Let there be LIGHT! C30 Edition

Before selling the S40, I removed the brightest mod I had, my Eyourlife 20 inch Light Bar.

Using the same brackets bolted to the bumper, I hung my light bar just in front of the intercooler.

LED light bar mounted

LED light bar on car

Of course, many will question the point of blocking air flow from the front mount intercooler.  Admittedly, it does hinder things a bit.  But the upgraded intercooler still does its job; I have yet to experience heat soak with this car.  Besides, I'd rather see animals/debris on a dark road at night, than risk plowing over something in a car with only 1.5" of clearance.

The center console of the 2008+ P1 Volvo interior is slightly different from what my 2004 S40 had, so I installed the toggle switch in a small cutout where cars equipped with BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) would normally have a button.

Toggle switch

All in all, I am very pleased with this modification.  I receive a lot of compliments from the 4x4 crowd who only expect to find these high powered light bars installed on off road vehicles.  I do have another idea in the works that may allow for a bit more illumination without compromising air flow over my intercooler, but that is just another project for another day.

In case you missed the video from an earlier post, here is the light bar in action.

Door Speaker Grille Repair

Coming from a Volvo S40, the C30 doors seem ridiculously huge.  All the controls and interior bits reside in the same location, but the door itself is longer to provide easier access to the back seats.  This means you cannot open it as wide when parked next to a wall or another car.

Now, I would never consider myself to be clumsy person, but this C30 has proven me wrong...  Rotating to get out of this car requires Cirque du Soleil flexibility.  In the first few months of ownership, I completely cracked the speaker grilles by kicking them with my toe.

It was easy enough to ignore the cracks from a cosmetic point of view, but the rattling from heavy bass notes became unbearable.

Unfortunately, you cannot simply replace the speaker grilles.  They are plastic welded to the door card and sold as an entire unit.  That's a $200 piece of plastic!

Removing the cracked speaker grilles was not difficult, despite the plastic spot welds, my left foot had done a sufficient job in breaking those points loose.

Preferring not to leave the speaker grilles completely unprotected, it was time for a DIY project with parts from the local hardware store!

Supplies

Using wire cutters, I was able to cut out pieces of the mesh to match the shape of my speaker grilles.

Cut mesh

A few push clips for mounting and some foam trim to clean up the edges, it's a sufficient fix for the time being.  

Custom mesh speaker grille

Thankfully, I have since mastered the art of exiting my vehicle.  I know the final speaker grille was not the most beautiful part in my car, but I hope to create something a little more decorative in the near future.