S40: - Advice please

Robert Bear · Mar 12th, 2022, 20:41

As a previous Volvo owner myself I felt joining the site would be a good place for some advice please. This has kinda of been doing my head in a bit for the past few weeks & I guess I just need to air my thoughts with some fellow Volvo owners/piston heads, so I hope you don't mind.

My father has for 10yrs had his 1998 S40, automatic. He's always had the car well looked after & to be honest used it very little. Especially the past few years due to his age (nearly 90 now). Unfortunately the MOT ran out in January & his mechanic who has always looked after the car for him has advised he'll need a new driver's seat (standard non electrical) & brake pipe that runs from the front to the rear.

The problem is my father is disabled, his mechanic is retired now & doesn't want to do the work, I'm in recovery from cancer & also live in Surrey (he's in Ferndown) so can't really do much to help at the moment. He's ready to throw it all in & scrap the car!!!! I've asked him to wait, to see if I can't sort something out to help.

So is there anyone who knows of someone who can do the fixes reasonably priced? Do we stick it in Classic car & see if there's any interest in buying it as is? In which case does anyone have any idea how much we should ask? Or do we forget the whole thing & scrap it? If so are there any specialist Volvo spares that anyone knows of in his area. I know what the parts go for & quite honestly I reckon anyone would make good money from the spares or just do the work, get it MOT'd for the year & flog it for a good amount!

It would be a shame as I always expected him to keep it & drive it til the end of days or at least until he has to give up, something he's likely to if the car goes as he can't be hassled to sort another! If I could I'd sort it out ( the seat probably only needs webbing!) but health at the moment prevents me & I don't have a driveway/garage to keep it otherwise I'd get it trailered up!

Arghhhhh, I'd like to help him out & the voices in my noggin are just bouncing back & forth so perhaps some sound advice or ideas will straighten me out??? If this isn't the sort of thing to be discussed on this site then I apologize but if it's cool then I welcome the feed back. Thank you.

ITSv40 · Mar 13th, 2022, 12:47

First off I would present the car for a mot as is. That way you will know for definite what needs to be done if it fails. It will cost £50 or so, but better that than relying on someone's opinion who is not doing the testing.

With regards the rusty brake pipes: this is a common issue on our cars and generally only affects the pipes around the rear suspension. The gold standard fix is to renew the pipes complete from front to back but that needs the fuel tank removing to do. For a fix for the mot, it should be possible to just renew the rusty sections and leave the tank in situ.

Regarding the seat: I have never known a seat collapse so that it would be a mot failure. My previous V40 did 370,000 miles and the seats were like new. My current car are also like new, so again a mot failure will show up what is needed for a pass.

It is essential to get a mot on the car for it to be worth anything, otherwise you will be giving it away. If it fails perhaps the mot ing garage will give you a quote for the repairs.

Robert Bear · Mar 13th, 2022, 22:31

ITSv40. Thanks for the reply & taking the time to do so.

The guy who usually does the work for my dad is a professional mechanic has been for 50 odd years & has worked on all our cars at some time or another, more so since my father hasn't been able to do much. The car was presented for MOT so this is how we know what's needed. It's just a shame he's unable to do it & the mec can't anymore. If I was down there regardless of my health I'd be the one getting on with it, although somewhat slower than usual!

Think it's more of a case of neither of them can be bothered anymore which I find sad but their choice! Personally I say the car is worth saving, hell I envisioned using it myself one day! I agree with MOT it would sell for a good price, without then not much. Having said that with a MOT he'll more than likely keep it & continue to drive as & when he needs to.

Yes I get it about the seat & was surprised when told, especially as he's not heavy set or such! It's basically the webbing so case of seat out & renew the webbing. Luckily I've found a place that can do this so just need to talk to them & get a rough idea of the cost. Taking the seat out & over to them shouldn't be an issue. May even get down there & do it myself.

As for the brake pipe, again I'm looking into a garage or two that can pick it up, do the work then MOT it at the same time. If they find anything that wasn't picked up before then probably get them to do it.

It's a good car, always kept garaged, clean & he's never hammered it as such or been that far in it. In fact only a few years back he had a whole new headlining put in as it had started to sag a bit, not many others would have worried until it really got bad but he had it done straight away & has been like that with everything else. Again I was surprised the brake pipe hadn't been done before now!

Again appreciate the thoughts & for taking the time to respond.

Dippydog · Mar 14th, 2022, 09:49

If all it's failed on is the seat and brake pipe I'd fix it/have it fixed.At worst a second hand seat should be available from someone breaking such a car or a breakers yard for not a lot of money.As for the brake pipe I'd replace the whole pipe as there's no way without dropping the tank of telling the state of the pipe above the tank and I believe[although don't quote me on this]that a new length of pipe can be routed around the tank rather than the expense of dropping the tank.

Miketwovolvos · Mar 29th, 2022, 15:23

yes, a significant weakness on these cars were the steel pipes, just painted grey. The 900 series used copper which lasts. Every MOT I check them and clean off any rust and repaint if necessary..the weak points are the lengths of pipe exposed in the front wheel arch and the rear wheel area. Cool idea to replace the pipe around the tank rather than remove it...

magnuz · Mar 30th, 2022, 14:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dippydog

If all it's failed on is the seat and brake pipe I'd fix it/have it fixed.At worst a second hand seat should be available from someone breaking such a car or a breakers yard for not a lot of money.As for the brake pipe I'd replace the whole pipe as there's no way without dropping the tank of telling the state of the pipe above the tank and I believe[although don't quote me on this]that a new length of pipe can be routed around the tank rather than the expense of dropping the tank.

Yes.. the brake pipe can be routed around the front of the fuel tank.I did this on mine, there is even unused threaded holes, that can be used to fix a bracket to support the pipe. The mot tester commented that it's now in a better place, as the pipe is now in clear sight for inspection purposes.
As for the seat problem.... i'm wondering if it's the SEAT BELT webbing that is being referred to ? as it's attached to the seat, but can be replaced separately ! As mentioned.. volvo seats are very well made & rarely fail ?

ITSv40 · Mar 30th, 2022, 16:26

There are several ways to deal with the rusty pipes. I chose to remove the tank and make up new kunifer pipes, from the front of the car, following the original route. While the tank was out it was a good opportunity to deal with any rust spots and make sure everything was all good.

canis · Mar 30th, 2022, 20:19

Getting the tank out is no easy task, the main problem being trying to shift twenty year old jubilee clips. You can't grind them off, because it's petrol. You'll end up under the car with petrol leaking down your arm with a jubilee clip half off, stuck fast and wishing you hadn't started.

Re-route your brake pipes, or you'll be sorry.

Mar 12th, 2022, 20:41	#1
Robert Bear New Member Last Online: Mar 13th, 2022 22:32 Join Date: Mar 2022 Location: Ferndown	Advice please As a previous Volvo owner myself I felt joining the site would be a good place for some advice please. This has kinda of been doing my head in a bit for the past few weeks & I guess I just need to air my thoughts with some fellow Volvo owners/piston heads, so I hope you don't mind. My father has for 10yrs had his 1998 S40, automatic. He's always had the car well looked after & to be honest used it very little. Especially the past few years due to his age (nearly 90 now). Unfortunately the MOT ran out in January & his mechanic who has always looked after the car for him has advised he'll need a new driver's seat (standard non electrical) & brake pipe that runs from the front to the rear. The problem is my father is disabled, his mechanic is retired now & doesn't want to do the work, I'm in recovery from cancer & also live in Surrey (he's in Ferndown) so can't really do much to help at the moment. He's ready to throw it all in & scrap the car!!!! I've asked him to wait, to see if I can't sort something out to help. So is there anyone who knows of someone who can do the fixes reasonably priced? Do we stick it in Classic car & see if there's any interest in buying it as is? In which case does anyone have any idea how much we should ask? Or do we forget the whole thing & scrap it? If so are there any specialist Volvo spares that anyone knows of in his area. I know what the parts go for & quite honestly I reckon anyone would make good money from the spares or just do the work, get it MOT'd for the year & flog it for a good amount! It would be a shame as I always expected him to keep it & drive it til the end of days or at least until he has to give up, something he's likely to if the car goes as he can't be hassled to sort another! If I could I'd sort it out ( the seat probably only needs webbing!) but health at the moment prevents me & I don't have a driveway/garage to keep it otherwise I'd get it trailered up! Arghhhhh, I'd like to help him out & the voices in my noggin are just bouncing back & forth so perhaps some sound advice or ideas will straighten me out??? If this isn't the sort of thing to be discussed on this site then I apologize but if it's cool then I welcome the feed back. Thank you.

Mar 13th, 2022, 12:47	#2
ITSv40 VOC Member Last Online: Today 14:49 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Northampton	First off I would present the car for a mot as is. That way you will know for definite what needs to be done if it fails. It will cost £50 or so, but better that than relying on someone's opinion who is not doing the testing. With regards the rusty brake pipes: this is a common issue on our cars and generally only affects the pipes around the rear suspension. The gold standard fix is to renew the pipes complete from front to back but that needs the fuel tank removing to do. For a fix for the mot, it should be possible to just renew the rusty sections and leave the tank in situ. Regarding the seat: I have never known a seat collapse so that it would be a mot failure. My previous V40 did 370,000 miles and the seats were like new. My current car are also like new, so again a mot failure will show up what is needed for a pass. It is essential to get a mot on the car for it to be worth anything, otherwise you will be giving it away. If it fails perhaps the mot ing garage will give you a quote for the repairs. __________________ 2001 V40 2.0lt Sport lux - Daily Driver. 174k miles. 2003 C70 2.4 GT Convertible - Garage Queen. 65k miles. http://www.neptuno6benagil.com

Mar 29th, 2022, 15:23	#5
Miketwovolvos Miketwovolvos Last Online: Today 09:46 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Birmingham	pipes yes, a significant weakness on these cars were the steel pipes, just painted grey. The 900 series used copper which lasts. Every MOT I check them and clean off any rust and repaint if necessary..the weak points are the lengths of pipe exposed in the front wheel arch and the rear wheel area. Cool idea to replace the pipe around the tank rather than remove it...

Mar 13th, 2022, 22:31	#3
Robert Bear New Member Last Online: Mar 13th, 2022 22:32 Join Date: Mar 2022 Location: Ferndown	ITSv40. Thanks for the reply & taking the time to do so. The guy who usually does the work for my dad is a professional mechanic has been for 50 odd years & has worked on all our cars at some time or another, more so since my father hasn't been able to do much. The car was presented for MOT so this is how we know what's needed. It's just a shame he's unable to do it & the mec can't anymore. If I was down there regardless of my health I'd be the one getting on with it, although somewhat slower than usual! Think it's more of a case of neither of them can be bothered anymore which I find sad but their choice! Personally I say the car is worth saving, hell I envisioned using it myself one day! I agree with MOT it would sell for a good price, without then not much. Having said that with a MOT he'll more than likely keep it & continue to drive as & when he needs to. Yes I get it about the seat & was surprised when told, especially as he's not heavy set or such! It's basically the webbing so case of seat out & renew the webbing. Luckily I've found a place that can do this so just need to talk to them & get a rough idea of the cost. Taking the seat out & over to them shouldn't be an issue. May even get down there & do it myself. As for the brake pipe, again I'm looking into a garage or two that can pick it up, do the work then MOT it at the same time. If they find anything that wasn't picked up before then probably get them to do it. It's a good car, always kept garaged, clean & he's never hammered it as such or been that far in it. In fact only a few years back he had a whole new headlining put in as it had started to sag a bit, not many others would have worried until it really got bad but he had it done straight away & has been like that with everything else. Again I was surprised the brake pipe hadn't been done before now! Again appreciate the thoughts & for taking the time to respond.

Mar 14th, 2022, 09:49	#4
Dippydog Premier Member Last Online: Yesterday 18:24 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: S****horpe	If all it's failed on is the seat and brake pipe I'd fix it/have it fixed.At worst a second hand seat should be available from someone breaking such a car or a breakers yard for not a lot of money.As for the brake pipe I'd replace the whole pipe as there's no way without dropping the tank of telling the state of the pipe above the tank and I believe[although don't quote me on this]that a new length of pipe can be routed around the tank rather than the expense of dropping the tank.

Mar 30th, 2022, 20:19	#8
canis Non Fragile Last Online: Oct 13th, 2023 05:46 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Chadderton, Oldham	Getting the tank out is no easy task, the main problem being trying to shift twenty year old jubilee clips. You can't grind them off, because it's petrol. You'll end up under the car with petrol leaking down your arm with a jubilee clip half off, stuck fast and wishing you hadn't started. Re-route your brake pipes, or you'll be sorry.

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