2015 D5 (5 cyl auto) problems

[MattRS74]

Hi - posted this in the XC60 forum a couple of weeks back, but thought an engine specific thread might be better.

Recently, my 4 month old XC60 D5 (5 cyl auto) suddenly bogged down as I crossed some local busy traffic lights (from a standstill), revs wouldn't come up and it just slowly rolled forward. After a few seconds I flicked it across into sport mode and the revs came back... Limped home and called Volvo Assistance, as the 'engine check' light was now on. My wife reminded me I'd mentioned that the car felt down on power and hesitant the week before.

The Volvo Assistance guy came out from Allianz, checked the diagnostics and a few fault codes were shown (I can vaguely remember seeing EGR and O2 sensors mentioned). He tried to clear these but they came back immediately.

The car then spent 11 days with the dealer, who tried to clear codes, and sent the vehicle home with a technician a few days on the trot to try to capture the fault (where the codes and 'engine check' warning kept coming back) - they initially thought they'd traced the issue to a poor electrical connection, but it turned out not to be the case.

They moved on to live data capture in the car by the workshop manager and master technician, working with Volvo Technical. To cut a long story short, Volvo Technical 'remapped' the car last week (after considering asking the dealer to strip a demonstrator and try donor parts) and declared the issue fixed.

Over the weekend, after a few drives - I don't think it is resolved. There is now very little difference in pickup between normal and sport mode on the gearbox (both feel very aggressive), and I am occasionally finding a bad 'flat spot' that is similar to the bogging down that happened originally at the traffic lights. Now though, it is under hard acceleration - sometimes when you try to kick down and overtake it just holds the revs at that level and creeps forward...

Anybody know whether it is possible that they have taken the cheap way out and tried to 'map around' a problem in the ECU?

Need to get my language right before calling service again tomorrow... The dealer has been really good, but getting a little fed up now.


Thanks

Matt

[brickman]

I know nothing about the newer models such as yours, but to me, sounds like an issue with the gearbox ecu and unlikely to be the engine.

I.E. certain driving conditions its intercepting your throttle inputs and altering for whatever reason.

To me on a new car (anything under 3 years old) the fact the dealer has had to 'bodge' a custom map onto one of the ecu's sounds ridiculous. Do you know exactly what model of gearbox it has fitted? It could be its a supplier they have recently started using and are just starting to see issues arise with them, and until supplier/Volvo fix the issue, the dealers are just patching them up?*


*this isn't based on any fact, just a total stab in the dark! I'd be ****ed if my £30k+ premium car wasn't behaving as it should less than 3 years old, I would likely dump it with them, take a similar spec courtesy car and not return it until my car is 100%

[Considered1]

I believe if the car has had a total reset then it needs to learn your driving style all over again, when to change up etc. not really what you want when you get the car back after a major issue.

[MattRS74]

Thanks both.

The car is going back in this week - spoke with the dealer yesterday, just waiting for an equivalent car to become available. :-)

I did mull over possible driving style re-learning needed after the full reset, but it is still doing the same thing 5 days on..

I've also warned Volvo UK that this is attempt 2 to put the car back to new condition - after a 3rd i'm within my rights to begin rejection...

Regards

Matt

[brickman]

Yup totally. Note every conversation, every transaction, every symptom and the time it was reported to them.

You have to give them a number of opportunities to rectify the issue, usually 3-5 periods of stay with them, and then have to demonstrate that its not normal function. Also detail all the time its put you out, cost and mileage.

[MattRS74]

Finally sorted - the car was with the dealer for 20 days in total over the two visits.

They subsequently tried a donor ECU from another XC60, and the fault codes still kept coming back with the car randomly dropping into limp mode. So the master tech and a colleague then spent some 11 hours tracing the wiring loom to look for poor connections.

Having noticed that one of the main connections (containing 90+ wires) into the engine ECU was extremely difficult to release (and to snap back in place), they worked it around a few times and it eventually went home properly with a decent click.

The master tech has been running the car back and to home since Friday last week and the codes have not recurred. Got it back now and it feels right again...

Greenhous Shrewsbury have been superb, and I have emailed of the two CEOs of Greenhous Group Holdings to pass on my thanks..

Regards

Matt