I test drove an auto FWD 2007 V50 the other day and really really liked it. I would much rather have the AWD T5 M6, and I'm strongly considering getting one as my next daily driver.

My concern is with everything I've read about the electrical/computer issues. It seems this otherwise brilliant car has serious, and concerning issues. What I haven't been able to determine from my searches is whether this is restricted to certain model year V50's, or if certain ECU updates can completely rid the car of these gremlins. If I were to invest in one of these beauties is it just something I would have to live with, or is there a solution that would fix the computer issues once and for all?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

What sort of issues are you referring to? I haven't seen any ECM issues on those.

 

Searching edmunds.com turns up quite a few people having their door locks, wipers, headlights, etc grow a mind of their own. I really liked this car, but for a daily driver I really need it to be a car that I don't have to worry about when I'm a thousand miles away on vacation, for example. It's posts like this:

V50 Electrical Problems - Volvo Forum : Volvo Forums

It's between the V50, a legacy gt wagon, and a mazda6 wagon. I've only driven the V50 so far, but that was enough to want one!

 

That thread is pretty old- most of the problems are pretty easy to diagnose.

I have seen a couple of CEM's go bad, which can cause all sorts of problems- but it isn't as common as other issues.

Door lock problems are usually corroded connectors in the a pillars for the front doors. I haven't done a set of those in a long time, most of them that had problems have probably been taken care of.

 

So you're saying these problems are old and therefor easily rectified, or are just easier to diagnose due to the car's issues having been worked out by this point? Neither of those would change the fact that it would still cost time and money to have the issue fixed, correct?

Help me if I'm missing your point. I still find quite a few posts about volvos being the car to get if you are ok with "decent reliability." Many of those reliability concerns seem to be stemmed from the electronics. The V50 doesn't appear to be immune to these issues.

 

It isn't immune, but it isn't as big of a deal as people make it seem. Also, generally, it seems people come to the internet to rant rather than rave.


The problems are old and easier to diagnose by someone familiar with the car. Also, since the car is old, it may have already had some of them fixed. But there is no guarantee with any used car.

 

Makes sense. Thank you for your help. I wasn't sure if I should've posted this in a different section. Any other helpful information is welcome. I really do like the car.

Different subject, I've heard some people aren't as impressed with the AWD system in a volvo, vs. a subaru, etc. I'm not too worried about it, but curious if there is any rhyme or reason to that.

 

More common issues would be leaking front struts and out of spec rear camber requiring an updated upper control arm. You'll see rear tires with cupping on the inside edges.

Clogged sunroof drains are also common.

As for the AWD, I've never really driven a Subaru so I couldn't compare.

 

Thank you. I'll certainly keep those issues in mind. Yet, here is another post from someone with creepy electrical issues:

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...andomly-71583/

I've been on car forums for years, and have never heard of anything like this with other cars. Is this an example of he CEM going bad?

 

Could be, could just need a CCM upgrade. The problem with so many posts about various issues is that a lot of times the poster tries to fix it themselves. Something that might take me 30 minutes to fix at a minimal cost might take an indy shop not familiar with the car 3 guesses. Then the poster thinks the car had 3 problems all at once because the shop doesn't own up.

If you get a V50 and want to do your own work, get VIDA and a DiCE from ebay.

 

I definitely wouldn't be working on it myself, as far as those types of issues. But your thought is that a certified Volvo repair shop/dealer could easily diagnose and fix these types of problems? I appreciate that you are likely a long time Volvo owner, and that these cars have a lot of character, sometimes performance, and charisma, and you want to defend them to a degree. But I'm still a bit concerned with the fact that these cars have this type of problem in the first place. I'll have to weigh my options and see how secure I would be in my decision to get a V50. I truly appreciate your help on this.

 

I'm a long time dealer tech (and Volvo owner)

A dealer should have no problems diagnosing problems. Yes, the labor is higher. But sometimes you get what you pay for.

Unfortunately, I have seen plenty of crappy dealer techs too. So there is no blanket statement I can make to assure anyone of a used car with no problems ever. But in my experience, the V50 is not that bad.