What did you do to your Volvo today? Topic is solved

[jsrnsis]

Black ice claimed the reliable backup car while I was waiting to replace the rear track bar on my black XC. RIP rustbox white wagon. Went off the road right into a boulder in a drainage ditch. Guy came out of his house to tell me someone died on that corner last year.
Starting to feel like my family is the grim reaper for P80s. Still in grief about it whenever I see a picture of the car.

[abscate]

Black ice claimed the reliable backup car while I was waiting to replace the rear track bar on my black XC. RIP rustbox white wagon. Went off the road right into a boulder in a drainage ditch. Guy came out of his house to tell me someone died on that corner last year.
Starting to feel like my family is the grim reaper for P80s. Still in grief about it whenever I see a picture of the car.

Ouch. Still, any accident you walk away from....is a good accident.

[Goupil]

Took the alternator back off the car, doable from the bottom without an AC compressor, figured out it has a diode issue (current shouldnt be able to flow both ways !).
My original alt didnt have that issue, so i went Dr Frankenstein mode and turned two alternators into one.

Bolt it back into the car, no smoke, that's better.
With the engine running, it charges (13.6V at the battery) but it does get quite warm, this time not at the rectifier but the whole winding assembly. Dinner time, problem for another day !

[BlackBart]

so i went Dr Frankenstein mode and turned two alternators into one.

You're a wizard!

[scot850]

Well done making one from 2!

Well another sad day. My buddy Tim who has a 1999 V70 GLT that he loved, lost the car to a minor accident. I've been helping him slowly improve the car as and when finances allowed. Car was turning into a good long term car.

Coming home from work one of our very cold nights about 2 weeks ago his car threw and engine code. He was near a parts store he knows so he pulled in to see if it was something to concern with or if he could get home. He was waiting for a parking space when a guy started backing out and just kept coming back until he hit the front corner of his car. Tim was honking his car horn but to no affect.

Once the guy realized he had hit something he got out and Tim asked him why he kept backing up as he was honking his horn. The guy said, " I am deaf..........".

Having never been in an accident, (and I don't recommend it!) he immediately contacted his insurance. What he didn't realize was how that would affect his car. As the headlight was broken, his insurance company advised him not to drive the car. So they issued a hire car. This was a mistake. He didn't realize that his car would be written off, and even if he tried to fix it you then have to put it through a salvage inspection. That inspection is not limited to the affected area but the whole car. The inspection cost $500 CDN or so and the companies that are licensed to do that inspection are well known for being over critical, especially with older cars. You have to first get an salvage inspection form from a registry office, then get the car inspected and get a 'repair plan' agreed, then go do the repairs and then take the car back for reinspection. Then hope they are happy. If not then you have to go away and get what they don't like fixed and then return within 30 days or you have to start all over again.

Naturally for a low value car, it makes no sense once you get into that process. Another guy I know has done this a few times with lightly damaged cars he has bought to repair. He said it is not terrible but takes a lot of time out of your working day for the inspections if you have a full time job.

I was not aware he had spoken to his insurance company. In his position I would have talked to the other car owner and suggested he took it out of the insurance system and he pay for the repairs. It is usually way cheaper when using used parts.

We had already been to the junkyard and got all the parts we needed for the repair including a fender in color. All in the repairs would have been in the $5-600 max.

I had considered buying it from him and repairing it, but he then said it had started smoking badly. I think this was caused by a frozen intercooler. Problem was by then he had decided to take the offer to scrap the car. What a shame.

Neil.

[bmdubya1198]

Wow, that's a shame. Sounds like it would have been an easy fix too.
I get the need for inspections like that to keep unsafe cars off the road, but it sucks that they really just don't want you keeping older cars on the road. For example, I recently bought a Nissan Titan at the Copart auction, super clean truck with minor front end damage from a deer hit, and it has 530k miles. Yes, that's correct...
So I fixed it up with a new bumper, grille, headlights, etc from the junkyard, did some maintenance (just finished rebuilding the very worn out front suspension today actually) and I've been driving it and it's been great! Nothing but the regular state safety inspection (costs $13.60) and I have a tag on it. I'm probably around $3k into the truck, and once I get it aligned it'll drive fantastic.
The best part is that it's a one owner truck, and it's been dealer maintained all its life! New AC compressor, transmission (that's been in the truck for less than 60k miles), fresh Michelin tires, and a LOT more. The Carfax is a whole book... 93 records or something like that.

[scot850]

That is how it should be. You are lucky where you are.

Neil.

[Goupil]

Installed the 42€ alternator today. Seems rather clean (donor car had 180 000km according to the listing), no more whine and charging at 13.95V.
Caliper rebuild kit and new handbrake cables are waiting for me at the post office, but that'll wait until i'm done building an exhaust for the subaru

[Chuck W]

Replaced the trailing arm bushings again on her car today.



The PS one was broken in 2 and the other wasn't too far behind.

Replaced these in 2019, about 48K miles ago.

Replaced pads/rotors on the rear as well, while I was in there.

[scot850]

Were the parts blue box or a particular manufacturer we should be aware of? That seems a very short life span for those parts.

Neil.