New swede shite.

[Lankytim]

I cant remember if Ive started a thread about this, or If I have if its on here or Retro Rides or wherever. Anyway, the Volvo 940 auto I have is a great car, but far too thirsty so I needed something cheaper to run. But can you replace a Volvo with? thats right, another Volvo. A manual this time however, apparently about 6 MPG better on fuel.

 

I bought it a few months ago after spotting it on ebay with an hour left to run and no bids. Very short MOT and TAX but a nice wedge of history, 105k on the clock and in excellent overall condition.

 

Too young to be shite? Well its design and development is firmly rooted in the dark and distant past so I guess its a case of newish reg, oldish shite.

 

After getting it home it sat around for a while until we were ready to use it. In that time I replaced the seats with a full leather set I spotted on ebay (im a bit of a sucker for leather) and did very little else. For its MOT it needed a couple of tyres but seeing as id just broken up a 740 GLE I just stuck the alloys complete with good tyres on from that. It didnt need anything else and like all the Volvos ive owned it flew though the MOT! Im going to replace the 740 wheels with the original more modern 940 items as soon as I can arrange some tyres at a decent price. No major rush though, I think it looks OK with the older 740 jobbies on!

 

A mystery surrounded the 740 wheels though. They needed to be blown up but for some reason someone had cut down the metal part of the valves meaning when pump was attatched and the valve opened all the air escaped through the cut in the valve. Infuriating. Turns out the previous owner of the 740 had metal valve caps, which seized on and had to be cut off by a tyre fitter, unfortunately he cut through a bit too far and damaged the valves. Professionals eh?

 

That wasnt the last of the wheel related misfortune though. I had to get a local garage to replace the valves, a task they entrusted to the "saturday lad" When I got the car home I found all the wheelnuts were only hand tight and he had jacked the front of the car up by the sills, damaging them. Its nothing a block of wood and a hammer wont sort but its not the first time ive had a car damaged by that garage. I enjoy using local firms but after this I wont be using them again.

 

Anyway.. some pics.

 

 

 

And a pic of ham-fisted mechanic fuckwittery.

The other side is just as bad!

 

 

Next steps? Im thinking of adding a towbar to help with further tat related conquests but apart from that just clean, maintain and enjoy!

[danthecapriman]

Very nice purchase there, looks great.One of the last ones on a P plate. Did they go any further, sure ive seen an R plate one before?Id have gone back to the garage about the sills though. That would have pissed me off big time! I always take the wheels off myself at home and take them to tyre places, just in case.

[Lankytim]

Yes, I was very VERY annoyed, they wouldnt beable to repair it to my satisfaction though, and I didnt want to see the saturday gopher sacked so I just chalked it up to experience and will be going elsewhere in future.

 

P is very very late for a saloon, but I spotted this at work the other day.

 

 

Apparently theres a few S plates about too!

[ashmicro]

I didnt want to see the saturday gopher sacked so I just chalked it up to experience and will be going elsewhere in future.

You're far too decent for your own good, Tim. I'd have been spitting teeth over that!

[brammy777]

Yeh, even my college teachers go mad over sills being bent, and theyre knackered cars. You should of complained, surely they should employ someone who knows what jacking points are, not to mention the loose wheel nuts!Oh and nice ovlov! The saloons look better in my opinion.

[Jon]

Weren't the S-reg ones those S90/V90 versions they brought out to integrate with all the other Volvo models at the time? I'm sure they were all 960 based though, so reckon R reg on a 940 would be about as late as you get. Did see a V reg one I think in the back of a Volvo mag a couple of years back, but it was an ambulance conversion, which probably explains it.

 

I really like that with the old wheels on. Metal wheeltrims FTW! Would love to do something with our '97 9000 but don't think Mrs_cav would approve.

[Tayne]

.

[Lankytim]

Weren't the S-reg ones those S90/V90 versions they brought out to integrate with all the other Volvo models at the time? I'm sure they were all 960 based though, so reckon R reg on a 940 would be about as late as you get. Did see a V reg one I think in the back of a Volvo mag a couple of years back, but it was an ambulance conversion, which probably explains it.

 

I really like that with the old wheels on. Metal wheeltrims FTW! Would love to do something with our '97 9000 but don't think Mrs_cav would approve.

Yes, the S/V90s used to be called 960s, the 940 was discontinued at around the same time.

 

I am getting to like the 740 alloys, theyre a bit of an oddity. Why have an alloy wheel then cover it up with a stainless hubcap? The newer style wheel does look much beter though in my opinion, the 740 rims are all badly kerbed and corroded too.

[chester drawers]

Tim you are remarkably tolerant. Sending PM concerning tyre fitters.

[Cavcraft]

I found the 940 awful on fuel too Tim and didn't like the autobox as it seemed almost impossible to get any decent speed out of the car.I hear the V70 TDis are good but it seems it'd take a couple of grand minimum to get a decent one.Was there an 850/9 series dizzler available?

[Lankytim]

Yes there was, but Im not too sure if the early examples of the 850 dizzler are held in high regard by the Volvo bunch, plus they command a premium over their petrol powered brethen. There are plenty of abused and poorly maintained examples out to catch the unwary too.There was also a diesel 740/940 but they are more expensive to buy, expensive to maintain and only slightly better on fuel than the petrol version, as well as being slower and prone to problems such as cracked heads and the like. Not rated at all.The 940 auto I have is pretty bad on fuel, 300 miles to 70 litres of fuel but I could never class it as slow. The turbo has been wound up to 13PSi and it goes like a scud missile. Handles like a scud too. This manual example is well on its way to providing 400 miles plus per 70 litre fuel tank. Still not great but better! Im planning an LPG conversion once I track down a multipoint front end kit at a reasonable price.

[Mr Lobster]

Looks nice that, wheels look pretty good on it too.You are far more tolerant than I would have been with the garage though!

[Lankytim]

Well, I was peeved but all theyd do is hammer the sills back and offer a half asrsed apology. They arnt going to offer 200 quid to have them professionally pulled back into shape and im not going to sue them. Best to just not use them ever again.They returned my Audi after doing the clutch with the bodywork covered in grease meaning I had to use a mop to get it all out, plus there was a dent in the front wing. Fortunately the wings are rusty and are ging to be replaced anyway.Prior to that they handed back the wifes metro after its MOT with the rear 1/2 and tail light wiped out. Im sure it happened at the MOT centre and not the garage but everyone denied responsibilty. The garage did repair it however. It was only an old shitter though.Maybe im just a mug to myself for using them for so long? They are very local however and do have a knack of getting older cars MOTd without them pulling them up on silly things like a tail light out or something. Plus their cheap.This is the final bit of damage though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I would write that lot down in a letter and send it to this garage, if they know you're not gonna use em again they won't think you're complaining just to get a freebie out of them and they will see you've had genuinely shit service, maybe they will pull thier socks up a bit for the next guy. I would be fuggin mental about that, its hardly time served engineer stuff to know that youre not supposed to jack up on the sill flanges, and that wheelnuts should be tightened with a fuggin spanner. Morons.

[dollywobbler]

Have to agree. While I fuggin hate the 'I'm going to sue you' culture, us Brits are sometimes a bit too prone to have a moan and not actually let the company that f*cked up know that there was even a problem.

[AnthonyG]

Nice car Tim, I like the 740 wheels on it as well, although I can see the corrosion on those rims from the pics. IIRC the last of those 700/900/S/V90 cars was made in 1998. The S80 (the one with the 'shoulders') replaced the saloons in Spring 1998, the estates may have lasted a few months longer.

[504GL]

Have to agree. While I fuggin hate the 'I'm going to sue you' culture, us Brits are sometimes a bit too prone to have a moan and not actually let the company that f*cked up know that there was even a problem.

Definitely. Always annoys me when someone is more bothered about the problem than the solution

[Lankytim]

Maybe I just dont want a confrontation with the garage. It is a very British thing I suppose, I just dont want to cause a fuss. The thing is even if I did complain theres not alot they would/could do. Its not the end of the world, ill just use a different garage- problem solved.

 

Except I may still use them to MOT chod for me... and thats it. Honest.

 

 

Anyway, Ive been experimenting with the front end of the Ovlov. Ive raided my parts stash and stuck on a pair of clear indicators and then tried an eggbox/chrome grille as seen on very late 940s I think the indicators look good but I cant make my mind up on the grille. The original amber indicators looked good too of course. What does everyone think? When I bought this car I swore I wouldnt fiddle about with it and just leave it as it is. That didnt last long!

 

Clear indicators.

 

Eggbox/chrome grille.

[trigger]

I would of been well pissed about that sill as well and with the nuts being loose, You could of been a mother and baby in that car, What would of happened if the wheel fell off?.I would say something just so they know, If not the Saturday boy will only do it again and next time might not be so lucky, I doubt that they will sack him, They will just educate him and check his work a bit more closer until they can trust him on his own.As for the grill, God knows!, Both look good to me, Maybe the all Silver one more at a push but there isn't much in it.

[AnthonyG]

Black grille !

[Tayne]

.

[Lankytim]

Look, im not going back. The Mother and baby will just have to crash in a ball of flames.