G'Day, all.

I was hoping some of you could give me direction.

I have owned a 1987 Volvo 240 in the past but I just purchased my first 850 (1996 GLT) and there seem to be a few items that I'm not sure how to resolve. I do have the Haynes repair manual but they don't really cover my questions.

1. When I unlock the doors by using the outside lock on the drivers door (as I don't have the keyless entry) there is a courtesy light on the right hand side under the dashboard that comes on and stays on. It drained the battery the other night.

The same light, if I open the glove box will come on. And might stay on or go off.

Also, when I turn the lights on and off there seems to be a spasmodic flickering of all the dash lights.

I didn't get the car with an owners manual so I'm not really sure how things are supposed to function. Is there supposed to be a delay that slowly dims the lights when I shut the doors and lock it or if they should shut off immediately?

Would this be and indicator of a bad headlamp switch?

2. The carpets seem to be wet on both corners of the front carpet underneath the A pillar. I don't have a sun roof so that would eliminate what seems to be a familiar problem with this model from what I have googled so far.

What would I be looking for above the firewall? I might have read a post regarding drain tubes for the cowl section underneath the windshield/wiper area.

Would that be accurate and if these were clogged would that allow water to leak in?

I forgot to mention that I did find articles or posts regarding leaking heater cores but I don't smell anti-freeze/coolant at all.

3. Is there any website that has say a 'tips and tricks' section for these models that would covers common issues like these?

I have googled and located this website along with volvospeed and others?

4. What is the best (quality parts and price of parts) place, online and offline to get parts? I have found ipdusa and also have a regional non-dealer repair shop that has parts but I don't really know if they offer good deals or not.

Thank you to anyone who can help get me up to speed on this 850!