2004 V70 Alternator cost and do I have to use a Volvo one

leehigdon · Post by **leehigdon** » 11 May 2014, 15:28

I have a 2004 Volvo V70 with 135000 miles on it and a battery that is pretty new. The air conditioning and radio failed for one second when I came to a stop and then came right back on. I immediately ran it to Auto Zone to check the alternator and they said the battery was at 45% and the alternator was showing that is too was failing. They recommended replacing soon so as not to destroy the battery. I have had no check engine lights and the car has run fine otherwise. I am seeing the cost for the Volvo alternator and labor to be around $700.00. Do I need to use the Volvo one or can I use a Bosch or other manufacturer? What about rebuilt ones? Any advice is appreciated as I do not want to put more money into it than necessary. My experience has been I need the actual OEM part for most Volvo repairs. Hoping this is not the case here:( I have already replaced the catalytic converter and a/c compressor plus fixed a broken door handle, broken door lock and had a software download for the transmission. It has been running great for the past 9 months but I knew it had to end:) $5,300.00 and counting over the last 2-1/2 years for all service and repairs. Thanks!

Post by **precopster** » 11 May 2014, 17:43

The alternator is manufactured for Volvo by Bosch so as long as you can locate the Bosch numbers from online sellers for your vehicle that is all that you require for a replacement. In other words Bosch IS a genuine part for this car.

The labour to replace should be one hour (I just removed mine on a turbo over the weekend) If yours is non turbo there's less to undo.

The part cost for a rebullt Bosch is around $220 online. The only special tool for removal required is a T60 torx for the accessory belt tensioner

NC2001v70 · Post by **NC2001v70** » 11 May 2014, 18:47

I have a 2001 v70 and recently had a failure with the overvoltage message and red battery light. Battery died and needed a complete charge overnight on my charger and voltage was droppping and rising from the alternator. Researched all alternatives and found voltage regulator available at www.germanautoparts.com. out of New York for $55.00 plus shipping. I use these guys a lot to keep my old 1998 Volkswagen Jetta alive. Part took a few days to arrive but installation took about 4-5 hours and involved removal of alternator for voltage regulator replacement. I found enough information on this site in an evening of searches to put together a DIY for my 4-5 hour job. Successfully took care of problems and it has been 4 days driving around. I do not know if you have same alternator for your year and model but you may want to look into this as an alternative to complete replacement.

Post by **precopster** » 11 May 2014, 19:22

2004 was a cutoff year for alternators. Depending on the VIN it may have a different type of alternator which ran through to 2009 on the S60s. If the OP calls online dealers with his VIN he'll be able to determine which type of alternator it takes.

By the way 4 hours is slow going. As I mentioned 1 hour for an experienced mechanic to remove and 2 hours for a newbie quite easily. The regulator is swapped out in about 10 minutes.

I posted a You Tube video on 2001-2004 regulator replacement a couple of years ago. I mentioned in the video that it suits up to 2007. This is incorrect.

See if it fits your skill set:

leehigdon · Post by **leehigdon** » 12 May 2014, 10:30

Thanks for all of the advice. I have called my local mechanic who works on Volvos and he said he has used an alternator from O'Reilly's I believe in the past with success. He is going to test my car first and be sure he has got the correct part based on my engine number but he gave me a quote of around $200.00, plus tax for the part and $175-$225.00 for the labor which is much better than the $715.00 I was quoted from a local Volvo specialist. This was for a remanufactured Bosch alternator. He prefers the non-OEM alternator because it comes with a lifetime warranty compared to an one year warranty and again he has installed them before with no problems on other Volvos. What do you all think?

Post by **scot850** » 12 May 2014, 23:05

Can't talk for an 04 XC70, but O have an 00 V70R and fitted a recon Bosch unit a year ago for the same reason. It has a better warranty. I know Volvo now has a 2 year parts and labor warranty in North America, but I also couldn't justify paying 200%+ more for a Volvo (Bosch) recon at Volvo. Also, having spoken to Bosch, they had upgraded the unit I bought from the one Volvo sold (can't recall the issue).
So far, so good.

Neil.

leehigdon · Post by **leehigdon** » 13 May 2014, 09:35

Update - My mechanic called and of course he tested the battery and alternator as he does not trust results from Autozone and everything is testing fine. So I am off to pick up my car that appears to be running fine I guess. No codes or check engine lights were thrown when the ac and radio went off for a second. Now I am more worried because I have no idea what the cause is. Any ideas out there? I guess I have to wait for this to happen again in this 80 degree weather. Thanks again for all of the advice. Will keep this filed away for when this actually does happen.

Post by **scot850** » 13 May 2014, 19:50

Well hopefully it was just an aberration, but, here is another thing to think about.

Did your mechanic check for parasitic draw on the battery? It could be you have left something on, and it drew down the battery, and then running everything with a low battery may have caused the hiccup.
Do you do a lot of short trips or mainly longer runs? A lot of short trips with lots of stuff turned on may not be giving your battery time to recover fully.

Did you have to re-charge the battery, or was it ok?

Only other suggestion is to check all the battery cables and earth connections. I have heard of alternators causing leak downs as they start to fail. IT can be random, but otherwise appear all is well.

Hopefully as you say it is nothing, but just keep an eye out!

Good Luck,

Neil.