I joined the forum as I cannot get a straight answer from the dealer or any shops. I am not car savvy and am also female so have a feeling my lack of knowledge related to cars gets taken advantage of at times, and I'm not one to drop thousands of dollars with out triple checking everywhere first.

My 2006 S40 has given me problems from the get go and I would honestly get rid of this car in a heartbeat if I didn't have $10k left on the loan. It has a 2.4L 5-cyl. engine and automatic transmission.

My most recent problems (no idea if they're interconnected):
- A/C stopped working this past summer of 2012. If the weather was cold, it might start working after 10 minutes after starting the car. On hot days, no chance and it usually started to blow hot air. When I would take it to the shops, they would have it still and running at a cool 30 degrees for an hour, but as soon as they started to drive it anywhere, within seconds the A/C would go away.
- Now during the winter of 2012, I notice the heater usually kicks in after ~15 - 20 minutes of driving. Defrost barely works.
- Whenever I turn my car off, it sounds like a fan is running inside the engine for ~5 - 10 minutes, but eventually shuts off.

Any comments/suggestions? The shops told me I needed to replace the clutch and compressor to fix the A/C problem, but I'm interested in finding out whether there is something 'deeper' going on as they are quoting me 1.5k for the parts & labor just for the clutch and compressor. I don't have money to take it to tons of different shops for diagnostics and to confirm opinions, so any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Trade it in on a Toyota.

 

Hi Sun, if the ac doesn't work, there is a good chance that the compressor is bad. They don't go bad often. The problem is, dealers don't typically fix things, they replace things to correct problems. That way they can warranty it for a year.

If dropping that kind of cash hurts, you need to find a independent mechanic that can do work for you. The problem with that is there are not to many places that work well on Volvo's. Trading the car for a different brand, like a Toyota Camry will allow you more repair center options.

If you post your location, maybe someone could help you locate a reasonable mechanic that won't mess up the car. My first AC compressor replacement cost me about $450.

 

Thanks for the response...I am in San Diego, CA. Any suggestions in this location? For something around $500 total, I would do it today because I have the money for it! I would trade the car in, but I owe $9.8k on it from a loan standpoint at the moment with the car being worth $6k on a good day, without even considering the problems it has

 

A/C compressor needs "re-shimming" most likely. It took me less than an hour to re-shim my 2005 without ever removing the compressor from the car. Got any car guy friends who need a beer? It's very easy with a few tools.
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...shimming-6665/

Heater not working was coolant level too low on mine. Make sure your coolant is filled up to the MAX line on the overflow reservoir. After filling the coolant level see if the fan still continues to run for long periods.

Also, check if the overflow reservoir is leaking. Mine had a crack allowing fluid to escape. Here is a pic. The MAX line is just above the middle and is molded into the plastic.

 

I guess volvos are famous for having a/c issues. I leave mine on all the time. Seems to clear up intermittent air blowing, system going on and off. Just put speed in auto too. And just change the temp when necessary. Try that for a couple of days.

 

Hi Sun! This past summer my 2006 S40 began having the EXACT same issues with the AC. During an hour of drive time, I might get ~ 15-20 minutes of intermittent cold air out of the AC and when it wasn't blowing cold it was blowing HOT air, not just outside temp air. Yet, when I take it to the dealer, it of course works beautifully and blows ice cold the entire time. Have same issue with fan continuing to blow for a while after parking the car. I have ensured that all of my coolant levels are maintained properly to no avail. *Not saying that HUDINI is wrong, this just hasn't corrected the issue for me.* MIGBRO has the right idea, trade it in on something like a Toyota or Honda. Even though you are upside down on your loan right now, with all the rebates and incentives being offered by manufacturers, I think you might be surprised at the deals you could work out. Plus, whatever you are planning on spending on AC work can go towards that difference.
Now, today I am working on putting in a new alternator because mine died about a week ago. Replaced O2 sensor about 2 months ago. My '06 S40 only has 84k miles on it, so it seems that 2006 may not have been the best year for Volvo. I love the Volvo brand, but because of the cost and difficulty in finding places that can work on them, I am not sure that I'll be buying another one. That said, still owe on this one, so I'm sure this will not be my last post on the forum. Good Luck.

 

I recommend finding a good independant mech...
A shame to sell this car only to go into more debt...
The buyer will laugh at the great deal gotten by him for the price of a compressor..........IF the car even requires the comp.
Hudini could be on the right-track.

Call my independant in pasadena "independant volvo service" on walnut st in pasadena for a recommended mech in the san diego area.

 

Hi, Sunvsmoon....
I think Hudini's idea is the smart place to start...did the "reshim" solution myself on my '05 S40 (141K miles) this past Sept. (after about a year or more of the same problem...AC running about 10-20 min. before crapping out and blowing ambient air)...Not too labor-intensive if you know someone handy with cars, and various Volvo sites show some hand-made tools that people made to take off the AC clutch. Pretty clever, but I bought an "Alltrade 648995 kit 65 Air Conditioning Clutch Removal and Installation Tool Set" for about $80 instead (see Amazon)....about 1.5 hr's work, the AC (and more important, the defroster) works like a charm...Problem solved....an 80 buck solution vs. $1000+ for the compressor + installation....I'd go this route first....Good luck!

Andy B