2001 S80 (2.9) Owner New to Forum

[Duffer]

Greetings fellow enthusiast's,
For the most part been a proud owner of a 2001 S80. I purchased it used from the dealer (certified pre-owned) with 25K miles on it. Since I have driven it to 135k miles.
Its paid for and that is a huge reason why I stick with the vehicle.

Otherwise, here are the problems I have encountered.
First is the spanking your wallet gets each time you go in for service. Volvo is not cheap with their $95 per hour service technician rate.

Second is the voltage problem Volvo has with the bulbs they use. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that if you want brighter bulbs then pass more voltage over them. Unfortunately it shortens the life of the bulb considerably. Why Volvo has neglected to address this, because its not only happening in the S80 line, is beyond me. Repeated attempts of complaining to the dealership has yielded nothing. And these bulbs run about $25 a piece.

Third was the radio antenna. I got some song an dance about some dielectric grease that was suppose to conduct the antenna signal through the rear class and deliver it to the radio. NOT!
I had that antenna repaired and cleaned several times and the problem reoccurred. Finally after complaining to Volvo North America did a area representative authorize a complete replacement of the antenna wiring harness from the rear window to the radio. Problem solved. Many hours of work lost along with the time and frustration.

Fourth, Downloaded patch to prevent engine fluxuation in the idle. Car would idle from 600 RPM to 1,000 RPM's while car is not moving. Not a real big problem unless you are making a turn and going slow enough where the car is not responsive when stepping on the accelerator or the car just stalls. The microcode patch solved the problem.

Fifth and my most recent happening with the vehicle is the intermittent heating and cooling of the Climate control system. Usually does not happen at higher speeds. Usually happens when car is traveling less than 50MPH or at a complete stop. AC starts blowing warm, damp musty air and sometimes it just blows hot air.
This typically happens when the outside air temp is 85 degrees or hotter.
I'm trying to acertain if this is a problem with my compressor or a problem with the climate control sensor? I took the car to my local mechanic because I'm nolonger on a maintenance plan and he said the system was charging fine and pressure was fine. No leaks etc...
So now I have to go back to Volvo and have them look at this. I've seen many posts on this problem on this site.
So I have a few questions for anyone who would like to respond.
1) what is recommended to solve this problem?
2) is it a climate control sensor issue? How easy is it to repair? Something an owner can do?
3) is it the compressor? Getting old and tired? How easy is it to replace?
4) or should I just take it to volvo for repairs?

My concern is the labor rate. I dont mind paying for parts but the rate is way too high. Plus, with problems like this in the past, it has taken two sometimes three or four trips to the service department before the problem has been solved. With the exception of the bulb failures. Volvo has neglected to step up and solve that problem.
So I'm trying to gather some information and make an educated decision before volvo drains my bank account.

Thoughts, suggestions, comments welcome....

Nice site, keep up the good work!

Duffa

[MadeInJapan]

Duffa, welcome to Matthew's! Sorry that I don't know anything about your particular A/C system. I'm sure Bill or someone else will chime in and give you good advise. Btw, I'm moving your post to the S80 section where I think it will get more attention. Don't worry- a "shadow" post will stay in this same spot.

[billofdurham]

Thank you MIJ. Here's my contribution.

Duffer, I am not an expert on AC issues but I have read lots and have good friends in 'the trade' who don't mind having their brains picked.

The first thing you need to do is get the fault codes read. I don't know if there is anyone in the US who can read the Climate Control codes other than a dealer, but it is possible as we have AC specialists in the UK who can read any car. This will save a lot of time and possibly money on wrong parts.

If your local man is happy about the compressor accept it. Obviously he is not prepared to rip you off by selling you a new one if you don't need it. His type are hard to find and should be cherished. Also why replace the compressor because it is "old and tired". So am I but I don't want to be replaced!!

On to sensors - there are so many that you probably would not replace the right one, without getting the codes read.

Examples of sensors: Evaperator temp; sun, nightfall; air quality etc. They can all affect the system in the way you describe. as can such things as Blower fan signal high or low.

Is there an AC specialist near to where you live or can your local mechanic point you in the direction of one? That would be my first port of call.

Bill.