Quite a few people have been asking for tips of what to look for when buying a 1996-2004 S40 or V40, so I decided to collect all the information I could find from this forum and put them in one post. I am not a professional, nor do I have any training. I am just an S/V40 enthusiast who likes these cars and all my knowledge stems from this forum and taking a few S/V40 cars apart. So please read this guide and use it as an amateur guide and not as a professional guide of what to look for. You can find this guide in PDF format attached at the bottom of the this page so you can download it and print it out.
Many thanks go to stephend, Technician, Robmac999, phil_r, Alex121, 960kg, The Improver, GaryS40, cornishv40, S40 Squared, ciaranr, Haizum74 and biotoxic for their contribution in this guide, as well as to many other members here, whose posts have helped me learn everything I know about these cars.
Make sure all electrics/heater/headlight controls are working correctly and that AC (if fitted) is blowing nice and cold. Hazard light switch, heater controls panel, windscreen wipers , headlamp wipers as well as the rear wiper not touching the screen in places are common failures. if front windscreen wipers are squeaking, it could indicate worn wiper linkage.
Last edited by cumbrianmale; Aug 20th, 2012 at 19:03.