Waderider

2003 Volvo V40 here with big stickers in my doorshuts, I love my old airbags. Mmmmm big airbags.

I've yet to meet an electrical fault I couldn't resolve. Mind you I am quite qualified and experienced as a electrical and civil engineer. It's just fear of the unknown, in twenty years time the average joe home mechanic will be much better at diagnosing and repairing this. I don't buy into carbs were better.
 
Having typed that, there is no way you'll ever get me buying a current Frenchie, and I'll still avoid the cars with the worst reputations. And I'll probably just keep buying Volvos.
 
Which reminds me, can anyone recommend from experience an OBD code reader and clearer for a 2003 Volvo V40? Maybe I should start another thread where advice for fixing EMS and electrical issues could reside?

See the other thread, I've had a V40 for years, and am happy with it, has been reliable. Known things-
 
Wiper spindle bushes wear out. Lift the wipers off the screen and check for wobble. Deteriorates to the point of when opening the bonnet, the trailing edge starts scraping the wipers. Worth checking on any potential purchase.
 
Dash bulbs like blowing, but are easy to replace.
 
Blower motor transistors can go - check blower operation.
 
Rear calliper problems caused by the handbrake actuator seizing or otherwise failing. In my car this hasn't meant a dragging calliper, it's meant no working rear brakes.
 
Lower radiator hose clip corrodes and fails, hose blows off and you lose the coolant.
 
Variable timing actuators fail, noises from top end (pez only)
 
Section of loom running under radiators is prone to corrosion and cause electrical maladies
 
1.8 GDI suffers from coking issues if constantly run on shite petrol
 
Dull to drive
 
Good crash rating - first four star motor, from when four stars were all you could get
 
Wrecked Mondeos may reverse into the drivers door
 
When driving in deep snow gear linkage can get so packed in with snow that you lose the ability to change gear

See the other thread, I've had a V40 for years, and am happy with it, has been reliable. Known things-
 
Wiper spindle bushes wear out. Lift the wipers off the screen and check for wobble. Deteriorates to the point of when opening the bonnet, the trailing edge starts scraping the wipers. Worth checking on any potential purchase.
 
Dash bulbs like blowing, but are easy to replace.
 
Blower motor transistors can go - check blower operation.
 
Rear calliper problems caused by the handbrake actuator seizing or otherwise failing. In my car this hasn't meant a dragging calliper, it's meant no working rear brakes.
 
Lower radiator hose clip corrodes and fails, hose blows off and you lose the coolant.
 
Variable timing actuators fail, noises from top end (pez only)
 
Section of loom running under radiators is prone to corrosion and cause electrical maladies
 
1.8 GDI suffers from coking issues if constantly run on shite petrol
 
Dull to drive
 
Good crash rating - first four star motor, from when four stars were all you could get
 
Wrecked Mondeos may reverse into the drivers door
 
When driving in deep snow gear linkage can get so packed in with snow that you lose the ability to change gear

I spotted a J-reg Proton a couple of years ago.
 
Go get it. It is on current Google Street View and looks like it is actually in use. See here (Sorry, OS map link as I can't work out how to link to streetview).
 
Nice colour also!
 

I spotted a J-reg Proton a couple of years ago.
 
Go get it. It is on current Google Street View and looks like it is actually in use. See here (Sorry, OS map link as I can't work out how to link to streetview).
 
Nice colour also!
 

Cheers for all the replies. Just took the door card off and popped it out. Still very obvious but I think I'm going to live with it. Might pop a door on in the spring. A hard job to do in the Highlands, outdoors, at this time of year.

That's a ruined car to me. No better than a hammerited Volkswagon with a pineapple, and brought many steps closer to the scrapyard by the modifications.

Torridon to Diabeg is the maddest road in Scotland.
 
Bealach na Ba is good in a car, but better on a bicycle
 
I like the A830 also, because I drive it all the time. It even has a shite song about it!
 
"
He was driving up to Mallaig Glenfinnan by Lochshiel
Heading for Lochailort content behind the wheel
The road was getting narrower the sign said slow
It’s the Highland daily dodgems it’s the 830
There is a natural assumption that A roads are wide
Enough to take a car and one the other side
Tourist information will never ever tell
It’s like driving through heaven on the road made for hell
For it’s a single track you can’t turn back
the stories are all the same
Of tourists leaving Corpach and never seen again
Don’t go on the 830
There’s a joke in the Highlands
it’s called a passing place
Where French stay for chips and Italians stay for days
When lorries lose control you’ve one last wish
Don’t let me die under twenty tons of fish
For it’s a single track you can’t turn back
a nightmare without end
It’s eyes ahead for Nigel Mansell’s
waiting round the bend
Don’t go on the 830
Whoever called this road a road is telling little lies
The 830’s a sheep track in very thin disguise
Italian caravanettes driving on the right
Meeting Wallace Arnold coaches in the middle of the night
Of the man who’s stopping progress
a theory’s gone around
That he owns the biggest breaker’s yard
this side of Mallaig town
You can see him in the gloaming
towing wrecks from where they lie
And he turns them into girders
for the bridge across to Skye
For it’s a single track he’s in Mallaig
and now he feels no pain
He’s dumped his car he’s in the bar
he’s steaming back by train
on a single track you can’t turn back the morals very plain
It’s grand to visit Mallaig but it’s safer by McBrayne’s
Don’t go on the 830"

Once upon a time I owned a mint mk4 Cortina 2.0S.
 

 
Not so much anymore....
 

 
The top photo was taken in 2006, the bottom one today.  Long story short is back in 2009 I split from my missus, and she screwed me over and left me with a load of debt to deal with, so it became a bit neglected... then some arse weaved into my lane on a roundabout in aberdeen at the start of 2010 and wrecked the front wing. Then I lost my job.
 
So the Cortina became a very low priority. I got as far as taking the bent wing off and loosely fitting another one, then parked it up in my parents drive and forgot about it.
 
As it was sitting at their house as opposed to mine - out of sight out of mind.
 
After I'd gone out and found a hotter missus and a new gig, I finally decided it was time to do something with it so I bought a new battery, fired it on, cleaned and gapped the points and put a fresh gallon of petrol in the tank. Started on the third turn of the key and settled down to a smooth idle.
 
This morning it reversed out of the drive its sat in for the last three and a bit years under its own steam and was A framed down to a mates workshop.
 
Its not nearly as bad as it looks - almost all the rot is just the front end due to the ludicrous amount of waxoyl underneath.
 
I have a pair of new wings, a new front valance, all round new suspension and numerous other goodies waiting for it... this weekend the front end is coming off and the work begins...
 
Plan is to get it sorted, tested, resprayed and back on the road for spring... I'll keep this thread updated on progress to guilt me into making sure its done.