C30 2L R-Design 2012 pre purchase

[chandra]

Hi there

first post here on forums,

Looking to buy a C30 and have been looking mainly at 2 litre petrol engines.

Found a really low mileage car (less than 40K) 2 owners, (but only 2 service stamps) stocked by a reputable dealer. C30 2.0 R-design 2012.

Can anyone please tell me what to be wary of with the Volvo C30 2.0 R DESIGN 3dr regarding possible issues?

Only thing I can see on the photos is what appears to be surface rust on the break calipers which I would not expect?

They have assured me all checks made and car will receive.

Many Thanks in advance for any advice.

I am keeping looking for a good car, but in early stages.

Regards

Chandra

[lockstock]

Originally Posted by chandra

Hi there

first post here on forums,

Looking to buy a C30 and have been looking mainly at 2 litre petrol engines.

Found a really low mileage car (less than 40K) 2 owners, (but only 2 service stamps) stocked by a reputable dealer. C30 2.0 R-design 2012.

Can anyone please tell me what to be wary of with the Volvo C30 2.0 R DESIGN 3dr regarding possible issues?

Only thing I can see on the photos is what appears to be surface rust on the break calipers which I would not expect?

They have assured me all checks made and car will receive.

Many Thanks in advance for any advice.

I am keeping looking for a good car, but in early stages.

Regards

Chandra

I bought same spec car couple months ago... Issues I knew about and needed to sort...

Front wishbone bushes fail withe age and mileage. To check, drive and tap breaks if you feel a knock or diving or clunk... likely they need changing... expect to pay £300 -400 from a garage to do work... wishbones are £75-£115 per side for parts only if diy.

if there is any vibration from engine through steering wheel, the the engine mounts may be worn... again relatively common maybe okay for low mileage... about £200 for parts.. £100 labour if u have a garage do it. significant vibration at idle is an indicator of this issue. although the issue can manifest more when driving...


Any clunk or knocks when pulling away or vibrations or really anything odd feedback wise could be the dual mass flywheel... I have this problem, this one I missed. my manifests as a bad vibration at 2.4k revs when stationary.. problems with the dmf are the main one to look out for... total cost is £8-900 to sort.

Any clicking knocks or vibration through front wheels when turning lock to lock, or at speed in corners could be CV joints... these are about £4-600 for both sides to be sorted... but I think not that common a fault on the 2l... mine are fine at 80k miles.

coolant tank.. check for heat damage and cracks... cheap easy to fix, common fault. £40 plus 30 mins labour if you cant diy.


As usual check for sludge in oil cap. The rocker gasket seals fail ln these 2l engines so look for oil leakes around top of engine... not too expensive to fix.


listen for ant air leak or whistling noises in engine bay, could be pcv valve from breather system. cheap parts but valve is a pain to get to, so quite a bit of labour costs.

can't think of anything else specific to car... I find mine to be quite reserved and quiet at low revs, but pulls nicely over 4k revs and feels quite nippy. If you dont have good pick up after 4k revs and car feels sluggish, something more significant wrong. it's not a fast car but should rec nicely.

edit... oh and aircon system! should blow nice and cold, quickly with no bad smells. no bad noises in engine bar... leave on for at least 15 mins when viewing car... make sure stays cold for whole time.. if it switches to warm then cold again the compressor and clutch are failing. expensive fix at over £600.. amd a ommon fault... diy bodges available to lock the clutch... you can search the forum... condensors tend to fail on these cars too which results in bad aircon performance... also expensive to sort becausw of labour



hope this helps

[chandra]

Thank you very much for this reply. Very, very helpful indeed.

Lots to look out for here. I am trying to get a low mileage car but of course that does not guarantee it will be problem free!

I actually had a really bad experience with a used car a few years back, ended up with legal proceedings (major hard to diagnose engine fault) I have now learnt never to be too cautious.

[lockstock]

Originally Posted by chandra

Thank you very much for this reply. Very, very helpful indeed.

Lots to look out for here. I am trying to get a low mileage car but of course that does not guarantee it will be problem free!

I actually had a really bad experience with a used car a few years back, ended up with legal proceedings (major hard to diagnose engine fault) I have now learnt never to be too cautious.

the one thing super reliable in these cars js the 2l duratech petrol engine. with regular oil changes it's a great engine. The weak point on these cars is the suspension set up. The bushes tend to fail and although not very often, if you get knocks and rattles, its hard figuring them out.

I've had all necessary work done to mine and its done 80k miles... with the price I paid plus the cost of work its very close to blue book. car drives perfect now so I'm happy.

Take the car on a decent test drive, bumpy roads and motorway up to 70mph... drive shaft vibrations often dont show until 50-70mph. Make sure car is dead cold when you arrive so you can start it, and see engine warm up etc. check oil when cold.. all the usual stuff. Low milage cars often done lots of short trips, make sure everything feels and looks tight and as it should do, fit, finish and all electrics. These are pretty well put together cars so everything should feel right. Oh, and uneven tire wear on inside shoulders is a sign of the front wishbones (lower control arms) needong doing. Vheck the MOT history online .gov website. The advisories and fixes will let you know if cars been cared for, inspite of no service history... if lots of advisories that persist year on year... or fails, that then pass with advisories still listed... this tells you car not been cared for..

Good luck!

[chandra]

Going to see car on Tuesday, so will be going armed with these very helpful tips.

Thanks again for your help.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by lockstock

I bought same spec car couple months ago... Issues I knew about and needed to sort...

Front wishbone bushes fail withe age and mileage. To check, drive and tap breaks if you feel a knock or diving or clunk... likely they need changing... expect to pay £300 -400 from a garage to do work... wishbones are £75-£115 per side for parts only if diy.

if there is any vibration from engine through steering wheel, the the engine mounts may be worn... again relatively common maybe okay for low mileage... about £200 for parts.. £100 labour if u have a garage do it. significant vibration at idle is an indicator of this issue. although the issue can manifest more when driving...


Any clunk or knocks when pulling away or vibrations or really anything odd feedback wise could be the dual mass flywheel... I have this problem, this one I missed. my manifests as a bad vibration at 2.4k revs when stationary.. problems with the dmf are the main one to look out for... total cost is £8-900 to sort.

Any clicking knocks or vibration through front wheels when turning lock to lock, or at speed in corners could be CV joints... these are about £4-600 for both sides to be sorted... but I think not that common a fault on the 2l... mine are fine at 80k miles.

coolant tank.. check for heat damage and cracks... cheap easy to fix, common fault. £40 plus 30 mins labour if you cant diy.


As usual check for sludge in oil cap. The rocker gasket seals fail ln these 2l engines so look for oil leakes around top of engine... not too expensive to fix.


listen for ant air leak or whistling noises in engine bay, could be pcv valve from breather system. cheap parts but valve is a pain to get to, so quite a bit of labour costs.

can't think of anything else specific to car... I find mine to be quite reserved and quiet at low revs, but pulls nicely over 4k revs and feels quite nippy. If you dont have good pick up after 4k revs and car feels sluggish, something more significant wrong. it's not a fast car but should rec nicely.

edit... oh and aircon system! should blow nice and cold, quickly with no bad smells. no bad noises in engine bar... leave on for at least 15 mins when viewing car... make sure stays cold for whole time.. if it switches to warm then cold again the compressor and clutch are failing. expensive fix at over £600.. amd a ommon fault... diy bodges available to lock the clutch... you can search the forum... condensors tend to fail on these cars too which results in bad aircon performance... also expensive to sort becausw of labour



hope this helps

Regarding rusty brake Calipers no they should not rust as they are electro-nickel plated , the garage car cleaners use acid to get brake dust off the wheels and this is what causes the rust ...

[chandra]

Thanks regarding caliper rust. It does look like it has been agressively cleaned in the photo. But nothing really to be concernded about I presume?

Can always paint them with a neutral coloured caliper paint I suppose.

Found this thread with same sort of mileage C30 and caliper rust query:

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=223206

[Markos01]

Originally Posted by Clan

Regarding rusty brake Calipers no they should not rust as they are electro-nickel plated , the garage car cleaners use acid to get brake dust off the wheels and this is what causes the rust ...

This is what I was thinking too. They go crusty white generally, not rusty brown. Refurbished rear calipers are available online for £140 a pair for reference.

Also, have you considere getting a PPI done on the car for peace of mind? RAC and AA do them as do other independents too. Sometimes they can spot things you never would and can allow a renegotiation of the purchase price or even means you walk away.

[chandra]

Thanks, yes car hs been fully HPI checked with 114 point safety check and no outstanding finance PPI

It is now in my knowledge that the car is a part ex' but this is not an issue in itself. I like to imagine they traded for something more 'practical'.

Regarding oxidisation/rust the caliper being cast iron I would expect it to be brown (as in picture) it would be white for aluminium oxidisation.

[lockstock]

Originally Posted by chandra

Thanks, yes car hs been fully HPI checked with 114 point safety check and no outstanding finance PPI

It is now in my knowledge that the car is a part ex' but this is not an issue in itself. I like to imagine they traded for something more 'practical'.

Regarding oxidisation/rust the caliper being cast iron I would expect it to be brown (as in picture) it would be white for aluminium oxidisation.

seriously the caliper surface rust is a non issue.... as long as piston moving freely i wouldn't worry