HI gordonbennet.

in volvo terms we're talking pretty new, but still pre-focus clone.

a year 2000 phase 1, V40. so compaired to the 7/9 the small estate.

paul.

I've also had air-adjustable dampers on a Vauxhall and a number of Volvos have used the same system with either manual adjustment from an air line or fully automatic with onboard compressor to give self-levelling rear suspension.

Haven't seen air on a Volvo, newer ones out of my budget, i had older RWD 7 & 9 with self levelling rears, self contained (Boge iirc) dampers, simple as can be, the car would squat as you loaded it, by the time you'd driven it a few hundred yardsor even bounced it by hand the dampers had pumped themselves up to normal ride height, the damper effectively a second spring ....interestingly the non self levelling estate's rear springs were stronger rate than the those self levelling damper assisted models.

As an aside i wonder then if the self levellers had better ride quality when unladen as a result, i don't know cos the estates i had were SL's.

A sight simpler system than all the pipe work and plumbing some use, new self levelling damper units seemed expensive when they wore, but compared to the 4 figure sums involved in overhauling air/hydraulic pumped self levellers they were cheap as chips.

Example...MB's with air suspension new dampers alone are around a grand a corner, luckily the do last a long time and recently overhauled units have finally become available, not from your MB palace mind, enough potential expense and worry to put me off considering one anyway.

Edited by gordonbennet on 01/07/2011 at 11:22

HI...

in the end went for the easy option (well easy-ish...read on), standard volvo replacements and in most cases they are actually cheaper than the aftermarket items...and as the originals lasted 100k hope these ones will as well....

problem was......I rang the main dealer and gave reg. number and chassis number model, year etc etc,....that wasn't enough......they still had a choice of four springs.....so I had to get the colour markers from the springs themselves....ie remove the wheel clean the mud off and hunt for the painted markers......job done.....turns out my end of line Phase1. model uses Phase2 springs....

looked at the MAD web site, and there products get some good reviews with the caravaning and towing sectors.

Paul.

hi Gordon.

good idea, didn't think of the oil thing...all the old cars I buy ways get a quick spray of gloop underneath, guess when you own a metro the mk2 escort at first cars you Hate RUST. thus we had a rust free puma and mk3 fiesta....how rare where those...haha....rear arches on both of those used to rust like 1970s fiats/lancias......

the puma used to have wheel arch liners a little like the 99p plastic car mats you used to be able to buy plastic and with nobles,,,i.e. the mud used to stick to it and sit there....... When looking at dealer cars for sale, they often say all the cars have been valleted hmmm you then run a couple of fingers under the rear wheel arches and loads of mud falls out.....always good to embarrass the sales man...

and a thin smear of copper grease over the back of the ally stops them corroding to the main hub...

once bought a copy headlight for a pug 205 it was a slightly grey in colour..and stood out a mile once on the car,,,,,so took it back and bought the proper part....