1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Here you can start a thread about your 480 days. Only the starter of the thread is allowed to fill his thread, and only one thread per person. Threads are simply a personal diary.

Moderators: jifflemon, coyote1980, Rachel

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: Two years ongoing

Post by MisterH » Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:50 pm

Finally had some decent snow today and I just had to brave the conditions in the hunt of some great photos. I couldn't find a frozen waterfall so couldn't recreate one of my favourite press photos, but I think the backdrop complemented this Not-Quite-Nordic Wedge:

Image

Image

Image

Image
Image

Something about snow and Arctic Blue just works so well, I wonder why?
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by jamescarruthers » Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:54 pm

Looks great in the snow there. How did it feel to drive?

About 12 years ago I barrelled my old F-reg 250 miles in heavy snow at night in the dark— sidelights plus fogs gave great visibility! It felt very sure footed and was the fastest thing on the A1 by a considerable margin that night! The Swedes must have helped with this part of the handling.

The only time I’ve actually needed snow tyres and had them.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:07 pm

jamescarruthers wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:54 pm
Looks great in the snow there. How did it feel to drive?

About 12 years ago I barrelled my old F-reg 250 miles in heavy snow at night in the dark— sidelights plus fogs gave great visibility! It felt very sure footed and was the fastest thing on the A1 by a considerable margin that night! The Swedes must have helped with this part of the handling.

The only time I’ve actually needed snow tyres and had them.
It did behave erratically at junctions, however with suitable forward planning this wasn't a problem. It is no quattro, but I definitely felt safe driving it, I knew that it would have been developed with continental winters in mind.

I felt very reassured to have black underseal on the arches and cavity wax on the interior that is for sure!

One of my headlights is out of adjustment which is annoying, but at night it feels great to have such a powerful beam. Until a modern me-me-me-mobile comes the other way with two captured white dwarfs for headlights :angry:
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
Jay-Kay-Em
480 Rookie
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:42 pm
Location: Huntingdon
Contact:

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by Jay-Kay-Em » Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:35 pm

Hope you had fun in the snow! No matter how old I get, a little handbrake now and again can't be helped :wink:
MisterH wrote:
Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:07 pm
Until a modern me-me-me-mobile comes the other way with two captured white dwarfs for headlights :angry:
:rofl:

Don't get me started on these things. The latest BMWs have laser headlights now, they can actually fully automate where they cast their beams. All very well when working.... give it ten years...
Jay-Kay-Em
-------------------------------------
Click here for My 480 Turbo Diary
Click here for My Cars

100
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2018 10:23 pm

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by 100 » Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:09 am

That colour really suits the snow, there is something appropriate about a 480 in the snow. I can't help but picture it in the mountains with skis on the roof!

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:44 am

100 wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:09 am
That colour really suits the snow, there is something appropriate about a 480 in the snow. I can't help but picture it in the mountains with skis on the roof!
Funny that, I feel the 480 has the 'living daylights' factor that means it has that feel that would look so good in a dark winter 1980s setting with synth-rock in the background. A few cars have this, but haven't had the quattro in the snow yet, my father is rightly anxious about salt. Would love to do an Alps run though, get some real Living Daylights vibes in Austria...
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
brinkie
480 Connoisseur
Posts: 857
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:20 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by brinkie » Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:07 am

I've given away my set of Pollux alloys with snow tyres for the 480 last week to a friend who has his 480 as only car. Snow has become rare here due to global warming (at best we've got a mild frost at night and lots of cold rain during daytime) so I'm not bothering to put them on. When it snows, I'm letting the car in hibernation. My V70 has snow tyres though, so I'm still prepared.
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:04 pm

brinkie wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:07 am
I've given away my set of Pollux alloys with snow tyres for the 480 last week to a friend who has his 480 as only car. Snow has become rare here due to global warming (at best we've got a mild frost at night and lots of cold rain during daytime) so I'm not bothering to put them on. When it snows, I'm letting the car in hibernation. My V70 has snow tyres though, so I'm still prepared.
That's interesting, at some point I would love to explore the Nordic Nations, either in the 480 or another modern classic. How do these things perform in extreme conditions? I know it must have been tested in the arctic circle as part of Volvo's due diligence, but do we know of any really northern 480 owners?
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

100
Knows where Volvo is from
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2018 10:23 pm

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by 100 » Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:25 am

MisterH wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:44 am
100 wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:09 am
That colour really suits the snow, there is something appropriate about a 480 in the snow. I can't help but picture it in the mountains with skis on the roof!
Funny that, I feel the 480 has the 'living daylights' factor that means it has that feel that would look so good in a dark winter 1980s setting with synth-rock in the background. A few cars have this, but haven't had the quattro in the snow yet, my father is rightly anxious about salt. Would love to do an Alps run though, get some real Living Daylights vibes in Austria...
I was hoping to replicate this in the 480 at some point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdNcbs ... 6BeFzPJkPy

You've probably seen these but perhaps this one applies more to you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsMUx26BeF0

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:05 am

100 wrote:
Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:25 am
MisterH wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:44 am
100 wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:09 am
That colour really suits the snow, there is something appropriate about a 480 in the snow. I can't help but picture it in the mountains with skis on the roof!
Funny that, I feel the 480 has the 'living daylights' factor that means it has that feel that would look so good in a dark winter 1980s setting with synth-rock in the background. A few cars have this, but haven't had the quattro in the snow yet, my father is rightly anxious about salt. Would love to do an Alps run though, get some real Living Daylights vibes in Austria...
I was hoping to replicate this in the 480 at some point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdNcbs ... 6BeFzPJkPy

You've probably seen these but perhaps this one applies more to you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsMUx26BeF0
As a matter of fact I hadn't, I remember the Top Gear coupe challenge which ended with the Ice Race in the Alps, a nice low key but memorable adventure
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
brinkie
480 Connoisseur
Posts: 857
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:20 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by brinkie » Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:57 pm

I started to dislike Top Gear because of their childish, bullying kind of humour, Harry's Garage on the other hand is one of my favourites. Especially because Harry Metcalfe has a very balanced view on motoring, a kind of wisdom perhaps.

Seeing the videos of going to the Arctic Circle in an old Rolls-Royce and driving along mountain passes with a Lotus Esprit makes me wonder why I never took that adventure in the Matra Murena (which is kind of a poor man's Lotus Esprit - less power but equal in things that break) while I had the car. I should go on such an adventure with the 480 when my big Volvo friend is 18, that will be in 2023. I can't do that sooner as you can get a driving license at 17 but that isn't valid abroad until you're 18.

Driving in snow with a good set of winter tyres will be easy in a 480, it has front wheel drive with the engine in front, so that should give enough grip. I haven't driven it in snow though, because of the lack thereof. There has been only 1 day of winter this year with a little bit of snow, it's a much better investment to have tyres that perform well in the wet.
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:29 pm

brinkie wrote:
Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:57 pm
I started to dislike Top Gear because of their childish, bullying kind of humour, Harry's Garage on the other hand is one of my favourites. Especially because Harry Metcalfe has a very balanced view on motoring, a kind of wisdom perhaps.

Seeing the videos of going to the Arctic Circle in an old Rolls-Royce and driving along mountain passes with a Lotus Esprit makes me wonder why I never took that adventure in the Matra Murena (which is kind of a poor man's Lotus Esprit - less power but equal in things that break) while I had the car. I should go on such an adventure with the 480 when my big Volvo friend is 18, that will be in 2023. I can't do that sooner as you can get a driving license at 17 but that isn't valid abroad until you're 18.

Driving in snow with a good set of winter tyres will be easy in a 480, it has front wheel drive with the engine in front, so that should give enough grip. I haven't driven it in snow though, because of the lack thereof. There has been only 1 day of winter this year with a little bit of snow, it's a much better investment to have tyres that perform well in the wet.
Fair enough, TG made up an iconic part of my childhood, and now I just lust over the times when one could get a Porsche 944 for 2.5K :cryhard:

Yeah I haven't got winter tyres fitted, I think it is just normal ones, as our budget isn't endless, but it performed well with what it had. I had planned a European adventure for this year, however that is on hold and looks like it will be the UK instead
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Sun Jun 06, 2021 9:27 pm

Yesterday I had the honour of meeting Sylvia and Al for a run down to the Haynes Museum, was great to meet some faces to the characters I have met on the forum :hopping:

We met at the Winchester Autobarn on the roman road near my village, and had a coffee and chat about many things, I was extremely pleased that my car passed the expert inspection, being said to be in superb condition and one of the best sets of arches ever known unrestored. If only I was to know what was to befall my stoic and reliable little wedge that day...

Image

We started out as a convoy from the Winchester Autobarn and made our way across the south via B-road, following my father's local knowledge through some lovely roads over Salisbury Plain, my speedo was somewhat intermittent but stabilised after I aimed for some potholes.

We arrived at the Museum after keeping a good convoy speed up the A303 and avoiding stone'enge (nobody knows who causes a bottleneck there or what they were thinkin') only to find the breakfast club for the Sunday, not the Saturday. Nevertheless we had a drink and had a tour of the museum, learning the story of the Man Behind the Lies, they even had a miniature model of a 480 cabrio :lol:

Over the course of the Afternoon we saw their exceedingly nice collection of cars, I think the consensus was that the best car of the day had to be the 1994 Tatra 613, a beautiful piece that everyone liked.

After that we had a late lunch, I was trying to convince Al that a twin cam Rover 220 GSi 3 door was very much not a pensioners car, and discussed how suddenly loads of 480s were coming out of the woodwork, just as we as a club started rescuing them en masse.

The time came to go our separate ways, and I navigated my way back east, going through my ancestral home of Mere, and back through Salisbury, the westernmost point of my locale of normality.

I was almost home, then it happened.

I was pulling up to a set of lights after a brisk dual carriageway section, when all of a sudden all my wipers started moving and the light washers fired, even tho the lights were down, it was a good thing I had put RainX on. I had never seen anything like this occur on a car, even when our Audi quattro was in a bad period. I couldn't help but be reminded of the public information films on how to detect a stroke.

We pulled over and found that when the ignition was turned off the wipers stopped, but the main beams stayed on, even after the key was taken out. I wish the courtesy lights had worked when the system wasn't TFFM :crazy:

Image

We found that opening the passenger door cured the wipers, but gave me no indicators, but by the time I had figured that out I was home :rofl:

What followed was a very worried texting stream with Jeff and later Brinkie, the consensus being that the CEM was completely and utterly fried, or if it was repairable, it was need an expert looking at it, not the expert* that I am.
Image
After trying the Self Test today Brinkie very kindly agreed to send me a replacement unit, which as I type is navigating its way through the Dutch postal system. Hopefully this will just be a plug in job and I will get my car back, I really don't know what else to try at this stage.

However the trip was fantastic, had a fully functioning wedge for all the best bits, and now I can wrestle with the Rover for a few days on my errands :rofl: :rofl:
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
edie_fox
480 Rookie
Posts: 415
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 9:05 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by edie_fox » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:31 pm

Haha, glad it's a fixable problem. It's not a real 480 event if someone doesn't have a story to tell when they get back!

User avatar
brinkie
480 Connoisseur
Posts: 857
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2014 11:20 am
Location: The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by brinkie » Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:23 am

I have received a large donation of CEMs (-00, -01 and -III so covers every model year) and instrument clusters last week, never knew I was going to need them this quick! I should build a test fixture for the -01 (roughly the cars built in 1988, 1989 and 1990) which appear to be the most troublesome and have a self-test feature.

The estimate of arrival is between June 12 (next Saturday) and June 14. But the last time I've sent something, it was arriving by Wednesday already, so I'll keep fingers crossed it will arrive quickly and will solve the electrical gremlins!
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:04 pm

Today, thanks to the efforts and advice of Brinkie and Jeff, my car can now be declared exorcised of game breaking electrical gremlins. I plugged the new CEM in, kindly sent by Hero of the Wedge Brinkie, rather fittingly refit was not the reverse of removal, as this time I had to deconstruct the bonnet release to get it to go in properly, Ironic given the destination I was driving home from when it happened...

With that all done I took the car out for a spin and while the speedo is flickering on bumpy roads, there are no crazy wiper moments, and everything works as it should. As an aside I am sure the engine is now feeling smoother and a little quieter, though if that is just me being a better driver, or an unidentified symptom of my bad CEM, remains to be seen...

I cannot thank you enough, all those who helped get this car turned around within a week, I have an end of year school gala next week and I was banking on it being a Volvo trip, and not in the (admittedly more luxurious) Rover :hopping:
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:09 pm

The 480 is now famous* having now appeared in a piece of automotive journalism!

Image

This is part of a superb new magazine called Classic.Retro.Modern, which is well worth picking up as they have some well written features on lesser loved cars. And they have allowed me to give the club a good mention :hopping:
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

User avatar
dragonflyjewels
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1584
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:38 am
Location: Norfolk

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by dragonflyjewels » Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:14 pm

Well done Ben !! Looking forward to laying hands on a copy.
Sylvia

Snazzy - 1993 Paris Blue ES red dipstick 2.0i bought 2001
Lethal Lily - 1991 White Turbo
Paris the Unicorn - 1991 Paris Edition
hubby has
Sven - 1994 Racing Green GT
Evil Eva - 1992 Paris Blue Turbo

no previous 480s - can't bear to sell any

User avatar
MisterH
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2018 6:15 pm
Location: Stockbridge

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by MisterH » Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:22 pm

Need to start thinking about changing the Topic Title, anyway...

Yesterday I displayed the Volvo at the Forgotten Favourites line-up at the Beaulieu Autojumble. It was a great event, first time I had been, and I managed to bring some more automotive literature into my life too.

Image

The Forgotten Favourites feature, while never intended to be the main event, I personally felt was a bit of a flop. There was a lot of nice cars and I had some great conversations (more on that in a bit) I felt the exhibit was just a little bit out of place, quite a few people seemed more interested in the older stuff, modern classics, while certainly having their fans, didn't quite feel like they were in the right place (backed up by the fact that I couldn't find much in the way of post 1979 parts in the actual autojumble - granted I couldn't get to see it all).

Image

In spite of this, it was a very productive day in terms of spreading the word about the club. I was approached by a young lady in her early 20s who said she had one exactly like mine (same colour, F-Reg) which she sold a couple years ago but was trying to buy back (classic :lol: ) so I pointed her in the direction of here. Bigger news was to come though.

Image

After a mooch around the grounds I came back to find a card on the wiper blade, with a number requesting a call. A lot of people mistook the display for sales, so I was prepared to call up but not expecting much. However the chap returned while I was with the car and it turned out he lived locally and had a "Green, low mileage" 480 in his garage that he had bought for his grandson who had never used it. He said it ran and drove, but needed work for its MOT (DRL lense and pop up motor he said). Obviously I was very interested in this, so intend to try and get to see it this week. I have no idea if is is S/ES/Turbo/GT or what, but certainly worth a look. I know the Rescue group is getting overloaded but this could be a good one (I know that's what we said about all the others, but if it really is as bad as a lens and pop up motor it must be worth a look. Even I could mend those; probably)

On the way back the engine was running a little lumpy and continued being a bit funny today (I knew my father shouldn't have cleaned the engine with the garden hose) and the worlds most annoying squeak has continued its mischief from somewhere in the dash binnacle. And I have decided that now is the right time to replace the rear shocks which have been on there since before 2006 when it went into storage (probably not on axle stands either :kill: )

If anyone can recommend what shocks to get that would be really good. I am taking the car for the IoW Festival in a couple of weeks time and I would prefer not to have an adventure become a (Dutch) Scandi-drama :rofl:

Watch this space though, shall be an interesting week



Image
Image
Image
Image
Current Jobs to do (23/1/22):
Fix Central Locking
Fix drivers side speaker
Annoying Scratching Squeak
Water leaks
Complete Front O/S rebuild

Spainal
Started learning about 480
Posts: 90
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 7:38 pm
Location: Russia, Siberia, Krasnoyarsk
Contact:

Re: 1988 Volvo 480 ES - A New Era Dawns: One year on

Post by Spainal » Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:51 am

MisterH wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:04 pm
brinkie wrote:
Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:07 am
I've given away my set of Pollux alloys with snow tyres for the 480 last week to a friend who has his 480 as only car. Snow has become rare here due to global warming (at best we've got a mild frost at night and lots of cold rain during daytime) so I'm not bothering to put them on. When it snows, I'm letting the car in hibernation. My V70 has snow tyres though, so I'm still prepared.
That's interesting, at some point I would love to explore the Nordic Nations, either in the 480 or another modern classic. How do these things perform in extreme conditions? I know it must have been tested in the arctic circle as part of Volvo's due diligence, but do we know of any really northern 480 owners?
As I put the car on wheels, I will definitely make a video of how it drives across our Siberian expanses!
Volvo 480 Turbo!
I was born and live in Siberia! :hopping:

Post Reply