Help! XC70 ECU fault!

[ddg]

Hi guys,
my beloved XC70 developed an ECU error and Volvo West London quoted me over £3500 to fix it. My car is not worth that money but I really want to save it.

Has anyone had a similar issue before? I have a feeling they just didn't want to deal with my car because it's too old for them to get involved.

Car is in London area.

[S60D5-185]

Do you want to explain IN DETAIL exactly what the issue is with your car and whether it is still running?


It won't be the first time that a garage has got the diagnosis wrong and even if the ECU is faulty, it may still be able to be sorted at way less than the figure quoted.

We can only help when we know what the problem is.

[ddg]

You're totally right, my apologies.

2008 XC70, 162.000 miles on the clock, 2.4 Diesel.

I sent it to West London to have it fully serviced. It came back with no faults and all greeen lights.

Started it few weeks back on a very cold morning. Drove it few blocks and then the car died while running. Transmission error and low battery sign on the dash. When AA came we plugged a battery pack and the car started right up. Drove it for another couple of blocks and it died again, same dashboard warnings again. Car didn't start again (nor we tried to plug in the battery).

Sent it to West London again and they called me saying that there's an engine management fault and that it would cost roughly £3500.

I'd love to save the car, it's a member of the family now.
Any help would be much appreciated.

[S60D5-185]

In all fairness what the garage are saying just just doesn't sound right.


If the existing battery is old and weak, the cold start you mentioned could have pretty much finished it and in addition, on these cars , when the battery is low and failing, all manner of messages and errors can show due to this one simple element. How old is the battery and has it been load tested at all. In addition, has the charging system on the car been checked to see that the alternator is still working correctly. Basics that need to be done first.


I would get the car away from the garage, try it with a known good or new battery and see if it sorts itself out.


At the very least I would have wanted to know what codes are present to indicate that the ECU has died.

[Tannaton]

Agree with the above - on the basis of what you have said it seems more like a battery/charging system fault...?

It's very, very rare for a Volvo ECU/CEM to fail and even then it's usually water ingress.

Sometimes if the alternator fails it can short circuit and this causes all sorts of issues - but this is more common on the FoMoCo 4-pot engines than the D5.

[ddg]

My thoughts exactly, and in fairness they have shown in more than one way that they simply didn't want my business.

I've had the car taken away and now I don't know where to take it. I'm waiting to see if a garage I know can do something about it. They have been amazing in the past and they just showed that they care, which is more than I can say about Volvo West London.

[JRL]

Originally Posted by ddg

My thoughts exactly, and in fairness they have shown in more than one way that they simply didn't want my business.

I've had the car taken away and now I don't know where to take it. I'm waiting to see if a garage I know can do something about it. They have been amazing in the past and they just showed that they care, which is more than I can say about Volvo West London.

A quote of £3500 is simply another way of saying "we don't want your business".

Find an indy near you who can read the codes at least. If it is an ECU problem then there is a chance one of the traders on here can fix it. Look in the traders section but you really need someone who is at least interested and knowledgeable to look at the car first.

[tommyweaves]

I think the advice you've had so far is pretty much spot on. Would like to see a written quote for the work detailing exactly how they'd get through £3,500!

[krzemien]

VOLVO West London tried to charge me £120 (or whereabouts) for their 'further investigations' related to all sorts of scary messages displayed on the dashboard once battery has been swapped by them last year - the old one just dutifully and unexpectedly died in year #8 of ownership - instead of just resetting ECU as a matter of course, which I kept advising them about (and read on this very forum either). Just sayin'!

So the above answers sound very credible and you're hopefully just looking at buying new battery only.

How old was/is the battery?

The problem in London is rather very limited choice when it comes to VOLVO garages, but feedback to VOLVO UK perhaps should be of some consolation, and perhaps also help?

Still, let us know the result.