I drove the eBay Volvo yesterday for the first time since it's been back from the shop. I'm pretty happy with it! The engine does have some ticking that improved a bit. It also tends to pull to the right a bit. There is a minor exhaust leak that we'll be patching with some furnace cement (tiny hole in muffler). In any case, I think that I'll be getting an oil change, tire rotation and alignment in a few weeks to see if it helps the pull to the right. The good news is that there is not more huge "thump" when I turn corners or accelerate. I hated that. Also, no more check engine light or sluggish start in first gear. Since the car hasn't been inspected yet (need to fix the rust holes) I just drove it to get the quote for rust repair. I've never driven an older car with so many miles, so I feel that I need to be extra nice to it when I drive it or else it'll break. Anyone else feel this way and will I eventually get over it?

On 4/23 I am having three rust holes repaired professionally. Two small ones on the underbody and a bigger one on the rocker panel. He cuts away the rust and then welds material onto the hole. We'll sand and paint the rocker panel repair ourselves to save some money.

There are a couple of surface rust spots on the car where the paint has chipped. We'll fix those ourselves, of course. But I want to double check and see what the best course of action is. Here is what I 'think' we'll be doing:

1. Sand rust away (what type of sandpaper do I use for this?)
2. Coat with rust stopper (POR 15, right?)
3. Touch up with paint.

Am I missing any steps here?

There is also a tiny hole starting where the bumper meets the bottom of the tailgate. Do I follow the instructions above, but use bondo in between POR 15 and paint?

Any help here is appreciated!

Oh, and where is the best place to get some paint for my car when touching up the rust spots?

Lastly, the screws that hold the tire well on over the spare are missing. Anyone have any or know exactly what size replacements I can get?

Thanks!

Julie