I recently purchased a 95 Volvo 850 GLT wagon with 181,400 miles on it. The engine and the transmission work fine. The radiator is cracked and I will be installing one myself.
The main problem is the suspension. The front rattles badly when going over bumps or medium side potholes. The struts are leaking badly. They do not compress at all just drop when the springs compress.
I jacked up the car on the driver side and the front driver wheel was moving in and out perpendicular to the car about 2 cm in and out. What is this?
My mechanic told me that I would need new ball joints (same as getting new control arms), sway bar links and bushing, and the new sway bar. Am I missing anything else?
How is it likely that sway bar would go bad. One from IPD is pricey, then is it a good idea to go with a used one from the salvage yard or where do I buy one which is less than $300.
Also how hard is it to change all this myself. I want to save some $$ by replacing struts and other components by myself. I got spring compressors so that is not a problem for me.
Another thing is that the car i missing or has cracked mud shields and some bumper clips are missing. Where do I get those clips and inexpensive mud shields. Do I need to go with Volvo part or would some other parts do from some car maybe?