I bought a used 2016 S80 (United States edition) about 18 months ago. After owning it for about a year, I discovered a loose part under the passenger side front seat so I saved it. I strongly suspect that this is something that was left in the vehicle by the former owner, and CarMax failed to find it when prepping the car for resale. It has been knocking about in the trunk ever since, but before I throw it away I would like some second opinions as to what it is. I had a good look under the power seats on both sides and could not find a logical place for this part to have been attached. Unlike most car parts, there are no identification numbers or manufacturer's name stamped into the piece.

The only think I have had done to this car since I bought it is oil changes, and CarMax had to replace the rotary switch for the blower motor because it ran full blast all the time (even when off) which caused a parasitic draw that killed the battery a few times. Either this part is something from behind the center console somewhere that had to be removed to fix the blower switch, or else this is just a random piece of metallic junk from outer space.

The item is pictured below. It is a small metal box, made of aluminum or some very lightweight alloy, that is open on one end. I would guess that it is a cover for something, but I can't imagine what that would be. It measures 13.5 X 8 X 5.5 in centimeters, or 5.25 X 3 1/8, X 2 1/8 in inches. There are two semicircular cut-outs near the open end and two tiny holes drilled in the bottom. If anybody has any clue what this is, I would appreciate an answer.

Long side - 13.5 cm



Bottom view with the two holes

Top view

 

By the way, how do you like to 2016 S-80?
You have had the car for 1 year. The part laying on the floor under the seat has not caused any problems. So throw it away or put it another place and mark it 'unknown part found in 2016 Volvo S80.
Best of luck

 

Not ready to throw it away just yet. I want to make sure nobody else has any idea what this is before I do, but my gut tells me that is what will happen eventually.

The car itself is the best thing I have driven since my last Volvo, which was a 1973 ambulance orange 145 wagon (that was a few years back). That 145 was ugly as hell, but damn was it a true tank. It lived through a winter blizzard where we got 43 inches over a three-day period, and it never got stuck while everything else was buried to their axels.

The S80 is better than the S-class Mercedes I had, and it is loads more comfortable. Drives like a dream and gets 33 MPG when doing cross-country trips on the interstate. You can't ask for much more than that from a full-size car. It may outlive me but if not, I would replace it with an S90 in a heartbeat. My Miata was more fun to drive ; but that is very a different type of beast. I guess you can't have everything in just one machine.

 

The 145 sounds like a blast from the past alright. I've had about 10 Volvos in my 73 years and liked all of them except 1. If I'm going for a long drive I take my S-80, it's more comfortable than the S55 AMG Mercedes even with the Mercedes massaging seats. The Mercedes handles better and is much more powerful, much more powerful. The S-80 handles well but the Mercedes has hydraulic suspension and can pull 0.9g lateral, so the road test magazines claim. It obviously depends on the driver and tires etc. I could never do it. Enjoy your volvos.