Wipers fail to work on start up

[PhilClax]

Hi,

I have a V50 T5 (2004) which has developed an intermitent fault with the wipers. Occassionally after starting the car both front and rear wipers fail to work. Restarting the car makes no difference and so far I have only managed to get them to work again by pulling and reinserting the 30A main wiper fuse in the engine bay fuse box.
I have the car booked into the Volvo garage for two days so they can hopefully recreate the fault and repair. In the meantime I was hoping someonelse on the forum who may have been through something similar with wipers or any other system on the V50/S40 could give me some words of wisdom.

[shandy]

Hi,
Ive had the same problem and removed the fuse. Eventually I discovered that the battery was faulty when checked by an independant auto eletrician. My car was 12 months old at the time and volvo replaced the battery. This was a minor fault compared to the rest, but the dealer gave the car a software update aswell.
Good luck. They might plug the computer in and not find any fault codes. I find it easier to get an independant diagnosis by a real mechanic, then tell the dealer what the faults are.

[PhilClax]

Shandy,

Thanks for the advice. I guess I would go elsewhere if I was paying for the repair, however as mine is still under warranty I will probably save some time and go straight to the dealer.

Update on fault - I have now been told that this time (unlike the first time I mentioned the fault to the dealer) an error code was found, and the fault is within the control unit built into the front wiper motor. So I'm booked to have this changed this Friday - under warranty. If I this isn't the fix then I'll get someone to look at the battery first, before going back. Dread to think what the cost would be if it wasn’t. This has made me think seriously about changing the car when the warranty expires.

Many thanks.

[shandy]

Glad to help.
I just want to get rid of mine now. Volvo can build good strong cars, but when it comes to electrics and canbus, they dont have a clue. Above all the service receptionist did say "you will only know how good the car is when you have a crash" NICE...
What happened to the good old mechanic that could find the fault and not rely on a computer?