So, my boyfriend is out of state visiting family and trying to repair his old Volvo. He flew there and intended to drive back in his fixed car, but, money has gotten a little tight and he's got one glaring problem, so I thought I'd do what little I can from here and ask to see if there's a simpler fix.

He went out to a scrap yard and found a car that looked like his and started ripping it apart, not paying attention to the exact model or year, it turns out it's the 2009 S40. He managed to get everything he needed, and everything worked all up until the end. He took the entire front bumper and many of the internal parts, and once everything was put together tonight, he noticed his headlights don't fit in anymore. Upon further investigation he realized that they made a slight change to the headlights in 2009, and doesn't know what to do now. He's trying to not have to invest a ton more into it right now, but obviously can't drive without them.

Can he pick up headlights from a 2009 Volvo/will they have the same connections?
If they don't have the same connections...is there something he can do?
Or...does he need to tear it all apart and find a 2006 Volvo front end?

Thank you!

 

Is there an issue with the connectors or with how the buckets fit into the fenders? Assuming its the buckets, A few choices:

1) find used parts - car-part.com is a good resource to look for salvage yards who have the used parts
2) Amazon or eBay - plenty of after market headlights for sale. Budget $300-400 for a pair.
3) Craigslist - look for people advertising parting out a car.

If his old headlights from the 2006 don't fit, then the logical thing is to shop for 2009s and see if they fit. If so, he can try and sell his 2006 parts.

 

I agree - if the old headlights don't fit, then you have to either swap all the parts back to 2006 vintage, or get 2009-style headlights.

If there plugs aren't compatible, then you "just" need to go back to the junkyard and cut off the plugs for the 2009 headlights, and do a wire-for-wire cut-and-splice. There really aren't that many wires going to a headlight, so it's not really rocket science.