So, my wife’s Volvo was rear-ended a few weeks ago. Not huge but enough to require a new rear bumper, etc. Fast forward to the pickup from the body shop which is where my question is from – apologies for the rather long back story, but I felt it was relevant.
My wife picked up her car and just as she started it, it made a horrible noise, like a whine or a scream, and the red triangle warning light with “Power system service urgent” lit up. She called me to meet her at the body shop (a reputable one, and one that Volvo dealer recommends). I popped the hood and found a nozzle attachment to an airhose lodged on top of the driver's side frame rail
. I removed it and gave it to the body shop manager who could tell I was pretty pissed off. I restarted the car, no warning lights came on, and I decided to drive it home (my wife happy to take my Audi).Within 30’, the same warning lights and message returned (no noise), then the abs warning light with “Anti-skid turned off”, directional light switch blinking, etc. She was shutting down. I pulled over just as the “Brake failure stop car safely” message appeared. As I pulled over I could hear a sound like a faint thumping every 10 seconds when foot on brake (coming from rear), as if something is trying to engage but can’t and is slipping. I couldn’t rev engine (car in P and accelerator pedal not responding at all) – no power.
Had the car towed to the Volvo dealer for a diagnosis per my conversation with the body shop. Here’s what the dealer said:
- The alternator pulley nut came loose and back out and now we need a new alternator ($850)
- Oil leak from the brake vacuum pump ($400)
Here’s my question:
Is there a possibility that the air gun nozzle that was left found its way onto the alternator belt and jammed it up momentarily enough for it to effectively seize, and in seizing, worked the pulley loose? Given the noise it made, I feel it did some damage in there, and from what I’ve read on this here, it’s entirely plausible. See this:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=34002
I'm guessing the oil leak is unrelated, but to be honest, at this point, I'm not sure of anything. The car ran flawlessly up until dropping it off at the body shop.
What say the experts here? Volvo said they couldn’t definitively say if the tool caused the problem with the alternator, but I am also waiting to speak directly to the tech working on the car. Figured I’d try and get the wisdom of this group as well. Hoping to bolster my inevitable argument with the body shop….
Help!
Thanks all.
Matthew.