On the boot strut. I've found that pug 205 struts work really well, but they don't have that connection, so what function does it perform? I realise I'm probably being a bit dim here.

Also, does anyone know where best to buy some 305-6 metallic black paint, enough for a tailgate? Halfords are having a laugh wanting £10.99 for a polly pocket sized tin of "might be a good match mate, dunno".

Thanks as ever,

John.

the conection is for the rear boot light i believe, i also need to replace these struts...


Cheers
will

Tis indeedy the boot light. I know on the struts GSF sell you need to put a bit of plastic tube (I used a bit of a pen) as therelative length of inner strut and outer casing is different, else the light never goes off, might be the same with 205 ones. Not sure about 205 ones, but 300 struts come in 2 flavours, as even Volvo realised the only way the spoiler creates downforce is the things weight...

On a related note, anyone ever had a ball joint that doesn't unscrew easy? I don't want to kill it, but can't get the switch off, and my new struts didn't have one All genius ideas on a postcard...

Chris_C wrote:else the light never goes off

+1

Chris_C wrote:On a related note, anyone ever had a ball joint that doesn't unscrew easy? I don't want to kill it, but can't get the switch off, and my new struts didn't have one All genius ideas on a postcard...

Maybe I understood it wrong, but why do you need to unscrew the ball joint? My struts had a kind of half-moon shaped clip on them, once that was removed it was easy to pop them out of the ball joint ...

Tom

So he can put the joint with the switch on his new struts.

OK, I get it - the ball joint off the strut, not the ball joint off the rear hatch

<edit>

filthyjohn wrote:Also, does anyone know where best to buy some 305-6 metallic black paint, enough for a tailgate? Halfords are having a laugh wanting £10.99 for a polly pocket sized tin of "might be a good match mate, dunno".

I'm interested in any non-Halfords paint advice too. In Germany, my colour code's not available anywhere, not from Volvo nor any other place, so I was quite chuffed when the Halfords bloke said "no problem mate, here yer go" on my last trip to the island.

I'll be having to test the paint match soon - my mum scraped a pillar in a car park over the weekend, not really being used to LHD. Aaargh!

</edit>

Tom

Do you get an equivalent to the Yellow Pages Tom? If it's any help to either of you, I got mine mixed from a company who specialise in only car paint in Hemel Hempstead (I did live in Watford at the time..) but there seems to be a company per big town that only mix car paint for a living. Often worth going to a body shop and asking if you can't find paint shops directly listed in the book.

And Dalahare's right, I need to right my old switch to my new strut, I don't have any boot light at the moment. I'm sure I have a switch in my spares box, but couldn't see it the other day.

Just checked, there're 4 places in my town specialising in car paint. I'll pay them a visit if my Halford's mix turns out to be no good.

But I'll probably be needing a body shop anyway - just thinking about that dent in my "new" car is making my blood boil.

Tom

Right, cheers guys. How does that circuit work then? it goes to earth through the strut or what? I might just put a rocker switch right next to the light itself, and not bother with getting the strut switch off.
The 205 struts work really well but open a tad too high, possibly making the hinges rub on the roof if you can imagine what I mean. I suppose I'd be better off with genuine volvo ones, but where can I get them and how can I be sure I'm getting the heavy duty ones for spoiler boots? I'll be switching the GLT to a non-spoiler tailgate but fancy the extra strength as the genuine ones on my vario don't feel too clever, even though the boot on that has probably hardly been used

Yeah, it goes to earth through the strut when you open the boot.

Hellfrauds paint match from what I can gather is utter s***e! I've now got the number of a place in Oxford who are meant to be pretty good. I certainly wasn't impressed with Hellfrauds stuff at all, plus it wasn't cheap.

Yeah I know what you mean about the boot struts John. My vario ones have probably never had a lot of use, and without spoiler still don't feel too clever.

Pete

It does depend on the colour. They managed to match my white car pretty well, but as you say, they are expensive for the quantity you get...

filthyjohn wrote:I suppose I'd be better off with genuine volvo ones, but where can I get them and how can I be sure I'm getting the heavy duty ones for spoiler boots? I'll be switching the GLT to a non-spoiler tailgate but fancy the extra strength as the genuine ones on my vario don't feel too clever, even though the boot on that has probably hardly been used

German Swedish & French do them cheapish, and they've lasted OK on my '60 the last couple of years. The spoiler ones are really quite stiff. On my small spoilered Mk2 you have to really pull that tailgate down - you're probably better off with the non-spoiler ones TBH.

Yeah, as Ronnie said, GSF ones are cheap, and they stock both flavours. I put the spoiler struts on fake the day before I fitted my spoiler, and really had to hang off the thing to get it down, can't think it'd do the hinges much good!

Why you going non spoiler? They are easy to fit!

If you get some off a volvo 440 with a boot spoiler they are much stronge, but not toolong, you can also unscrew the ends to screw the switch one back on!!!
Adam