lease is up soon and I will be all too happy to give this car back to the dealer.

I know this post my be a bit of a rant but because this website has been invaluable in my search for the other car in the house (a 2003 Honda Accord which has been amazing, well behaved and purchased at invoice. ) I figure if I can convince one person not to buy or at least think twice before picking up an S40 I've given something back.

#656 of 1807 '01 S40 transmission strangeness by karljr

Jul 23, 2003 (6:17 am)

I have an '01 S40 with about 15,000 miles. I've
seen similar messages elsewhere in this discussion but haven't come across any solutions. I have weird transmission happenings. It's quite unpredictable although it seems to be somehow related to sudden stops or stop-and-go traffic.
While slowing to a stop, the car appears to slam directly from 3rd to 1st. There is a mighty clunk and the whole car shutters. Seems to happen very shortly after a short stop....although, as I said, it's really quite unpredictable. The dealer has no clue....as has been said before....they always claim there are "no codes" and the transmission is at factory specs. I suspect the problem is somwehere in the "adaptive" brain of the transmission. But, obviously, there are NO situations under which the computer should tell the transmission to shift THAT HARD...or skip a gear completely or whatever.
I'm concerned there is permanent damage being done here, meanwhile the dealer can't figure it out.
Otherwise, the car has been terrific.
Any help/ideas out there?

#657 of 1807 Re: transmission by ddw5

Jul 24, 2003 (7:24 am)

Our '01 S40 had the same problem. Dealer fixed by updating the software...I thought this was from the factory. Regardless it has not happened once since. I will try to dig up the paperwork and let you know exactly what the description was. This was at Volvo Fort Washington in Pennsylvania.

#658 of 1807 2001 Lease Here by stumpf2000

Aug 09, 2003 (10:32 pm)

I have had the care for 2 years and it has not had any problems since after the first 6 months. There was a leak in the air conditioner condenser box which leaked. It has the dealer baffled as to how to fix it, but after a month, it was fine. My ONLY complaint is the BRAKE Dust which seans to be a very common problem. I am thinking of getting dustless pads from IPDUSA.COM and then having a midas install them. I have 22500 miles so far.

#659 of 1807 2000 Volvo S40 by anjintpa

Aug 12, 2003 (7:26 pm)

Like jonmac7227, I too am counting the days till my lease expires and I can return this POS to the dealer....

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.

#661 of 1807 Hello Everyone by jhorl

Aug 18, 2003 (9:29 am)

I've been a regular contributor to the Dakota Site here on edmunds and I will be taking delivery on a 2004 S-40 LSE tomorrow. I have a few questions about the vehicle.
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

#662 of 1807 Re: 04 LSE by volvomax

Aug 19, 2003 (9:32 am)

Congrats on the new car!

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!

#663 of 1807 Thanks by jhorl

Aug 20, 2003 (4:40 pm)

Just picked the car up this morning and I love it. I was weary about getting a black car but this Black Saphire is sharp looking. Looking forward to its first road trip after break in.

#664 of 1807 volvomax by sully242

Aug 21, 2003 (9:12 am)

What is this about the oil being a synthetic blend? This is the first I heard. I assume I now have to be careful about "mixing" different oils. Any further information or links would be appreciated. I have 7,500 miles and have changed the oil twice already, but at different dealers. Thanks.

I've got the Black Sapphire too, but as good as it looks, I think it will be my last black car.

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