HELP!!! $3500 spent already for A/C repair for 1995 850T

850 Lover · Post by **850 Lover** » 03 Feb 2006, 18:33

Serpentine belt broke. Took car to Firestone. Firestone diagnosed frozen compressor. Firestone replaced compressor. Got car back and noticed compressor and the fan by the radiator runs all the time. Air will only come out through middle vents and not side vents. The fan blower blows at full speed but only a small amount of air blows through the vents. Took the car back to Firestone. They kept car for two weeks and then told me that the the mode selector switch is bad, and that they do not have the tool to fix it. Took car to a recommended shop. Shop diagnosed that the mode switch is bad. Shop also diagnosed that the wire harness inside the dash were burnt. Harness and mode selector was replaced. Now we are back to square one. The a/c compressor and fan will not turn off when the engine is running even if the a/c is in the off position. What else can go wrong? Help!!!

Post by **pfeener** » 03 Feb 2006, 18:44

I hate to say it; but I think most of your problem started out at the Firestone shop. Most likely they didn't have anyone that was even familiar with the Volvo AC system. I don't usually ever recommend this, but I would ask around for a good Volvo dealer or an independent that just works on Volvos and let them take a look. I wouldn't go back to where you've been, I think they'll just continue to suck you dry. Just curious, how much did the Firestone place charge you for the compressor?

850 Lover · Post by **850 Lover** » 10 Feb 2006, 21:20

I was charged $1,000 for the compressor.

White850Turbo · Post by **White850Turbo** » 11 Feb 2006, 06:54

I hate to say it, but in this case, I think you'd have been better off taking the car to the dealer. You're saying that Firestone charged you $1000 for just the compressor, not including installation? If so, you really got hosed on that one. A brand new Volvo OEM compressor from the dealer will run you a bit over $500 and one can be bought online for about $375.

Might want to try throwing another climate control panel in from a junkyard... can't imagine it'd cost more than $50. These electrical problems can be nightmares. It just takes a lot of troubleshooting and trial & error to figure them out.