Anyone with a T8 at nearly 4 or 5 years old - read this!

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by parody

I'm about to be a 2nd time xc90 owner. First time was the 2.0 diesel.

I'm now looking at a T8, and have been doing a huge amount of reading on the ERAD issue, and may have some useful input for this thread (and a question, of course!)

The car I'm looking at is very well priced with full Volvo same dealer history. I called the Volvo dealership to see if the ERAD already had work done - which it had in 2020 at 64k miles. The car is a 2016 model now with 104000 miles.

The dealership said the ERAD that was replaced in 2020 was the newer version at that time, but has been superseded twice since then. This might be useful information for this story as I see little about what updates were made and when. As far as I can gather this probably means that there is at least one more iteration after 2020 and before the 22.5 model year with the more powerful motor.

What I can't find is a good judgement of is how safe I am with a 2020 ERAD, and what the Volvo contribution or support is should it go wrong again. The dealership seemed to think the new part is out of warranty now at 3.5 years old, but that doesn't mean Volvo won't still co tribute under their 4/5 year (UK) extended coverage for ERAD issues.

Does anyone have an opinion on that?

I very much expect that on a 104k mile 2016 car you are basically on your own. You might screw 10% out of Volvo if you make enough fuss but I doubt you would get any more. The extra warranty up to 4-5 years I mention at the start is only against the age of the car, not the age of the part.

By the way, ERAD failure is not your biggest potential cost. Mine had a new ICE engine which cost me 11k when all was counted at the end of the day.

[unseen]

Really helpful post this - thanks for all the info

[HG2023]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

I very much expect that on a 104k mile 2016 car you are basically on your own. You might screw 10% out of Volvo if you make enough fuss but I doubt you would get any more. The extra warranty up to 4-5 years I mention at the start is only against the age of the car, not the age of the part.

By the way, ERAD failure is not your biggest potential cost. Mine had a new ICE engine which cost me 11k when all was counted at the end of the day.

Thank you this is a very useful post. Just been on the phone to Endeavour Automotive Chiswick about this issue. I first flagged the engine problem over 18mnths ago when the car was under 5yrs old. It has since been through a full service and returned with the same problem - a dangerous lag when depressing the accelerator. The car has 38k miles on the clock. I have been told the issue is unrelated to use and is a common technical fault. Although not common enough to mention when it may still be covered within the 5yrs, which is frustrating.

I've been informed that Volvo no longer offer any compensation for the part in the UK outside of the 3y initial warranty and won't offer any warranty for the new part if the car then changes hands. I.e. it doesn't seem to make sense to pay the £3.5k to repair half the ERAD when I understand the other half could just as easily fail and or having driven with a faulty ERAD for some time now the engine could fail.

Question:

1. is it best to pay to repair this part at a qualified Volvo dealer such as Endeavour or is there a cheaper way to get the part repaired
2. is it best to sell the car with the repair due if you plan on switching to something that isn't Volvo in the hope of getting a better car / service
3. how often do these cars have expensive part failures?

[HG2023]

Originally Posted by Owee

Hello again...looks like the ERAD has struck back!! Car hesitates when you put it into D after reversing (seems fine when you start car and drive off!!) Nothing happens when you put it into D and after about 10secs ICE comes on, car will start moving then about 3 secs later car will jolt forward, I assume that's the electric motor coming to life.
Bit disappointing as when the ERAD was changed in July 21, was told its the new redesigned part (was told 3k worth of repair was carried out) and its lasted just under 23k.
I have seen people mention new ERAD clutch, is this something separate to the ERAD?

Same problem - just been quoted £3.5k to replace ERAD on a 2017 T8 model with 38k miles on the clock. Have complained to Volvo as problem has persisted for past 18mnths with two warning lights that a full service couldn't get rid of.

The issue is annoying as I use the car so little (and Endeavour Automotive are so bad at after sales service) that I just hoped it could be repaired at the next service. Of course i am now being told it's out of warranty and there's no guarantee that driving on this unknown issue won't have damaged the engine.

A the same time they tell me the ERAD issue is unrelated to usage

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by HG2023

Same problem - just been quoted £3.5k to replace ERAD on a 2017 T8 model with 38k miles on the clock. Have complained to Volvo as problem has persisted for past 18mnths with two warning lights that a full service couldn't get rid of.

The issue is annoying as I use the car so little (and Endeavour Automotive are so bad at after sales service) that I just hoped it could be repaired at the next service. Of course i am now being told it's out of warranty and there's no guarantee that driving on this unknown issue won't have damaged the engine.

A the same time they tell me the ERAD issue is unrelated to usage

By engine do you mean the ICE or the ERAD?

[Paddyzulu]

I am currently in the market looking to buy a V90 T5,
Thought I would consider a T6/T8 to get on the future hybrid bandwagon,
I am so sorry to read of the poor owners let down by the car and Volvo, it has warned me off completely and more to the point its times like this when a great forum such as this and its great contributors can be an excellent resource in informing those such as me. Thank you.

[Jam Sandwich]

Like Paddyzulu, above, I’m in the market, too.

Having recently handed over a cosmetically wounded “Jam Sandwich” ( ex Police V70 D5 with Polestar upgrade) to the hands of the ‘car Charon’, to be transported to the Great Car-park in the sky, I’ve been looking for a 2nd hand V90.
We've considered full EVs from other manufacturers and we’ve been considering hybrids with V90 T6 or T8 marginally ahead of MB E300de wagon.
Having read this thread though, I think I’m going to look for a D5 and do more research on whether MB has suffered similar issues with their ERAD.

Just wondering, though; does the V90 suffer this issue as much as the XC90?

The XC is about 300kg heavier than the V which is only about 15%. Which doesn’t seem enough to suggest a significant difference.

Thanks to Philip Fisher (the OP) and everyone else who’s contributed to this thread. Very useful to be fore warned.

[sk546]

Originally Posted by Jam Sandwich

Like Paddyzulu, above, I’m in the market, too.

Having recently handed over a cosmetically wounded “Jam Sandwich” ( ex Police V70 D5 with Polestar upgrade) to the hands of the ‘car Charon’, to be transported to the Great Car-park in the sky, I’ve been looking for a 2nd hand V90.
We've considered full EVs from other manufacturers and we’ve been considering hybrids with V90 T6 or T8 marginally ahead of MB E300de wagon.
Having read this thread though, I think I’m going to look for a D5 and do more research on whether MB has suffered similar issues with their ERAD.

Just wondering, though; does the V90 suffer this issue as much as the XC90?

The XC is about 300kg heavier than the V which is only about 15%. Which doesn’t seem enough to suggest a significant difference.

Thanks to Philip Fisher (the OP) and everyone else who’s contributed to this thread. Very useful to be fore warned.

Just for info, MB do not operate an ERAD (Electronic Rear Axle Drive) on their Hybrids, they operate the more conventional electric motor driving the vehicles gearbox rather than a completely separate electric drive unit as Volvo use (MB: ICE and elec feed the AWD gearbox, Volvo: ICE on Front Axle/Elec on rear Axle).

Also for info, the later ERAD's on MY22.5 (extended Range) and later appear to be much more reliable than the earlier ERADs as I have only seen 1 or 2 mentions of any issues on the later cars with no full failures that I have seen or heard of yet.

I am on my second XC60 T8 currently (MY20 and now MY22.5) and have not had any issues with either of my 2 cars but owned both from new, swapped to current one after 2 and a bit years and not done over 22k miles in either as yet so its a little difficult to judge just yet as the main issues seem to appear in the cars later life.

[iana40]

I have the same ERAD issue on a T8 Inscription Pro and my car was booked in at Lookers Volvo Stockport on the 1st Feb 2024 for a major service, I had not seen this ERAD thread at that time.

I prefilled all the service information in the day before the service, including the loss of power and the screen blanking and rebooting on journey's, asking for the latest software and a check on the loss of power.

To my amazement I was told that on a service they do not run any engine management software during the service, they just 'change the oil and stuff' and it would be an additional £170 to run it and check this issue. They also said they did not have time to look at my notes from my preservice survey as they were always too busy. Needless to say, I lost my cool a told them it was their responsibility to run the software and to update the car management software during a service. They refused and said they were not aware of ANY power loss issues with their cars and it was just me.

I then booked my car in with a local Volvo specialist, but the earliest they could do was the 6th March (2 ex Volvo engineers with a combined 40 years experience). Two hours and £360 later they told me it was the commonly known ERAD issue and it may also be affecting the differential and I must get it back into an official Volvo dealer asap. they phoned the dealer for me and spoke to the service specialist to explain the issue to him. He said it was a known issue and that they would try to get some 'goodwill', but that this was not a recall issue, although they know it's a problem. We were quoted this will be £7k parts + Labour + VAT

The car is with Looker's today, reception have said they are not aware of any ERAD problems, but they will look into the issue and run the engine management software this morning. they also said they need the car all day as they are very busy.

I will send an update later, but at the moment the denial of an issue is ridiculous when the forum is listing them.

For the record: we charge the car every night and use most of the 21 miles of eDriving each day. These are the only two problems we have with the car, but they may be terminal for my Volvo relationship if not sorted amicably.

This is my second XC90, I also have a V40, which was a downsize to replace my S60.

[iana40]

Originally Posted by iana40

I have the same ERAD issue on a T8 Inscription Pro and my car was booked in at Lookers Volvo Stockport on the 1st Feb 2024 for a major service, I had not seen this ERAD thread at that time.

I prefilled all the service information in the day before the service, including the loss of power and the screen blanking and rebooting on journey's, asking for the latest software and a check on the loss of power.

To my amazement I was told that on a service they do not run any engine management software during the service, they just 'change the oil and stuff' and it would be an additional £170 to run it and check this issue. They also said they did not have time to look at my notes from my preservice survey as they were always too busy. Needless to say, I lost my cool a told them it was their responsibility to run the software and to update the car management software during a service. They refused and said they were not aware of ANY power loss issues with their cars and it was just me.

I then booked my car in with a local Volvo specialist, but the earliest they could do was the 6th March (2 ex Volvo engineers with a combined 40 years experience). Two hours and £360 later they told me it was the commonly known ERAD issue and it may also be affecting the differential and I must get it back into an official Volvo dealer asap. they phoned the dealer for me and spoke to the service specialist to explain the issue to him. He said it was a known issue and that they would try to get some 'goodwill', but that this was not a recall issue, although they know it's a problem. We were quoted this will be £7k parts + Labour + VAT

The car is with Looker's today, reception have said they are not aware of any ERAD problems, but they will look into the issue and run the engine management software this morning. they also said they need the car all day as they are very busy.

I will send an update later, but at the moment the denial of an issue is ridiculous when the forum is listing them.

For the record: we charge the car every night and use most of the 21 miles of eDriving each day. These are the only two problems we have with the car, but they may be terminal for my Volvo relationship if not sorted amicably.

This is my second XC90, I also have a V40, which was a downsize to replace my S60.

Update:

Lookers Volvo have confirmed the ERAD issue after draining the oil and finding metal shards. It is a total replacement, rather than repair. No charge for today's exploratory work and now it sits firmly with Volvo to respond. The vehicle has done just over 40k miles and is four years old.