I have a 2004 S60 2.4t that needs an oil change but also has a few things that need looked at. For a few days now it is not turning over well when starting. When leaving work today it failed once and started the second time and I had to hold the key fully turned longer than normal. Now, my car's mileage is a bit over 51,000 so it is out of warranty. Also, the car feels like it is lagging as I am accelerating on the highway. The temperatures have been over 100 degrees almost daily since mid May here. Would that have anything to do with it?

Also, the two power outlets that we plug the dvd player and cell phone charger into are not working either. I am guessing that this is due to a fuse being out?

I am going to Volvo North Scottsdale to have it looked at, as this is the closest dealer to me. I don't know an import repair place that is reputable so far. Any suggestions? And what kind of repair could I be looking at?

Thanks in advance for answering any or all of my questions!!

 

Hi, Jenz - It could be better than you think. For the power issue, I would take the car to Advance Auto Parts or someone similar to have them test the battery. It is recommended that the tester be hooked directly to the battery, located in the trunk. They (or you) will have to have some tools to remove the protective box covering the battery, and then they can check the terminals for corrosion, etc. and test the battery. If the battery tests good, and the wiring to the terminals appears good, check the battery connections under the hood for tightness or damage, especially the positive terminal located at the driver side of the car where the fuse and relay center is. If all visible connections are ok, you can have them do a starter (amperage) draw test to see how much amperage the starter is using. This will eliminate if the starter is using excessive power and if it requires replacement for that reason. I would think that you should see less than 200 amps draw (maybe 100-150?) when starting.

For the cigarette lighter outlets - you should be able to locate the fuse that runs these and replace it using either the manual or the fuse compartment labels for identification. Nice n' easy!

For the power issue - if you take it to the dealer for oil changes, ask if they will be performing any recall or service bulletin work. If you haven't had recall 155 done, they will be at least doing that. Recall 155, by the way, is for software for the throttle body - by most accounts this is a dramatic improvement in performance and responsiveness and maybe it hasn't been done yet. The dealer may also update other software for the car, as there are lots of changes that go on throughout the year..

Good luck!

- Lynn

 

What Brockman said.
And, the sofware update may not help with the starting issue. But along with the software update and recall... The ETM (throttle body) is responsible for idling issues, and surging issues. That is warrented for up to 200K and 10 years. Insist on a cleaning of the TB at the least. At the most a replacment of the ETM.

Get some ramps and do the oil changes yourself. Use Mobil 1 5/30 or German Castrol syntec 0/30. At that heat range I would use synthetic only.

I know some people just don't want to do their own oil changes though. Cheaper at an oil change place however than the dealer.
no doubt in my mind if you are at 51K then will honor warranty this one last time.

 

The Only Bad part is if he is out of the U.S. depending on where he is.
There is some Countries that the recall doesn't apply to.

If he is in the U.S. then it will be fine.

If he is out of the U.S. he can check with the Dealer about the recall and they will tell him if it apply's to him.