should i stay and pay or cut losses?

Hi,

I’m need some quick advice as I have a big decision to make. I bought a used 1999 S70 AWD about 2 months ago with 103K miles on it. They gave me a 4500 mile/3 month warranty. At roughly mile 2300/month 2, I started seeing many of the issues people mentioned on this forum. Limp mode is a big one. Not knowing anything and not going to the internet, I’ve already had the following repairs: a mechanic replaced the transmission for a rebuilt one and cleaned the throttle body. This was about $650. A Volvo service center replaced the PNP switch and did a minor software upgrade. That was another $600. The problem persists. They just now told me the ETM is the issue. $1070. I'm out of extended warranty by about 5 months. No lights have come up on my dashboard and winter mode still seems like it’s working fine.

If this replacement will pretty much do it and be the last chapter, I suppose I’m prepared to shell out the money. If this will continue being a stream of mechanic income leaving me with no car, then I’ll just cut my losses and get an older 740. This is my second car ever. I love Volvos, but I’m getting heartbroken by how little of that mythic reliability I’m seeing. I only put about 8K miles on a car each year (I live in NYC and park on the street), am 30 but drive like I’m 70 and just want a safe, reliable car I can respect and be good to which will give me years of service.

Sorry to be long winded. Any advice?

Thanks!

~Seth

Seth, welcome to MVS.
Forget the $1000+ Volvo ETM replacement that will fail again.
If I were you I would get the one here and be done with it forever: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18155
Regards,
MIJ

hi MIJ,

In terms of the ETM, I hear and understand your point. If I get it through XeMODeX, it's $400 cheaper and guaranteed/warranted at least as well as the dealer would have it for (lifetime vs 12mo/12K mi).

I don't want to sound paranoid, but I guess my deep concern is, What if that *still* isn't the fix? Is that unlikely? Are my symptoms pretty much ETM symptoms? I know, no guarantees, no certainties, this is only advice, but maybe: Have others (lots? none?) *thought* the ETM was the issue, taken care of it, then found out it *wasn't* the problem?

Again, I hear the message, "if you're gonna replace the ETM, don't go Dealer, go XeMODeX". fair. but what if it's not the ETM?

Thanks,

~Seth

The ETM's all go on the '99-'01 models. I'm surprised yours has lasted as long as it has. If they are getting the ETM codes then it is it for sure. Symptoms are sudden cut-out, surging and strange idling as well as limp mode. I could of course not be able to say 100% that changing this out will fix your issues (if it's something else), but by doing the change-out, you're eliminating the future failure of the ETM. If it were my car and I was keeping it, the XeMODeX ETM would be a no brainer.

Do you have cruise control? TURN IT ON and go for a long drive. Does it mysteriously cut out at some point? Then it is your ETM. This is an indirect backdoor diagnostic. Your ETS light is not coming on because Volvo numbed the ETS diagnostic with their recall software "upgrade", but they didn't disable the "disable cruise control on sensing bad ETM" feature.

-Bruce

I had it picked up from the dealer and decided, whatever I do, I'm not paying the $1075 + tax number they want.

I asked for diagnostic codes and (I hope you'll forgive me, I'll write them unabridged since I don't know what is superfluous and what is useful) I saw the following:

Under "Control Module - Diagnostic Trouble Code"
ECM-261A Long-term fuel trim, bank 1 - Lower limit
ECM-91A7 Throttle position (TP) - Faulty control
ECM-91F0 Throttle position (TP) - Faulty current

And under "Status", all 3 said DTC is found active

For all the others, under status, it said "No fault found", and that includes the line for the ETM.

After doing a little bit of internet searching, I get the impression that the first code probably has to do with the MAF sensor, but I can't tell what the fix should be for the other two codes. Is it something with the computer? Just as importantly, will it be costly to keep snooping for what the *real* problem is?

Thanks!

p.s. yes, upon rare occasion I've observed it to drop out of cruise control, but the more often phenomenon is limp mode out of nowhere, fixable by pulling over for 3-5 minutes and continuing again.

fyi I went the XeMODex route.
approx 200 miles and 3 days in, things are looking good.
I'm hoping this means the problem was the ETM all along and no future repairs are needed!
thanks to folks on the forum for maintaining awareness of the ETM issue. If it wasn't for people keeping this known, folks like me would've had a very difficult decision to make.
all the best!

~Seth

Seth,
Glad it worked out for you...
It seems that Volvo keeps a lot about their ETM under wraps, possibly in an attempt to keep the customer paying until finally the ETM code comes on strong enough that they will cover it (or not if it's no longer under warranty). Please post back periodically to let us know if the XeMODeX is holding up and if it continues to keep those codes away.
-MIJ