Volvo S80

jrogan

S80 Electrical Issues after replacing the batteryThe battery recently ran down, and was jumped. The car ran fine and everything at the time seemed to be working.
Once we replaced the battery with a new one from the Volvo dealership, the AC/heater does not work at all, neither does any of the consol buttons or lights. This included the display of what gear we are in.
Checked fuses and all are good.
All I could think of is that the computer somehow needs to be reset?!

Need help

volvomax

Yes,the car needs to be re-booted.
Once you reconnect the battery, lock the car w/ the remote. Wait a couple of sec and then unlock the car w/ the remote.
Everything should work.

britcrlvr

I owned a volvo S70 when the lease was about to run up I talked with the Volvo mechanics about an S80, they said, if you have no problem seeing us weekly it is a great car. Stay away it is trouble.

david3299

yes it did

e38fan

Okay, I've searched this forum and did a Google search also. in my 2001 S80 T6, I never opened her up since I bought it a month ago. Roads were clear and I decided to punch the accelerator and open her up. I accelerated from a stop light all the way to about 65-70 MPH. During the acceleration I felt a rocking back and forth feeling thoroughout all the gears not drastic but seat of the pants feeling. It felt like the transmission was trying to keep up with the engine. It felt like it was downshifting then upshifting. Acceleration was brisk but not smooth or linear. Maybe a better way to describe it is if you were driving a manual trans, it's like pressing the clutch slowly, shifing gears slowly, and the gear catching on slowly, but you are flooring it. I was not using the shiftronic and STC was on. Any ideas?

landlocked

Recently took my 01 S80 in to Borton Volvo in Minneapolis to get the software update to fix the "Limp Home Mode" issue and got a call at work a couple hours later from my service person saying that the computer module in the front passenger door had a fatal error and the window had stopped working. The fatal error showed up in a dump of codes from the computer, after which they discovered the problems with the window. I approved the work because I needed the window and lock to work, but I'm wondering if this error was actually related to the Limp Home fix. The window and lock were working fine when I was driving around the day before taking the car in. The cost for the new door module was nearly $500 for parts and labor, and I'm feeling like I've been had. BTW - after "fixing" my door, the auto-up/auto-down still wasn't working.

Has this happened to anyone else? Am I right to be suspicious?

qbrozen

if it was working fine, why did you let them do anything to it? I'm not sure I understand what exactly happened.

konocar400h

Im looking to buy a used volvo s80 T6 for my son, and am really worried about the reliability i am seeing in the consumer ratings on the edmunds site for this vehicle. Any ideas on what is the most reliable model year out there? Any advice would be extremly appriciated

volvomax

2004-2005 were the best T6's.
Personally, I'd go with the S80 2.5T.

heywood1

I agree with volvomax about the later 2.5T's being the more reliable buy. They're probably also cheaper to insure.

I own a 2000 T6, and trust me, this car is way to fast for a single male under the age of 25. I love the car (the T6 seats are just fabulous-- better than 2.5T), but it has been a frighteningly expensive car to own. At just 63,000, it's had five sets of brake rotors (three on the front, and two on the rear). I spent $2,100 on the extended warranty just before the factory one expired in 2004, and I'm coming out ahead-- and I haven't even had any of the dreaded throttle module issues. My extended warranty expires next month, and I'm shopping for an Acura MDX. The abysmal resale value I'm facing now is just insult to injury.
Most new BMW's, Benzes, Audis and Volvos are leased these days. Repair costs are the reason why no one wants to commit to these money pits after the factory warranty expires.

tulsahog

The coolant level is almost to the min mark. Car has 30k miles and have never had to add any.

Of course, the owners manual says to use a Volvo coolant.
Can't I add about 1/2 pint of a premium coolant (and distilled water 50/50 mix) like Prestone which says it is compatible with all coolant, and all cooling systems? Have used it on other cars with no problems.

horseygal

Hi, I just bought a S80 2T6 from a private, third owner. The check engine light came on and my mechanic says it is an emissions problem. He recommended a place to take it, I called them and they told me it may be still under warranty. He thinks the warranty is 8 yrs or 80,000 miles. It's a 2001 and has 78,000 miles on it. Is this a problem with this car? My first Volvo, but so far I love the car. Do the converters go out this fast on this car? Also, the engine seems VERY hot when I stop, but gauge doesn't budge past the halfway mark. Do they run hot? Any help will be appreciated as I don't know much about this car. Thank you in advance

qbrozen

80k isn't unheard of for a cat converter.

call the volvo dealer and see what they say about the warranty.

doctordick

But first make sure the gas cap is tight; if its even slightly
loose the check engine light can come on. Also, I had to replace a gas cap at about that mileage in a '99 T6. That is a relatively inexpensive fix for that warning.

I don't remember the length of the emissions warranty for these vehicles. Dealer of course will know.

Good luck! I'm on my third S80 and love them! doctordick.

horseygal

Thanks so much for all the help and advice. I LOVE this website. When I started looking for another car I did all my research on this site which saved me from buying some real lemons! I took my car to the dealer (very unwillingly) and it turns out the warranty is now 80K/8yrs. Well, it was the converter and I was just under the warranty, so it was all freee! I have a very bad opinion of Dealers, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this Volvo Dealer. Maybe they have cleaned up their act? I have found an excellent mechanic so will take my car there for future service, not the dealer.
Thanks again for all the help and good information. I love my Volvo more every day!

halon

Anyone had any issue with the Fuel door. My wife went to refuel her S80 and the fuel door came off. I have tired to put it back on but it seems you might need a special tool to get the mounting bar wedged into the hard rubber mounting points. I for the life of me cannot get it back on and really hate the idea of going to my less than friendly volvo dealer to shell out $90 an hours to have them do it.

Any suggestions?

doctordick

Where do you live? Isn't there a volvo specialist garage not the dealer in the area? I've been impressed that these folks know volvo's and repair them for a much more reasonable price.

In San Francisco, Exclusively Volvo are excellent. I have been going there for almost 20 years. In San Mateo, its Carlsen Volvo.

I believe in most areas there are such and though they are not inexpensive they are a lot less expensive than the dealers and mostly do very good work.

Good luck! doctor dick.

binmtv

Price: $17,995
Check Kelley Blue Book
Mileage: 55,447
Exterior Color: Silver
Interior Color: Beige
Body Style: Sedan
Doors: Four Door
Engine: 6 Cylinder
Transmission: Automatic
Drive Type: 2 wheel drive
VIN: YV1TS91Z941354778
Vehicle History Report
Stereo: Premium Sound System
Fuel Type: Gasoline

Check out website if you are interested.(show more)
http://cardirectorysite.com/forum/index.php?topic=1969.0

Volvo Certified preowned with 6 year 100,000 mile "like new" warranty with roadside assistance included Sold and serviced by Keystone Volvo since new ....5 YEARS OF FREE INPECTIONS AND EMISSIONS A $400.00 T0 $500.00 DOLLAR SAVINGS... Please give me a call today Toll Free at 1-866-567-3076 to schedule a test drive. Just ask for me, David Hughes, and I'll be happy to help. ...Buy Smart, Drive Safe...

sweetpea82

:confuse: :sick: I purchased an S80 2000 with 167,000 miles for $5,000
Sounds great.... well for what I've been hearing about the s80s it's better off at that price. I've failed inspection 3 times due to my check engine light. I've replaced the o2 censors, some sort of hose that I learned later on had nothing to do with the light. I've cleaned out my vaccumm line....hmm... oh yea I also paid $60 for an ECM upgrade. I've been to multiple places to take my codes out. I was told by DMV that it might be an evap canister to check the code and once I got that checked I was told that wasn't it. Is it my purge valve or leak detection valve??!! I was wondering what the heck can I do? I boguht a car that can't pass inspection. I bought the car from a woman who buys cars from an auction. I should have known better when the check engine light was on at the time of purchase. She at that time said it was nothing and it would turn off and the reason why it was on was because of low gas..what a fool I was?! By law is there anything I can do? I'm tired of being pulled over in Jersey for my FAILED INSPECTION STICKER!! :mad:

pat

Hi - welcome to CarSpace. While you are waiting for some feedback here you might want to cross-post in our Technical Questions discussion. It's not model specific, but there are several gearheads there who may not see your post here.

Good luck - hope we can help.

qbrozen

well, instead of throwing random parts at it, why not take it to a volvo dealer? they should be able to tell you exactly what the code is.

volvomax

I'm w/ gbrozen.
Just take the car to your local Volvo dealer and let them work on it.
Yes, it will cost more than going to an independent shop.
But, chances are they will be able to fix your car.

itawes

The manual says to buy the Volvo coolant. What generic coolant contains the same type of chemicals that the Volvo coolant has? Just trying to save some money.

itawes

Did you get a reply on this question?

horseygal

I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised to find a very nice Volvo dealer. I live in Los Angeles and went to the Westlake Volvo Dealer. That said, I have an excellent mechanic that knows Volvos so I will take the car to him unless it is a warranty issue. Maybe talk with a couple of Dealers in your area and see how they respond?

waipahu

Where is the AM antennae on the 1999 Volvo S80? My FM gets good reception but the AM is OK until I hit a bump or pot hole and then it's just static. I think the ground may be loose but I don't know where the antennae is.

volvomax

The antenna module is in the left rear section of the trunk.
If you open it up, you will see a bunch of black boxes and fuses boxes there.

grraymond

For all of you who own or are thinking about owning a S80 Volvo let me be the first (or maybe not the first) to warn you that the S80 is very expensive to own. I have a 2004 Volvo S80 with 79k miles on it. It is on its third tranmission and has new struts and motor mounts. This year I have spent over $4000 on repairs. It has unique windshield wipers available only at the Volvo dealer for $55 per set. The latest problem is a leaking power steering hose. To replace it they need to take out the radiator! Cost to fix....$795. The headlights last about 6 to 8 months and can not easliy be changed. I have had only one other car more expensive and this Volvo and it was a Porsche.

harry28

That's one of the reasons I have decided to lease an S80 for 2 years.

All warrantee, just routine maintanence.

Get to look forward to a new car before you know it.

Volvo is having a very good lease deal right now on the S80 for 24 months.

doctordick

Do any of you know how to replace the cabin air filter on the 2007 S 80??

Seems its a bit different from previous S 80's.

Any references would be appreciated. doctor dick.

tulsahog

Trying to replace a low beam lamp. Got cover off ok, but the plastic connector seems to be stuck. Are you supposed to pull straight out on it? I am afraid to pull too hard as the plastic connector or something might break. The spring holding the lamp in is easily disconnected, but must first remove connector since the assembled lamp and connector will not pass through the spring.

The car is a 2003 model and this is the first time to replace a headlamp. Should I squirt some WD-40 on the connector and let it soak a while or do I need to use some tool for removal? The manual says to pull straight out.

Thanks,

tulsahog

itawes,

Just saw your post. No, I did not get a reply, but went ahead and added some Prestone Premium coolant and there is no problem.

My '03 S80 needs new wiper blades? Did you find any refills other than going to the dealer?

Also, have you ever replaced a headlamp? See my post yesterday of problem pulling off the connector.

Thanks,

tulsahog

Took car to dealer and they worked the connector back and forth until it finally loosened.

madhurao1

We have put 46000 miles since 2004 on our S80. We've had to refill the coolant at least 3 times over the past 5 months. This is a new occurence. I thought the coolant loss was due to the hot summers here in Dallas but the condition recently occurred in winter.

Any thoughts or previous experience with this is appreciated.

madhurao1

We have put 46000 miles since 2004 on our S80. I have noticed the suspension makes clunking noises when turning left. My thought is that the lower control arm may need to be replaced but realize there could be many other things causing this.

I recently had the upper right and left strut bushings replaced. This helped the control the car 'bounce' but the clunking noises still remain. It doesn't help that Volvo has a large turning circle which puts strain on the suspension components when turning.

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

madhurao1

We have put 46000 miles since 2004 on our S80. About 6000 miles ago I got my front brakes fixed at a national car service company. I paid extra for the ceramic pads. I did this thinking that it would be helpful to have a national warranty in case we were traveling and needed the brakes fixed.

Now the brakes shudder when I am decelerating and a constant click noise can be heard when traveling at a low speed. I asked my local Volvo dealer here in Dallas (Park Place) who noted that the Volvo S80 rotors should be replaced in conjunction with the pads. Mixing the pads with the rotors apparently creates this condition. I wish I paid extra and got the work done there as it will cost me significantly more to fix this issue twice. (Plus my wife is upset with my cost cutting endeavor).

Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

madhurao1

We have put 46000 miles on our S80 since 2004. Would I buy another S80, maybe? The xenon headlights, warranty, safety record, and front wheel drive are the key benefits to consider the S80. If you can get a good incentive on this car this makes the decision easier.

If you want a car with rear wheel drive, great roadhandling, or performance, (and a good warranty too), get a BMW 5 series. If you want to spend about 10,000 to 15,000 less then get a Volkswagen Passat.

Bottom line, if you want to feel safe while driving get the S 80. Everyone will understand.

volvomax

I wouls look at the subframe bushings too.
BTW, the size of the turning circle has nothing to do w/ strain placed on the suspension components.
The S80 has a large circle because it is a wide car(meant to accomodate an inline 6 turned sideways) and it has wide tires,and its FWD, so the wheels cannot tuen a full 90 degrees.

volvomax

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times. You are ALWAYS best off having your dealer service your car,esp if it is a European car.

madhurao1

Good point. I still need to fix the problem. Since I need new rotors (and pads that are compatible) now should I get the Mintex brand that Volvo typically uses and have the Volvo [or a Volvo independent dealer] fix the brakes or have Volvo do the brakes and buy the parts from them directly? The difference is about $300, essentially equal to the reduced labor cost per hour and mark up on the brakes.

madhurao1

Thanks for the tip. Between this potential repair and a brake re-repair I'll be investing another $1500 into this car. I am starting to think about trading it in on an XC90.

This doesn't consider the $350 and time I invested (which was at least 3 trips during the day) to the retail brake shop. Now that I think about it maybe that's the only way to rationalize the cost of using the Volvo dealer; less wasted time, free loaner car, free car wash, and lots of free coffee!!!! You think I can drink a couple hundred dollars worth of free coffees to get to a break even point?

Laughter hurts less than regret...at this point.

itawes

Go to www.ipdusa.com for wiper blades. I have not replaced a headlamp yet.

volvomax

Is the Volvo dealer $300 more than the indy shop?

madhurao1

The quote is for $330 for just installing brake pads which involves about 1.5 hours of labor. I assume the rotors cost at least $200. The total pads and rotor labor is about 2.5 hours together, so at $100/hr my final cost would be close to $600. The dealership once in a while offers a 10% of service special. In fact they offered this about a week after I had the work done at the retail shop.

The independent garage will charge $100 to install the pads and rotors. I can buy the Volvo O.E.M pads and rotors through eBay for $170, maybe less. So that's the $300 savings I described before. Right now the braking performance is fine with the current set up, its just the noise I hear (and my wife reminds me of it) when we are driving slow. This, plus the suspension and need to add coolant and you get the making of a somewhat frustrated Volvo driver.

volvomax

Check the coolant bottle for cracks.
Chances are it needs to be replaced.

I'd show the Indy shop's estimate to the dealer and see if they will get more aggressive on their pricing.

madhurao1

Thanks. Will do. While at the dealer should I have the subframe mounts and lower control arms replaced too? I saw the left lower control arm and it appears to be worn out at the end of its limit. The car makes creaking noises when turning left, followed by clunks at slow speeds when the steering wheel is turned all the way left. We've gotten used to it but when I loaned the car out to a guest over the holidays he mentioned it to me. I noticed that a couple of other forum members such as jliberatore and cchase17 are having similar problems with their suspension and cooling issues. In your experience, are these common problems?

volvomax

Yes, I would have the mounts and control arm looked at.

The mounts have been an issue w/ the S80.
They are rubber bushings and don't last forever.
You've gotten pretty good mileage out of yours.
As for the cooling issue,that is more a hot weather market issue.
The plastic bottles on the newer cars are more robust,so that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

waipahu

I recently replaced the front brake pads and rotors on my 1999 S80. The Volvo dealer wanted over $600 for the job. I did it myself. I bought the pads & rotors( genuine Volvo parts) from Myswedishcar.com for $200. I received the parts in 24 hours and I took 1.5 hrs per wheel saving me over $400. The job is easy.

waipahu

About 3 days ago I noticed the smell of gasoline when I start my 1999 S80. The smell is noticable when I'm driving and when I park. At the same time it takes several seconds to start the engine where before it would start instantly. I changed the battery and spark plugs unnecessarily since they both appeared to be OK. There is no apparent leak anywhere. Any suggestions?

volvomax

Could be the Fuel pump.