When cars aren’t really broken.. but expensive to fix..

[Mattilacken]

I have a Volvo XC90 2007 that I bought recently, it’s used and I bought it knowing I might have some issues to deal with since it was broken down with a broken coil spring  when I bought it. But I know how to fix things, and thanks to the inter webs you can get allot of pointers to what the problem might be so I took the risk and bought it.

It’s a great car and so far it has only cost me $100 in repairs which is really nothing.
 

It have, since I bought it had a intermittent trouble with the drivers door. After closing the door it some times locks itself after a while, no worries I can live with that. A week ago it started to be locked when trying to close the door and acting wierd with locking and unlocking it self. After some research I found that previous Volvos had trouble with the lock it self and the lock motors wearing out so I dug in and started disassemble the door. To figure out that my car is teft proofed with protective plates and plastic. So the cutting disc came out to be able to remove the lock without removing the window assembly, took out an angle iron at the rail for the window so I could bend the lock unit out.

So far so good, but the module could not be opened, so the dremel cutting disc came out again to cut the glued lid apart. After some trouble shooting I saw that the engines where good but the arm that do the locking did not go in to its both positions. Examination of the function and parts showed no wear to the parts but I cut the arme loose from where it was pressed on and then locked in place with a hit with the hammer, just to examine the parts better. I could not find any fault.

After while of fiddling I thought to my self that I switch the motors around and re assemble the parts. Said and done I turned the arm to the position to where it had problem reaching and fixated it there with a hammer and a screw driver so metal fixed it in place.. and voilà! The unit worked again! Some 2k glue and the cut that I made earlier was fixed. 

So a bad fixation of the arm made all that trouble. Cost me nothing to fix except for time, and it was fun trying to figure out how everything went to getter and how it was suppose to function. 
 

To morrow I will call the OEM shop and ask how much they would charge for such a job. I guess since the lock can’t be changed without cutting the part is at least $500, if you don’t have to change more than just the lock unit. 
 

I know this is very common today that parts with some electronics just get replaced when they are usually quite cheap to fix. In my case free. 
An other of my diesel cars had trouble with the fuel management, it turned out to be moisture and some dirt that would have cost close to $450 for the part and labor. 
 

What did I want with this topic? I don’t know really, just to share som experience and maybe encourage some others to try to repair their broken electronics instead of throwing them away. And hey, they are not that complicated if you just think of what it’s suppose to do. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Mattilacken

[iamsuperdan]

Interesting. We have a 2006 Volvo XC90 with the 2.5T engine. It now has around 370,000km on it, and things are starting to wear out. It's just developed an oil leak, that for the life of me I can't find. It's due for an oil change anyway, so it will be at the dealer on Saturday.

The only real issue we've had in all that driving is the PCV system. Or in Volvo slang, the flame trap. We've had to replace that pipe twice, and it's a big job.

And a couple of years ago, the parking brake seized for some reason. Which is weird, because it has literally never been used. But, the wheels were totally locked up and we couldn't drive it. That's the only time it's seen a tow truck.

 

Other than that, routine maintenance only. Oh, and wifey broke the fuel filler door, so I had to put a new spring/hinge in that. 😛

 

 

Alas, we are looking at new vehicles now. This Volvo has been awesome, so we're looking at new ones. Possibly an XC40 Recharge.

  

[keyser]

Kluge fixes very satisfying. Harder to do on current stuff. Parts upgrades using similar parts another fave. 
Hard to get Volvo service here. Same local dealer group as the totally incompetent BMW point. Great interiors. Find a nice 245/850/760 and resto mod it. 🙂 So many awesome cars. 122/444/544. 

[Tom Geiger]

Easiest fix I ever did— my daughter had a Plymouth Breeze and she was complaining that sometimes.. randomly the car wouldn’t go into park. And so the key wouldn’t come out. She had to leave it that way in her work parking lot with a towel over the steering column so nobody would see the key.

The car had a recall for the floor shifter so I took  it to the dealer. They said there was no problem. 

Then one day she ran into the house proclaiming, “It’s doing it! I can’t get it into park!”  So I run out front interested in seeing the problem. 
 

I grab the shifter and move it back and forth.. I try to get it into Park and it stops! Then I realize it’s hitting a big coffee mug she has in the cup holder! Remove cup.. problem fixed!
 

 

[Bills72sj]

Back in the very early 80's when ethanol gas was first introduced. It was higher octane than the "regular" gas that was offered at the time. I had borrowed my younger brother's 1972 Grand Prix for a day or two. I thought I would treat him to a tank of this new higher octane gas. After I gave it back to him he had trouble like it would just run out of gas. However, the tank was still full. He actually changed the mechanical fuel pump twice (once on the side of the road) before giving up and having it towed to a mechanic. It turns out the mechanic had seen this problem frequently before. The alcohol in the "new" gas would dissolve the previous 9-10 years of varnish coating on the inside of the gas tank. This varnish would then clog the fuel pick up filter "sock" inside the tank and starve the pump of fuel. The car could idle but would die shortly after moving. The mechanic dropped the tank, removed the pickup/sending unit and ripped the sock off. Problem solved.

[Mike 1017]

With today's car if they won't start, they have to be towed to a repair shop.

I watch and attend Mecum Auctions. Used European luxury cars are affordable for $20,000 you get a very nice car. An inspection can run into the thousands. Brake job, new belts, alignment, and that rattling sound when you turn a corner. 

Point is: A used foreign car may seem like a bargain until it needs repairs

Mike

[Mattilacken]

14 minutes ago, Mike 1017 said:

With today's car if they won't start, they have to be towed to a repair shop.

I watch and attend Mecum Auctions. Used European luxury cars are affordable for $20,000 you get a very nice car. An inspection can run into the thousands. Brake job, new belts, alignment, and that rattling sound when you turn a corner. 

Point is: A used foreign car may seem like a bargain until it needs repairs

Mike

But still manny things you can do by your self it’s just more complicated than what it used to be and you might have to buy a special tool. But atleast here in EU there is shops that carry those tools for the non professional. Most annoying thing might be the MB’s and similar where you have to tell the computer to open the brakes to replace the pads, but I guess there is a aftermarket tool that can help you with that as well.

[stitchdup]

My mate had a renault clio, he  fixed it by rapidly parking it under a lorry and replacing it with a golf

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 7/27/2022 at 10:01 PM, Tom Geiger said:

Easiest fix I ever did...

Eons ago when I worked for a Triumph dealership, a ditzy woman bought a new TR6 from us. Dog knows why. A fashion statement I guess.

Anyway, it comes in on the hook repeatedly with the plugs so sooted up the poor thing won't run.

We changed the plugs several times, tested everything imaginable (remember, these were simple cars), road-tested it extensively, and couldn't find anything wrong.

She'd pick it up, and sure as shootin' it'd be back on the hook a few days later.

Finally she came in with it, exasperated, wanting a new car because this one must be a "lemon". And this time when questioned, she said it would start running bad shortly after she picked it up every time, get worse and worse, and then just quit.

I put another set of plugs in it, warmed it up, and asked her to take me for a drive.

First thing she does is pull the choke knob all the way out and hang her purse on it.     

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy
Punctilious punctuation

[RSchnell]

10 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

But still manny things you can do by your self it’s just more complicated than what it used to be and you might have to buy a special tool. But atleast here in EU there is shops that carry those tools for the non professional. Most annoying thing might be the MB’s and similar where you have to tell the computer to open the brakes to replace the pads, but I guess there is a aftermarket tool that can help you with that as well.

A lot of the newer cars have electronic parking brakes. My 2019 VW has them, it's really no big deal as you can use a cheap scan tool to do it. What was a real eye opener for me was working at an independent European car shop. The test drives were always fun! It was nothing to check ride an M5 BMW & S63 AMG in the same day.

[Mike 1017]

I am the best at holding a ladder, running for parts, grab a tool and of course the beer run. I can't cut a straight line with a hand saw, forget trying to hammer a nail without bending it.

So, I am no DIY person, and I am at the mercy of the car dealer. But I can build a great model car.

One day paper pushers will rule the world. LOL

Mike

 

[Bills72sj]

9 hours ago, Mike 1017 said:

One day paper pushers will rule the world. LOL

Mike

 

Until the power goes out... permanently.

[Mike 1017]

9 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

Until the power goes out... permanently.

Paper and pencil don't need power. LOL

[Mark]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:22 PM, Mike 1017 said:

 

Point is: A used foreign car may seem like a bargain until it needs repairs

Mike

Or until you are involved in an accident.  "Accident" doesn't automatically mean you hitting someone else...it also includes someone else hitting you.

Insurance will typically be high on those cars "because parts cost so much".  Yet, when you are involved in an accident with one, the insurance company will be quick to total it because of the low resale value.  They will then auction the totalled car and get good money for it, because of the value of the still usable parts.