Volvo 340 dying on me!

[Tony Stanley]

Thanks for all your replies guys...sorry I haven't replied sooner but
not been well this week (never rains but it pours eh?)

Update on the car. Well it looks as if you guys were right about the
garage. Not cause the car is acting up again (yet) probably cause we
haven't been able to drive her much. Came over a speed bump in a
supermarket car park on Monday and the exhaust came clean off! This is
a car that was MOT'd about 2 months ago! How could something like that
be missed? (Ironically hubby is quite 'pleased' he says 'that's a
normal car thing for exhausts to go - we can get that fixed no
problem!')

If you are keeping the car I would always go for a dealer exhaust, its worth
well worth the money. quik fit ones don't last very long and usually don't
fit properly.

Exhausts can be well sealed and look solid enough, but actually be quite
weak after a knock. You often find if one of the rear boxes rust through or
crack, and the parts have to come off for replacement, often the part that
is staying on will break aswell also requiring replacement, however I seem
to remember that the 1.7 has a easy to seperate joint compared with the 1.4
and 2.0L engines.

 

[Pieter Hoeben]

If you are keeping the car I would always go for a dealer exhaust, its worth
well worth the money. quik fit ones don't last very long and usually don't
fit properly.

I have experience with this: an opel kadett quickfit lasts one to max.
two years.

Pieter

 

[Pieter Hoeben]

the exhaust came clean off!

It is true that exhausts are a normal thing to go.

So we have resolved not to take either of our cars back to that
garage. I think you guys were right and he was just attempting to scam
us for an engine job - he was adamant that that was the next *only*
move and that he had tried *everything* else. I only really realised
that in clarity after you guys criticism of him and his work so thanks
for opening my eyes to that. And we've probably already shelled out
for fuel pump we didn't need.

Maybe you did need it, I remember you had problems driving up-hill.

As the volvo goes she is running OK (apart from the exhaust) but we
have found a friend who knows a bit about cars and engines and stuff
and is willing to carry out your recommendations if (and probably
when) the car starts acting up again. So we will at least give her a
chance with that. If it all goes pear shaped and we try out the
solutions and she *still* isn't working then I maybe back to ask for
more advice.

Feel welcome, but I (others probably too) do not look into this
newsgroup every day, so when you place a message, send a email copy to
[email protected] so I know it.

About the 1.4 Volvo 340 we had: it was from 1982, ran over 200.000 km,
we only got rid of it in 2001 because we found a good, nice and cheap
Volvo 440 from 1995. So the car "lived" 19 years, without problems.

Regards,

Pieter