S40 T5 questions
 

Hello all! My name is Tristan and I'm new to Volvo. Looking around for a sport sedan, has to be AWD, has to be a manual, and I prefer Turbos. Obviously then, the S40 T5 is hot on my radar. Found a nice used one on Craig's with a new engine and a few tasteful modifications. What should I be wary of when I go to view it? Obviously watch for engine lights and lurching and leaking oil and all that jazz, but what are some S40 T5 specific tidbits I should watch out for?

Cheers.
-Tristan

what year and how many miles? In general, you should follow the same guidelines for buying any used car 1) get a carfax report to see available history 2) see if the car has maintenance history 3) a yellow flag on the "new engine" - 5 cylinder Volvo's are pretty hearty and good for 300K miles... is there a story behind the engine (ie it blew or was replaced under warranty for oil consumption or emissions etc? when you say tasteful mods - do they suggest the prior owner drove the car hard or are they mostly cosmetic and the car was well cared for? For example, if you have a mix of performance parts (reprogrammed ECU, big bore exhaust/downpipe, aftermarket turbo control bits ), that suggests the car got some workouts and may have compromised other parts (like the clutch). I tend to also look for general clean interiors and trunks since I assume if somebody keeps a dirty cabin, they probably were not big on oil changes and regular tune ups. For the maintenance history, the big things are timing belt changes and regular fluid changes. For inspection, if it has a sunroof, check the seal for leaks. If you can check for codes via the OBD do so. The repair items on this board tend to be electrical - hard to prejudge if that's just the S40s or all newer cars being more complex to debug without code readers.

Thanks for the quick response! :)
It's a 2006, 56k on new engine, doesn't show how many miles are on odo. I'll definitely figure all of that out (Why engine was replaced, did clutch go with it, how many miles on chassis, throwing codes, etc.). His mods listed are black painted wheels, window tint, coilovers, and a 3" cat-back exhaust.

I'll check for the timing chain as well. Nothing to watch out on the turbos or anything? (I only ask because I'm new to Turbos. I could talk superchargers all day, but turbos are new to me. I understand how they work and whatnot, just not what to be wary of on a used one.)

Cheers.
-Tristan

turbos don't generally fail - but can develop oil leaks so that's an item for your visual check list. Since the car has coil-overs, ask if they will include the original stock suspension with the car in case you want to return to stock. (same thing with the downpipe). If the motor has 56K, the timing belt is good for a while - I think the factory recommended interval on the T5 is 120K, but many people just do 90 or 100K to be safe.

As in, the turbo is leaking oil? Simple enough to check. While I don't think stock ride height and noise is something I'd look for, it would be a good way to drop his price/hold resale value better. Nice catch.
Yeah, timing chains are a bugger. That's handy.
Proper way to check a clutch? High RPM drop, or is there something more sane to check for slippage? ;) Haha.

Cheers.
-Tristan

the clutch should engage smoothly - no hard pedal feel, no bearing noise, no "chatter" when you let it slip a bit (clutches can warp their disks just like brakes). If the clutch is slipping you would get a "motorboat' feel/sound shifting gears (ie the revs slowly match the gear speed). If you quick shift, the revs should go right down to the next gear. A simple test would be to try starting in 2nd or 3rd gear with some low revs and see if the car shudders or almost stalls. No need to hole shot the car...

Right then.
Thank you, sir!

Cheers
-Tristan