I'm a new Volvo owner and am still trying to learn about these cars. I bought a 2004.5 a few months ago as a shared car for my wife and I since we both have work vehicles. I am afraid I might have been screwed. Ok here's the deal:

The "driver door open" light has been on from day one. I assumed this was the reason for the yellow warning light. There was also a red warning light that the seller said might have been ABS related. I noticed a slow oil leak as well.

I had the infamous sunroof leak complete with headliner damage. I fixed the drains on the A pillars and had the headliner replaced. The upholstery shop also repaired the bolsters on the front seats. Once I picked it up the SRS light was on. The repair shop gave us $100 back and said it should be able to be turned off at a Volvo shop.

Ok, took it to a reputable (if you can believe the online reviews) Volvo specialty shop in the Atlanta area. Good lord. I was told it needed:

Occupant weight sensor $1250 (part alone was said to cost $939 from dealer)

Rear main seal replaced $950

The shop said the SRS was the only issue that they found from the codes. This confuses me bc the door sensor light and the red warning light were on for 6 weeks before the SRS light ever came on. He said they are all connected. How is the "driver door open" sensor related to the occupant weight sensor??

Do these prices sound reasonable?

Could I not just buy a whole used passenger seat for way less than that and it be plug-n-play?

Any advice is certainly appreciated. Thanks.

 

The rear main seal leak means lots of labor so I could see that price. However, that number buys quite a bit of oil. Tough call there. If you did the work yourself it would save you about $900 of that $950.

I'm with you on replacing the whole seat for that price. First make sure it's not just a loose connection. When I bought my 2005 the brake warning light was on even though the fluid level was full. After removing the plastic blocking the master cylinder I found the sensor wire disconnected. A simple push and "click" and the light was gone for good.

You could also shop around for the sensor online. There are a few online Volvo dealers with significantly lower prices than the local dealer parts counter.

 

One of the largest Volvo part suppliers in Atlanta said he would not have anything to do with the occupant weight sensor. He seemed scared of it. He did off to let me try installing a seat in there to see if it fixed the problem. Nice enough guy. I'll probably try that on my day off.

Any input on the "driver door open" warning light? How can I fix that>?