I have a 1980 242 DL with 265k miles, 4 speed manual, lifetime warranty on my recent (<2 years) brakes, alternator, starter, water pump, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor; all fluids changed, including Dex-Cool antifreeze, new spark plugs, repacked wheel bearings within the past 1000 miles (they looked fine - very important piece of info), $180 to diagnose and fix fuel distributor/idle problem, installed electric cooling fan, solar battery charger, all told about $2,000 of parts since I bought it 2 years ago.

Last night, a SOB in a Saab tried to squeeze into a parking space and hit the front of my brick. I couldn't see much bumper damage, but my right front wheel was pressed against the curb (tire was compressed but not flattened). On driving, the car pulled to the left on all surfaces and the steering wheel vibrated at 55+ mph. The insurance adjuster was skeptical about the degree of severity of this problem. Happily, their repair facility confirmed that this was an unsafe situation and offered a front-end alignment, further diagnostic evaluations, and a rental car (not a Volvo :<). They diagnosed a bad right front wheel bearing and damaged rack and pinion steering, but more problems may exist if the alignment isn't normalized after these problems are fixed.

My concerns are:
I don't want the car totalled over this accident and get a salvaged title after all my work. I'm hoping that all my receipts will be adequate to show the value of the car

I want to prove that these problems did not exist before the accident (I had a mechanic work on the fuel distributor 3 days ago and hope he can comment that the car steered normally). I believe that the mechanism of the impact explains at the rack and pinion damage and wheel bearing problems. Is this a reasonable explanation? Can I do anything else to bolster my position in case the insurance fights me? I'm thinking of having an independent Volvo mechanic shop help out.

I'm surprised to see you have coverage on a 1980 volvo. One of the nice things about owning one of these older models, is just paying for liability insurance only, and what you save by not buying collision can go to buying a replacement if you get in a wreck.

-Bruce

I've owned two other cars that I DIDN'T have collision/comprehensive and regretted it when they were destroyed. I have put more than $2,000 to restore this car and literally pamper it, so collision/comprehensive is a small price to pay. Plus, I'll fight the insurance tooth and nail for every cent due me.

Be aware that if the car is significantly more valuable than a search of comparables on the local used car market is likely to value it at, you may want to find out about declaring a value for the car based on an appraisal (and paying premiums based on that value).

The typical insurance company comparable search involves finding similar cars recently sold and for sale at dealers, and adjusting for cosmetic condition, odometer mileage, and options / features. Mechanical condition does not really count for much (since the used car market tends to use odometer mileage as a proxy for mechanical condition -- surely most people here know that that is not all that accurate, but we're "outvoted" by most used car buyers). Insurance companies should be willing to give you a copy of the list of comparables and adjustments used to determine the value of the car for determining whether it is a total loss and making a total loss settlement offer if it is (the settlement offer should be the valuation plus any needed tax and pro-rated license expense that you would incur when buying a replacement car of the same value).

You can take your car to anyone for repair..I would take it ti the best front end shop in town.

jja..85,245:GLTi 246 mi..so.california

Mike sorry to hear about your accident. I believe that with the show of your receipts and the fact that you wil come out just fine. I am interested in your recent work on your fuel distributor and idle problem. I am currently experiencing low idle to the point of cut off at a stop. I have to give it gas to keep it going. Did you experience the same problem, which led to your recent distributor work?

Over the past few months, I have posted questions about a rough idle (engine and entire car shake excessively at rest with moderately high hydrocarbon and CO emissions but no problems on driving), but none of the replies helped. I checked hoses for vacuum leaks, changed oil, checked timing and idle speed, cleaned my injectors. Finally, I broke down (no pun intended) and took the car to a mechanic. The mechanic claimed that the "fuel distributor" which is a silver cylinder located under the intake manifold needed adjustment. He claimed that one needs a "computer" to do this adjustment. The car still idles a little rough now

When you say you cleaned your injectors, was that with a bottle or by removing the injectors? In the past I've seen plenty of B21s in need of new injector O-rings- these get brittle with time and allow false (unmetered) air into the combustion chamber, and throw the whole system off. If you haven't pulled the injectors and replaced all 8 (2 per injector) I'd do it once the insurance claims are settled.

If the problems are centered on the front end, I'd consider letting the insurance company total the car. If the body of the car is in good shape, and we know the front end is repairable, I'd investigate how uptight the salvage inspectors are and think about collecting the money, fixing the front end, and re-registering the car. I wouldn't worry about resale value as there isn't much on a 1980 240. Anyone interested in the car either wouldn't care about the salvage title, or would be Volvo-crazed enough to understand the whole story...

-Dylan

ps if you decide to total the car, don't take their first offer. I asked the other driver's insurance how to dispute their offer of $2500 on my '88 745T w/160K. They called back offering $3500. I paid $2600 a year and 30K miles earlier. First time I made money on a car. I almost feel bad about it.

I recently had problems with a rough idle, car stalling if rpms went below 1000. I took it to a garage after a fellow 'brickster suggested a problem with a particular part of the cis system (my car has the 23e motor). The shop diagnosed a bad wiring harness, faulty egr system, and a leaking o-ring on an injector. The problem continued, though modified, and they ultimately replaced the fuel pressure regulator. Now it appears to be working.

Don't know if that will help you diagnose your problem, but I though I should mention it.

If he hit it hard enough to cause damage to "rack and pinion steering" then he probably did damage to the lower control arm.
This should be apparent if you compare the one side to the other- typically the arm will be deflected towards the back of the car, the curve in it will be much more severe, possibly even kinked. It should be obvious by studying the arm that the car would not have been drivable with this damage. There is no way to achieve a proper alignment with regard to caster and camber if the arm is bent.
I'd be surprised if the wheel bearing was damaged by this, but it sounds likely that the rim was, and possibly the tire- here, a used wheel will do just fine but you may need a new tire.

The least they should do for you is to replace the control arm and pay for an alignment. As you realize, the book value of such a car is quite low. It doesn't really matter a lot to them if you've recently put $3 or $3000 into the car, it's all dependent on condition. The trick is to get some money for the accident without going above the $ value at which they declare the car a loss. Here, the receipts help- you show that the car was in better than "average" condition. I don't think you could have more than a couple hundred dollar's worth of work there, so you should be OK with regards to any title issues.

You could just ask the adjuster what the value is that they're using as a basis for the car's worth. Good luck!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 86 244DL, 87 244DL, 88 744GLE, 91 244: 808K total