Hi all, just got a 1996 850 Wagon, Black, w/ just under 80K miles on it, and I love it.
It drives great, but has a few minor issues that I thought I might ask for your opinions on:

1: Air Pump
When the 'check engine' light came on a few days after I bought it, a mechanic friend of mine ran the OBD-II on it, and said it was a problem with the air pump, but that it wasn't an emergency.
Is the air pump a common problem, and if so, does the pump itself usually need to be replaced, or is it one of the valves?

2: Door Trim Molding
The panels on the exterior of the passenger-side doors are falling off. (One started to come off, and pried off the other one).
I've been able to partially re-attach them, but some of the clips are broken, and I don't want the panels flying off while I'm driving.
Is there a recommended place online where I can buy replacement clips? Or should I find the nearest dealer?

3: Roof Clear-Coat
The glossy coating on the roof is graying and peeling off in a few spots.
Do I need to get it re-painted? Or is there an easier over-the-counter solution?

4: FM Antenna
The power antenna seems to be shorting out.
It'll work, with interference, for a little bit, but then it will cut out completely. AM still works fine.
Any idea if this is a wiring issue or a problem with the radio itself?

Also, the heated seats don't seem to be working, I don't know if they were checked out for the recall or not, I'll most likely have a dealer check it out.

Like I said, these are all minor issues that don't affect the performance of the car, but thing I want to get taken care of nonetheless.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Well, I can give you a little insight to number 3, the roof clear coat. Mine is a maroon red color and was suffering from the same thing. Unfortuneatly the only solution is to have it painted or at the very least perhaps the clear coat stripped and reapplied. It should not cost too much though as the rubber molding on sedans gives a good break line to prevent having to repaint doors, side pillars, etc. Your is a wagon, mine was a sedan (well, it still is I guess ) but I was fortunate or unfortunate to have a lady back into my passenger side front fender. The trailer hitch caved it in right behind the tire so I got an estimate from her insurance to fix it. I took it to my local body shop guy and he said they did not need to replace the fender, they could knock it out. At that time I asked him about painting the roof and he did it all for the settlement the insurance people gave me. They had already cut a check to me and he said since he did not need a new fender he could throw in the roof for the $900 they gave me. That considered, I would say a decent body shop would sand and shoot the roof only for $250 to $400. (I made lemonades out of lemons that day)

The molding may be something else to have a body shop do though I have seen some posts on it, there may even be a sticky at the top of the forum.

The air pump is pricy and I don't think there is a way to remove it and not have the CEL light come on.
These guys are great with parts. http://www.fcpgroton.com/volvo850airpump.htm
Almost $400 for the pump though. Maybe check a recycler/scrap yard.

Best of luck, the roof will be okay if you leave it for a while. It may flake if you hit it with a high pressure car wash wand but just light washing should not hurt it. I once had a Mazda that did the same thing and it was fine for 8 years at least. No rusting, just faded looking.

 

Thanks Rob!
Yeah, I was figuring about $300-something for the roof.
I think my mechanic friend has a body shop that he's friendly with, I'll check it out.

 

>(I made lemonades out of lemons that day)

Inspired!!!


JPN