C30 nothing but problems

abster · Post by **abster** » 15 Apr 2016, 04:27

Hi there, I have a 59 plate Volvo C30 and have had nothing but problems. My brother who is a mechanic is suggesting I get rid but I've only had it a year and really don't want to sell it. He's never liked 1.6D and said when I bought it I'd have nothing but problems. The faults coming up are making him nervous and he thinks the ECU may be on it's way out although no specific code comes up suggesting this.

I had loss of power which I've recently discovered is actually hunting. I had the DPF changed and it drove better and mpg was better. Volvo said that there was a split pipe causing loss of power and a sensor needing replacing so it went back in and also had a service and MOT.

The loss of power got worse after they changed the pipe and sensor and was occasionally followed by a strong smell of exhaust fumes. The mpg went down and it went back to Volvo who cleaned the EGR and said it may need replacing. The problem didn't get any better and I booked it back in. Every now and then the 'anti skid service' light would come on.

It went back in and Volvo quoted £900 for a new EGR and clean the contacts on the anti skid. I took it to my brothers garage and had the EGR changed. The hunting is worse and in addition to the anti skid I have the engine management light and 'dstc spin off'. I drive 70 miles a day and when the car gets warm the hunting is not as bad.

Driving home yesterday the engine management stayed on and the message 'dstc on' appeared. Like I said I don't want to sell it and I can't with the warning lights on anyway. I love the car but it's cost me £1200 in the last 2 months. I did manage to put a whole tank of petrol in it in October but realised and stopped after 300 yards. It was towed and emptied and the air filter changed and it was fine but thought it was worth explaining.

Please help I love my Volvo!!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 15 Apr 2016, 19:47

I"m trying to figure out the "59 Plate" designation on your Volvo...also EGR? I thought only older cars had this...I'm sort of lost from what you are saying. It could be a Brit designation we are not familiar with here in the States. Not on a newer car but when my Engine coolant Temp Sensor went out, my S70 had tons of unexplained issues. Did you mean ECT and not EGR? If that was just cleaned, I would replace it but make sure it's replaced with the actual one for your car that is made by Volvo. I had tons of problems buying and going through off-brand, less expensive ones before the problems were resolved and when they were, they were all resolved at once- it was the strangest thing! Btw, what year is your "59 Plate" C30?

1337 · Post by **1337** » 16 Apr 2016, 00:08

In the UK, this refers to the model year (or half-model year, specifically):

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/adv ... ystem-work

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 16 Apr 2016, 08:56

So if I understand things correctly a "59" is actually a 2009? I'm glad you posted- things are as clear as mud now. Oh, and I stand corrected- the Deisel model S40/V50 does have an EGR. I'm still lost though how to help the original poster. We don't have this car over here in the U.S. that I'm familiar with. Btw, the video shows how to replace the EGR which might be the best solution for you, but I don't know. Btw, some of your description reminds me of disconnecting the battery and not reconnecting it properly. Was this done? If so, you might try to disconnect battery again, wait 10 minutes or so and put key in position 2 and reconnect it again... this might clear the problems you are having.

Edit- I just re-read the original post- so the EGR was replaced...hmmm, I would try the battery disconnect-reconnect then. It can't hurt.