Power system service urgent warning

[Jut]

Hi there, I'm looking to buy a last of the line 2006 mk1 S80 D5 which I've seen at a dealers but it has 2 issues which I was hoping for some advice on.

1) It has a POWER SYSTEM SERVICE URGENT warning on the dash - the dealer advised the car had a dead alternator which has been replaced and they've got the receipt for, the error message is still appearing though - could this simply be a fault code which needs clearing, or could it indicate something else has been damaged when the alternator failed?

2) The car has an HU-850 head unit which powers up but produces no sound - from reading around this seems fairly common, is the general consensus that the solder joints in the head unit have probably failed and I should swap it with another unit from a similar age vehicle?

Thanks

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Jut

Hi there, I'm looking to buy a last of the line 2006 mk1 S80 D5 which I've seen at a dealers but it has 2 issues which I was hoping for some advice on.

1) It has a POWER SYSTEM SERVICE URGENT warning on the dash - the dealer advised the car had a dead alternator which has been replaced and they've got the receipt for, the error message is still appearing though - could this simply be a fault code which needs clearing, or could it indicate something else has been damaged when the alternator failed?

2) The car has an HU-850 head unit which powers up but produces no sound - from reading around this seems fairly common, is the general consensus that the solder joints in the head unit have probably failed and I should swap it with another unit from a similar age vehicle?

Thanks

just get them to fix it before you buy it. I cant see a volvo dealer selling a car with known faults .

[Jut]

It's not a main dealer selling the car - I'm wondering if they don't have a suitable VIDA or similar to clear the fault code, or if the code is indicative of something else needing replacement.

[XC70Bob]

A 2006 car would require the later version of the alternator , if the earlier version is fitted it will not work.

Its possible they fitted the earlier version because the later version is more expensive.

[Jut]

Originally Posted by XC70Bob

A 2006 car would require the later version of the alternator , if the earlier version is fitted it will not work.

Its possible they fitted the earlier version because the later version is more expensive.

Is the earlier one the 140amp and the later the 160amp?

Used car dealers being used car dealers, I can entirely see them going with whatever option was cheapest...

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Jut

It's not a main dealer selling the car - I'm wondering if they don't have a suitable VIDA or similar to clear the fault code, or if the code is indicative of something else needing replacement.

I would forget it unless the faults are fixed before you decide to buy it.. It makes you wonder what else is Lurking waiting to show itself later. what kind of place offers a car like that for sale ? They cant be giving a warranty surely?

[4x4]

When my alternator on the XC90 went caput and gave me the POWER SYSTEM SERVICE URGENT I had it rebuilt by my local Alternator guy, once it was put back on the car the message was gone and didn't require anything done or reset

HU-850 are common for breaking, from what I've read there are a couple of places that will resoled them but the cost is in the region of £200-£250

[XC70Bob]

Originally Posted by Jut

Is the earlier one the 140amp and the later the 160amp?

If my memory servers me right I think the alternator output varied with which engine your car has flitted and possibly which accessories are fitted,

the change after 2005 was that the later alternator uses an intelligent alternator controller which is connected to the data bus/CEM,

were as the earlier alternator just used the usual 12V feed to the alternator to power the excitation.

Regardless of the above I would want all the faults fixed before you even buy the car as there is no guarantee that replacing the alternator would fix the fault if the wrong one has been fitted/used for any length of time.

[Jut]

So long story short, I took a stupid chance buying the car (on the dealer's assertion that their mechanic had tested the battery and alternator, both were fine, and the dash warnings were simply not clearing but nothing to be worried about). In retrospect, massively stupid risk to take and was obviously going to come back to bite me.

Car did indeed drive for about 2 weeks of light use before the battery died. A local garage I trust and have used for years have fitted a new battery, and attempted to replace the alternator with both the 140a and 160a versions to be sure it's not a case of the wrong one being on the car - none of this has resolved the Power System Service Urgent warning or the red light on the dash. They are confident the car has an electrical problem requiring expertise they don't have, and suggested if I can't get the dealer to take it back, to take it to an auto-electrician to get to the bottom of it.

I am liaising with the garage I got it from about them taking the car back to sort out the issues but they are being predictably resistant so far.

Assuming that it is not the alt or the battery, is the CEM the next most likely culprit? I don't have a VIDA but I do have an ICarSoft Volvo scanner, which was reporting a fault along the lines of no LIN signal from the alternator to the CEM. The current alternator is a Bosch Volvo unit, part number 30667894.

Any help gratefully received, as I don't have faith that the dealer's mechanic knows what they are doing, even if they are willing to take the car back in for repair. Shame, as it is otherwise in pretty good order. Also, not like there is a glut of decent late P2 S80s left to choose from if I did decide to chuck in the towel on this one.

FWIW the dealer reduced the price of the car to allow for me to buy a replacement stereo for it, which I have done and have fitted, so if I handed the car back to them now, I'm out of pocket for that as well unless I refit the HU850 to it. What a ballache.