C70 Passenger Side Electrics

[andyf117]

Originally Posted by pinballdave

If you removed the door connector without first disconnecting the battery, then you will get a Airbag warning message, as there's a side curtain airbag in the top of the door. The SRS ECU will detect that it's no longer connected and set an error code. This will need to be cleared with VIDA, or suitable fault code reader (most cheap ones won't reset SRS codes).

The rest of the symptoms are likely to be down to the 'Passenger Door Module' ECU that's mounted on the window winder motor. It'll be worth checking the fuse for the passenger door window, and if that doesn't work take the door card off, and check the connections on window motor.

I did, as at that time I couldn't access the Neg terminal of the battery - as it now looks like I'll have to get an auto-electrician in (nearest Volvo dealer is over a half-hour drive away), he'll presumably have the kit to test and re-set everything...
....trying to fix it myself has so far only made it worse - better I get help...

[andyf117]

A situation update - still no luck, especially in getting any local auto electricians to come and look at the car...
....first one said he couldn't re-set the airbag warning or anything else as he didn't have a computer to plug in - apparently doesn't do enough work on 'modern' cars to justify buying one...
....second one I phoned did an audible sucking in of breath through his teeth when I said "Volvo C70" and "hard-top convertible" in the same sentence - followed by a half-hearted "well, I suppose I could come and have a look" and that it would be £50 to do so...
....just returned from the local-ish garage where it gets its MoTs and has had a few bits done - after being recommended there by a fellow forumite after we first moved down here...
....they've had it all day, but were unable to find anything, and said the only option's to take it to the nearest Volvo dealer - having not done anything, they didn't charge me anything either...

[FredGraham]

Hi Andy
Not telling you to suck eggs, Google'd Volvo Auto Electricians near St Austell & a company called service4service.co.uk came up, if you haven't tried them hey, claim to be nationwide Volvo specialists, might be worth a call.
Fred

[andyf117]

So, at 10.30am this morning I dropped the car off at the nearest Volvo dealer (Truro Motor Company); was advised that the 'worst case' scenario would mean replacing all wiring to the door - apparently there had been a recall years ago across various models for an issue with wires becoming kinked and broken, and the intermittent problems I'd described suggested that might be what had happened...
....as when I drove it to and from my local-ish garage almost a week ago, the door mirror hadn't opened out on starting, the BLIS indicator light came on occasionally during the 35-minute trip, and the central locking lights were permanently lit in both doors - with tape sealing the one-and-a-half inch gap at the top, I never even tried to close the window...
....finally received a phone call at 5.15pm; having been told that full wiring replacement would be a half-a-day job involving door removal, cutting and rejoining some 20-30 wires, I fully expected to hear that was what had been done, complete with it's £600-£700 price tag...
....instead, I heard that they hadn't yet fixed anything, as when the car was driven into the workshop "everything was working fine"! I can't quite believe it - it's been unlocked/locked a number of times over the past week, and at no time has the mirror moved, nor has its indicator light worked, and the drive there suggested everything that side was still 'dead'...
....but apparently the window closed straight away, and moves as it should when the door's opened and closed - and after the local garage's diagnostics couldn't communicate with the door and they'd said to take it to the dealer, it seems Volvo's own all-singing all-dancing set-up can't find anything wrong...
....the wiring kit is being ordered 'just in case', and is apparently more expensive than expected, but having quoted £600-£700 they will honour that and charge £649 if replacement is what's required - but they will investigate further before taking any action...

[andyf117]

Originally Posted by FredGraham

Hi Andy
Not telling you to suck eggs, Google'd Volvo Auto Electricians near St Austell & a company called service4service.co.uk came up, if you haven't tried them hey, claim to be nationwide Volvo specialists, might be worth a call.
Fred

A belated thanks, Fred - I did look them up, but from what I could tell, they're a referral type set-up who would simply arrange a visit to a local 'specialist'...
....having already been to my trusted garage who'd said a dealer visit was the best option, I decided to stick with their advice...

[lockstock]

Originally Posted by andyf117

So, at 10.30am this morning I dropped the car off at the nearest Volvo dealer (Truro Motor Company); was advised that the 'worst case' scenario would mean replacing all wiring to the door - apparently there had been a recall years ago across various models for an issue with wires becoming kinked and broken, and the intermittent problems I'd described suggested that might be what had happened...
....as when I drove it to and from my local-ish garage almost a week ago, the door mirror hadn't opened out on starting, the BLIS indicator light came on occasionally during the 35-minute trip, and the central locking lights were permanently lit in both doors - with tape sealing the one-and-a-half inch gap at the top, I never even tried to close the window...
....finally received a phone call at 5.15pm; having been told that full wiring replacement would be a half-a-day job involving door removal, cutting and rejoining some 20-30 wires, I fully expected to hear that was what had been done, complete with it's £600-£700 price tag...
....instead, I heard that they hadn't yet fixed anything, as when the car was driven into the workshop "everything was working fine"! I can't quite believe it - it's been unlocked/locked a number of times over the past week, and at no time has the mirror moved, nor has its indicator light worked, and the drive there suggested everything that side was still 'dead'...
....but apparently the window closed straight away, and moves as it should when the door's opened and closed - and after the local garage's diagnostics couldn't communicate with the door area and they'd said to take it to the dealer, it seems Volvo's own all-singing all-dancing set-up can't find anything wrong...
....the wiring kit is being ordered 'just in case', and is apparently more expensive than expected, but having quoted £600-£700 they will honour that and charge £649 if replacement is what's required - but they will investigate further before taking any more action...

if there was an actual recall, then why would you be charged at all??? If it ends up needing the door loom/wiring replaced def get to the bottom of that before paying

[andyf117]

Originally Posted by lockstock

if there was an actual recall, then why would you be charged at all??? If it ends up needing the door loom/wiring replaced def get to the bottom of that before paying

That thought has occurred to me - I had a recall not long after I got it, for a clutch master cylinder, I think, and remember looking up somewhere what recalls applied to what models, and pretty sure it wasn't due any others...
....what I can't remember is how and where I found that information...
....the guy said that the recall was across various models - I mentioned having read on here about S40 and V50 door connector issues, and he specifically said also C30, C70 and others...

Edit: Now found and checked at Volvo UK using the VIN, and it says 'No Outstanding Recalls'...

[andyf117]

Just had a call from the dealer - the problem has finally been traced to the passenger door module, as suggested by pinballdave...
....that's the good news - the bad is that the actual module itself has failed, and so needs to be replaced...
....worse is that it can only be done by the dealer, as it has to be programmed to the car - it will take five days to get one, and total cost will be £850...

[pinballdave]

I have had success in fitting a drivers door module from a breakers yard, but this was for a 2007 model. If you can find one with matching part numbers and from a donor car with the same spec (ie, model year, with/without courtesy lights in the mirrors, BLIS etc) you might be OK without having to reprogram.

My breakers module cost me £24, and I fitted it in 10 minutes in the car park (to save a trip back to the breakers if it didn't work!). It might be worth a punt if the alternative is going to cost £850.

It's a shame you want the passenger side one, as I've got a spare drivers door module for a post-facelift C70 that's almost brand new. It came fitted to my pre-facelift C70 when I bought it, and caused no end of problems, as the pre- and post-facelift versions are not compatible.

[andyf117]

Originally Posted by pinballdave

I have had success in fitting a drivers door module from a breakers yard, but this was for a 2007 model. If you can find one with matching part numbers and from a donor car with the same spec (ie, model year, with/without courtesy lights in the mirrors, BLIS etc) you might be OK without having to reprogram.

My breakers module cost me £24, and I fitted it in 10 minutes in the car park (to save a trip back to the breakers if it didn't work!). It might be worth a punt if the alternative is going to cost £850.

Thanks, but the chances of finding one of the same spec are very remote; plus the garage I initially took it to said once Volvo diagnosed the issue, it would be cheaper to source parts secondhand (or through them) for them to fit rather than Volvo, unless it was something that would require coding...
....the guy at Volvo acknowledged that parts involving software are always more expensive because "they know they've got you over a barrel" - and said it's becoming an increasing trend to code parts to individual cars; he specifically cited a recent instance where a customer brought their car in with a simple door switch bought on eBay, which wasn't working after being fitted - because it was coded to the car it had come off and couldn't be re-programmed...
....he didn't actually say it, but implied that the idea is to stop people buying cheaper new or secondhand alternatives...