Hi everyone I have a V50 with a non working heater/cooling fan. Of course I'm going to need this for the winter to demister the car.
Read some posts on here and several people recommend using an independent specialist as opposed to a main dealer so I took it to one in Wigan.
First of all I was advised to have the car put on the VIDA diagnostic and as thought it came back with faulty/inoperative fan motor just as I suspected. So already £45 plus vat down. Then came the quote which I was told parts and labour would amount to £913.00 8.5 hours labour, similar outcome from another independent garage in Stockport. So spoke to main dealer in Warrington £995 inc vat. What grates me is Autodata book gives removal and refit time of 4.6 hours, main dealer gives 4.7 hours ( I can live with that) but the independent Volvo specialist quotes 8.5 hours.
I've since booked it in to a friends garage and explained the situation and basically he has said if Volvo main dealer says 4.7 hours then regardless of any extra time that is what I will be charged unless they can do it quicker. Which is something "the independent specialists " should do as I feel they are quite happy to rip me off !
The main dealer also said the last one he remembers doing it was only a partial dash removal and not a full removal with pedals off etc etc gaining access removing the floating dash and going in through the centre of the dash.
So although people think independent specialists are the best choice some quite evidently are not.