Interested in C30, what should I know?

[E-bmw]

I am very interested in getting a C30 as a commuting hack with a bit of style & am wondering if there is anything I should be aware of/on the lookout for?

I THINK I am primarily considering a 1.6 post 2011 (6 speed 113bhp) R design as a reasonable compromise to cover reasonable miles in a degree of comfort at around thew £4k mark with likely close to 100k miles.

[Davie]

Tons if information online on these with all the issues covered on great detail including many people who don't rate the 1.6D in terms of reliability and drivability. I've driven a 1.6D S40 and it was pretty dire. 2.0D is a far more robust and powerful unit that'll do 50mpg+ easily. Bar they, it's a Focus chassis so they drive well and are pretty cheap to maintain. But as said, loads of information online then go drive one... see what you think of it and the engine.

[mungral]

Buy a T5. Awesome little car, well proven Volvo engine. Good build quality although as with all "modern" Volvos the interior can become a bit tatty. 6 speed box is a bit busy for relaxing commuting but the auto should be ok. Check for regular oil and filter changes on the 5 cylinder engine as PCV diaphragm failure can occur (not a major problem).

Boot space is tiny and only two rear seats. Folding seats and seat belt can be a pain if access to the rear is needed often.

[DavidY]

To redress the 1.6D balance, I have a 2012 V50 1.6D R-Design from new, it is just coming up to 227K miles, and the only engine issue I've had is a replacement DPF filter (at 194K miles!!) - The engine pulls as well as it ever did and consistently averages 57mpg

Other issues have been minor, mainly suspension bushes etc, which you would expect with a car this mileage.

Its just passed its MOT with no advisories and so is rapidly heading for moon mileage

[E-bmw]

DavidY said:

To redress the 1.6D balance, I have a 2012 V50 1.6D R-Design from new, it is just coming up to 227K miles, and the only engine issue I've had is a replacement DPF filter (at 194K miles!!) - The engine pulls as well as it ever did and consistently averages 57mpg

Other issues have been minor, mainly suspension bushes etc, which you would expect with a car this mileage.

Its just passed its MOT with no advisories and so is rapidly heading for moon mileage

Sounds like a good experience then.

To also answer the previous poster.

Personally I don't do autos & as it is a long commute every 2 weeks & won't be used in between except occasional distance run I can't justify the difference in VED for a T5.

I will never use the back seats & will likely only use the passenger seat once a year.

[LTEcactus]

Worth considering a D3 that comes with the later models.
It's a 5 pot D5 engine that's been destroked to 2.0.
Very nice engine that makes a good sound.

The later C30s can also be quite expensive, I looked at getting one. But got a V40 instead as the difference in price wasn't a lot, but the V40 is a significant step up in terms of quality from the old C30

[E-bmw]

OK, worthy of consideration then.

I will try both & see, as for the V40, I did wonder what the differences were aside of the obvious door count.

[neal1980]

They are great cars I love mine which I unfortunately have to get rid of now as I work in brum and its not caz compliant.

Mine is a d5, manual, face-lift, I'm told quite rare... I've never seen another listed.. as said above the engine is fantastic 2.4 makes a great noise and goes well. Best car I've ever owned

[MrB.]

On my second C30, a 2009 2.0D R-Design SE ( I had a T5 a few years back) and they are excellent. Check the windscreen bonding if it’s a 2009/2010 (push the windscreen by the interior mirror from inside. If it moves, the sealant has perished and the screen needs which was an issue and can cause water leaks. This can lead to serious electrical issues.

Drive shafts can need replacing on cars that are lowered (a popular mod - mine is a little) and as mentioned, suspension bushes go quickly. Usual cambelt and water pumps on diesels too. They should be replaced around 100k.

Otherwise brilliant cars. Thinking of selling mine, but then I wonder what would replace it. Mine is a pre facelift (looks better IMHO) and has 104k on it. Drop me a line if you fancy a chat about it.

Bryan

[sjc]

I bought a 90k mile 1.6 petrol for £1800 a couple of years ago for my 17 year old done first car. It’s a cracking little thing, best small car seats I’ve even sat it in. Was cheap to insure, looks great to his mates eyes and short of having a 6th gear for cruising I can’t fault it.

[E-bmw]

MrB. said:

On my second C30, a 2009 2.0D R-Design SE ( I had a T5 a few years back) and they are excellent. Check the windscreen bonding if it’s a 2009/2010 (push the windscreen by the interior mirror from inside. If it moves, the sealant has perished and the screen needs which was an issue and can cause water leaks. This can lead to serious electrical issues.

Drive shafts can need replacing on cars that are lowered (a popular mod - mine is a little) and as mentioned, suspension bushes go quickly. Usual cambelt and water pumps on diesels too. They should be replaced around 100k.

Otherwise brilliant cars. Thinking of selling mine, but then I wonder what would replace it. Mine is a pre facelift (looks better IMHO) and has 104k on it. Drop me a line if you fancy a chat about it.

Bryan

Thanks for the insight, esp on the screen check, I will bear that in mind.

Suspension bushes & brakes, I would probably go through with a fine tooth-comb anyway as for the age of car I would be expecting wear/abuse.

I do think both pre/post look good, but I may now be able to go for the 2011+ 115/6spd if I am lucky. Still looking a few months away yet though, just doing pre-homework.

[Pothole]

sjc said:

I bought a 90k mile 1.6 petrol for £1800 a couple of years ago for my 17 year old done first car. It’s a cracking little thing, best small car seats I’ve even sat it in. Was cheap to insure, looks great to his mates eyes and short of having a 6th gear for cruising I can’t fault it.

Volvo do the best seats.

[sjc]

Pothole said:

sjc said:

I bought a 90k mile 1.6 petrol for £1800 a couple of years ago for my 17 year old done first car. It’s a cracking little thing, best small car seats I’ve even sat it in. Was cheap to insure, looks great to his mates eyes and short of having a 6th gear for cruising I can’t fault it.

Volvo do the best seats.

Oddly though,when I was looking at V70’s from a similar era all the seats felt odd !

[E-bmw]

Pothole said:

Volvo do the best seats.

They certainly look like they wear well.

Similar aged (non-Volvo) cars with leathers always seem stuffed by now.

[Eliehbeth]

I'm in a similar boat so I thought I'd bump this rather than start my own thread.

I currently have a '57 Pug 207 (1.6 Hdi) which seems to have finally gunged itself into the big car park in the sky. I had the EGR replaced in Jan but since I've had four more EGR related codes and a low fuel pressure code. It's done well enough in terms of mileage (155k) but carbon build up now seems to be fairly terminal.

I bring this up as I believe the C30 1.6 drive uses the same engine (with a stop/start and a dpf fitted?) If so, has anyone seen similar issues with the 1.6 diesels clogging up? I'm leaning towards the 5cyl D3 as it seems to be a bit more reliable but if the 1.6 can reliably do 150/160k, I could consider it.

The biggest downside of the 2.0 5cyl D3 is that the only one I can find has an unconfirmed service history (lost service book). MOT history looks not too bad but impossible to tell when/whether things like the belts have been done. Is it better to go for the 1.6 drivE with FSH or take a punt on the 5cyl D3?

Two cars I'm considering for reference:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109077...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105283...

And last question re the tiny boot. Just how tiny is it? Could I for example fit a dog (Lab sized) in it without someone calling the RSPCA on me?

[E-bmw]

Just observation from me as obviously I don't yet have first hand information.

There certainly seem to be many advertised WELL over 100/120/140 K miles.

I have seen references to DPFs causing turbo failure over time due to being blocked.

Also injectors seem to be a reasonably common issue.

None of those would put me off personally, as they are easily accounted/allowed for, with the car being a "keeper".

The boot seems to be shallow from load cover & the rear seats seem to be more spacious than most similar sized cars, and the load hatch is small & high.

None of those would put me off either as for me the car would only ever be lightly loaded to do my 150 mile commute every 2 weeks.

[DavidY]

My understanding is that Volvo improved a number of small things on the D2 engine around 2011, making it more reliable, I think my car has borne this out!!!

[E-bmw]

DavidY said:

My understanding is that Volvo improved a number of small things on the D2 engine around 2011, making it more reliable, I think my car has borne this out!!!

Mine too, in fact that has driven me to look at late 2010 on with the 113bhp engine/6 speed box.

[niva441]

Eliehbeth said:

And last question re the tiny boot. Just how tiny is it? Could I for example fit a dog (Lab sized) in it without someone calling the RSPCA on me?

Once things are in the boot it isn't a bad size as the floor area is good. However with the angle of the back of the C30, the upper area of the boot is a lot smaller. So once you've got stuff through the aperture (especially if using the hard load cover) it is a good size. I never tried my lab in the car, she always had the back seat. I suspect with the proximity of the hatch glass to the rear seat it isn't really suitable and as the hatch is all glass the boot contents are very exposed to sunlight. Also consider that the boot lip is quite high, so depending how athletic your dog is it might not be ideal.

[Challo]

niva441 said:

Eliehbeth said:

And last question re the tiny boot. Just how tiny is it? Could I for example fit a dog (Lab sized) in it without someone calling the RSPCA on me?

Once things are in the boot it isn't a bad size as the floor area is good. However with the angle of the back of the C30, the upper area of the boot is a lot smaller. So once you've got stuff through the aperture (especially if using the hard load cover) it is a good size. I never tried my lab in the car, she always had the back seat. I suspect with the proximity of the hatch glass to the rear seat it isn't really suitable and as the hatch is all glass the boot contents are very exposed to sunlight. Also consider that the boot lip is quite high, so depending how athletic your dog is it might not be ideal.

I had a D5, but the dog struggled to jump up due to the high boot lip and I didn't want to scratch up the bumper. Plus as you mention the glass lid makes things very exposed which the dog might not take kindly too.