Hi, all,

This is my first time posting here; I apologize for not formally introducing myself in the New Members Area but I'm honestly not sure how much longer I'm gonna be a Volvo driver so I don't want to form too many attachments...

So, I drive this 2000 Volvo V40 and it's been giving me a fair amount of trouble and it needs a lot of work done, and I'm honestly about ready to be done with it. I thought I might check with those more knowledgeable than myself, though, before giving up on it altogether.

Basically, a couple days ago I started noticing this clunk in the front end, on the driver side. It happens more when you're driving slowly, or going over bumps, or when you're turning...you can feel it under your feet. I had a sway bar mount go, and it feels a lot like that, but both sway bar mounts are still attached properly.

When the car is stopped, and I turn the wheel all the way over to the right, it also makes a clunking noise (presumably related). It sounds like it's coming more from the center than the left when I do that. It was suggested that it might be a CV link/axle, but when I called the dealer to ask how much that would be, he said it sounded "more like a bushing", and not like an axle problem.

The dealer wants $50-$100 for a diagnosis, which might be worth it, but then I think about how the cat needs to be replaced, and three of the four struts also clunk (ironically, all but the passenger side front), and the hatch doesn't open properly, and the rear passenger window doesn't roll down, and the thing drinks three quarts of oil a month, and my gas mileage has gone down by like five mpg in the last six months or so...

...and I start to wonder if it's not just time to trade it in for something with a warranty. Anyway, if anyone has any insight into this problem, I'd be grateful to hear it.

 

I have the exact same thing going on when i am driving at about 30-35 mph i can feel & hear a noise on the drivers side & when i feather the brake it stops.
i'd get a new car if I could afford to. Never a Volvo again though! For all of the 'safety B.S.' Volvo boasts, there sure are a lot of design flaws on this from front to rear & so many retaining clips that are all different from the interior trim to the plastic crap under the hood. This thing is a rattler for sure!

 

So, I'll post this here for posterity, in case anyone else has this problem. Maybe I can save someone a little money.

"Inspect and found steering is difficult to turn on lift. Binding. Feels as if strut mount bearings are binding and suspension is fighting the front springs. When both shock upper nuts were removed for diagnosis, strut pistons sank indicating worn shocks. R/F upper strut mount looks to have been replaced w/ after market. Suggest replacement of front shocks. And upper mount/bearing components as first step in repair." [all deviations from standard English are sic erat scriptum ]

In fact, the "R/F upper strut mount" was replaced with an "after market" one, and it's not the one that's making the noise, for what that's worth. I was told that the problem is not an immediate safety issue and that I was unlikely to damage other components by not dealing with it right away. Given everything else the car needs, I'm not sure when or if I'll have the work done (the shop I went to quoted me about a grand for it).

Of course, I can't guarantee that my issue will be the same as someone else's, but if you came here looking for:

Volvo V40 thump thunk clunk C/V CV joint axle strut sway bar swaybar link mount tie rod front end noise bump slow turning

you'll have another piece of data which will hopefully be of use to you.

 

I didn't come to a Volvo forum to disparage Volvos (I rather miss my old 240, in fact) but I will say that, in my humble, non-expert opinion, there were a lot of questionable design decisions made with this car. At any rate, at thirteen years out, I am not sure I would agree with the description "A super safe wagon, this attainable Volvo offers something for everyone." I certainly can't say I feel "super safe" in it.

I agree with the mention of the clips, and I would add too that the nigh-unserviceable location of the sway bar mounts is hard to understand. I had a garage tell me that the instruction manual told them to go in through the dash (they managed to not have to do that). Heck, my rear windshield wiper stopped working for a few weeks and then magically started working again. I can honestly say that, if this car were new, I would love driving it, but then again, I'm sure there are plenty of cars that I'd enjoy driving, and I doubt my next car will be a Volvo.