Hi all, again!

Well, since I'm on the computer, I have some more questions, and here they are:

MUFFLER

1. If you can hear your exhaust "putting," does this mean I need a new muffler? How can you tell if you just have an exhaust leak or a bad muffler?

2. Cheapest price (plus labor) for a new muffler including the pipes (mine are rusted and the tip is missing?

SHOCKS

1. What are the cheapest shocks for an '83 245?

2. How much will labor cost to install 4 shocks?

TUNE UP

1. I saw an ad for a $19.99 car tune up (includes 4 spark plugs, adjust timing). Should I go to places that offer these kind of in-and-out tune ups?

FUSES

1. My license plate lights don't work, is this a fuse problem?

TOUCH UPS

1. Is there a spray to cover up window scratches made by wiper?

Ok, that's about it from this neophyte :)

I get the sense that you don't have much experience with do-it-yourself auto repairs, so my response is shaded towards having someone else do it:

Tune-up: Most Volvo dealers ain't much interested in servicing 15+ year old Volvos. They may be able to suggest a trustworthy, independent shop that knows Volvos. Look for other folks driving one of these cars and ask where they get their work done. I agree with what's been said about $19.95 "specials."

Shocks: The KYB brand is the cheapest respectable brand. Boge and Tokico are a step up in quality/performance and have lifetime warranty.

Exhaust: Get it done at the independent shop you found for the tune-up. Volvo dealers sell a rear muffler (the one that runs across the back of the car) with a lifetime warranty for not much more than an aftermarket part. They'll give you a new one, but not the labor, if it's installed by an independent (just don't loose the paperwork!)

Fuses: check the Brickboard archieves for information on 240 fuse box maintenance. This one you can do yourself!

Hope this helps.

If you are not going to do the exhaust work yourself, you may find that the dealer is competitive in price. Also, the dealer here will warrantee their replacement exhaust system. This can be important, because exhausts usually don't live very long.

The plate lights may be burned out. They leak. Water seems to get sucked up there, and causes the plate light to be (on my car) the shortest lived bulb. Clean up the holders, replace the bulbs if they are bad, then gently RTV the lights back up there.

As far as tune ups and one-size-fits-all parts go, you do get what you pay for.

No offense, but I recommend you try to do things affordably not the

cheapest. Whenever I've gone cheap I got what I paid for, either crap

for parts or service and sometimes both. First of all there is nothing

more affordable than your own time. Do you have tools to do some work

on your car? If not, maybe you have a good friend that does and can help you. Its very important to use quality parts if you want things to last.

1. Muffler:either buying a kit from volvo or IPD,RPR or another mail

order place is the best way to get a quality exhaust that bolts up to

your car. Another method is to buy your own muffler or at a muffler

shop select one and have them install it.

2. Shocks and struts: if you just want to replace stock you should be able

to get them for around $50-$60 each. Labor, I have no idea, in my area (NJ)

shops charge too much, the labor cost was more than me buying my own tools

to do the job myself.

3. A tune up for What? with what plugs? A real tune up has more parts

replaced than just spark plugs on 240 volvos. A very basic tune up to

me on a volvo is:air filter,plugs, dist cap and rotor. You can replace

all of these parts for not much more than that place is charging for

plugs and to "check your timing".

4. You should definitely disconnect your battery to clean and maybe replace your fuses.A wagon may have a break in the wiring harness for the tailgate,

just open the tailgate and look at the hinge you'll see the broken wires

in the pivot point inside of the hinge.

5. Body supply shops and Eastwood carry glass polish. I think the rule

of thumb is "if you can't catch your finger on the scratch then you may be able to polish the scratch out.

You are working with a 17 year old car. Buy a Haynes manual for the car and even better get the Bentley and read the repair manual. The more you know and understand you'll be miles ahead even if its a repair you aren't doing. These are very straight forward cars to understand and repair. There are

also lots of tips and info in the archives here. A wealth of info to help

you hit that 300k mi and keep going. Happy rolling!

Dave 82 242ti

/// As a former insider ( I managed a Firestone company store ) Stay away from the cheap #19.95 offers. They cannot stay in business with that income given rent, labor and utilities. They must increase every sale or ship the non increased sales through quickly. You will find that they will be slow to respond to warranty complaints and the quality of the service will be low. They cannot hire highly qualified techs but must self train if they are to keep help. If an employee is very good he will be able to make much more elsewhere. The overall service will never be good.

You will find the $1995 deal turned into a several hundred dollar repair. Stay away from the quickie oil change places also. Especially Pennziol.