1998 Volvo V40 review from UK and Ireland
"Should have been a step up, instead an expensive folly"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Very hard to select 1st and 2nd gears.
Rear brake pads required replacement at 20000 miles.
I've had to replace the headlamp bulbs four times to date.
At 45000 miles the constant velocity joints required replacement at a cost of some £500 per side.
General comments?
After no joy with the Volvo dealer, I had to take the car to a local independent garage to correctly diagnose the faulty CV joints. The Volvo selling dealer could find no fault with the drive, blaming corroded brake discs which they could fix for £270 per side. The independent garage quote £200 for both sides, but on inspection said there was nothing wrong with the brakes and therefore refused to charge me for work that didn't need doing.
Later another Volvo dealer in another area confirmed that the CV joints indeed needed replacing.
After weeks of correspondence with Volvo Cars, they offered a 35% discount to have the offside drive shaft replaced. The bill would still come to some £400 with the discount, which is 10% of the value of the entire car.
I have arranged to get the problem sorted at another independent garage... quote is less than £300 to get both sides drivelines replaced.
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  | Classy small estate |
| I've had my moneys worth and will buy another volvo |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 4/10 |
| Comfort marks | 9/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 58000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Golf |
| Date of Entry | 12th January, 2003 |