When we bought the 2007 V50 in Sept 2015 with a little over 93,000 miles on it. We now have 104,000 miles on it.

Within a few months after purchasing the car we started to get the ignition issue where you turn the key and the starter doesn't engage. All you hear is a sound. Hit it again and it starts. A few times we've had to hit it one more time but that is very, very rare.

A few months ago the left combo switch (turn signal) started to not work correctly. Installed the new one today.

Now the passengers door lock actuator at times won't lock or unlock.

The CD player will not work, radio works but not the CD player.

I had an 1990 XJ6 that didn't exhibit any of the above issues until it had over 150,000 miles on it. Older Jags were known for electrical gremlins but I didn't think Volvo's had the disease.

On the jag there were times that the locks got out of sync and there was a protocol to go through to get the computer to start thinking again. Is the same true for a V50 or is it just a weak failing actuator?

A small jab here -- my wife's Honda CRV just keeps purring along without any issues.

Our 2002 S60 has over 230,000 on it and no electrical gremlins like the 2007 V50. I'm losing my patience.

 

There is a procedure for reconnecting the battery. For some reason VADIS and VIDA say to put the key in position II when you reconnect. I forgot to do this once and had weird problems. The sun roof wouldn't close, power windows wouldn't work and the SRS light was on. After I remembered the procedure and disconnected to 15 minutes and did it right. All was good. I think there is a relearning process for windows, locks and the engine.

That said, I do believe that the P1 platform cars are prone to electrical issues. Honda's are just incredibly reliable. European cars are quirky but have more personality. Volvo's live up to their safety reputation. I have been in two that were totaled and I was fine. I've seen Hondas fold in similar wrecks. True that most cars have whiplash protection but the Europeans take it more seriously and actually have standards. Last I checked, Volvo and Jag had the best whiplash protection, both being very similar systems. I looked into this after my '02 S40 was totaled in a rear-end collision. I stopped for traffic on the DC beltway and the car behind didn't see and hit at 55mph. The WHIPS, crumple zone and super high strength steel worked flawlessly in concert and I walked away without even a backache.

That S40 had no major issues but minor issues from day one and I swore I would never buy another Volvo. After the accident I knew I would buy another and bought my first '05 V50 which I drove for nearly 200K miles until I hit a deer at highway speed. Again no injury for me or my son. I bought another '05 V50. Hopefully that says something.
Stan

 

It seems that our cars have an addiction and great need for VADIS and VIDA? Although the modern day cars do have their attachment to the company computer.

Ugh. Another car with electrical gremlins doesn't make me happy. The number one reason I finally gave up the Jag was after 15 years of Jag ownership (different models) I was tired of the list of electrical fixes or list of to-do's.

Volvo's have always been safe and I still remember the TV advert where they placed Volvo's on top of each other, a car tower. I still get a kick out of seeing a P544 on TV and a 1965 P544 was my first car. I paid $750 for a four year old car.

Now that I know of the electrical gremlins --- the V50 may be on the short list of cars to keep.

I may try to disconnect the battery for 15 minutes and re-install with the key in position two.

 

There is no special procedure for connecting the battery. When VIDA says to have the key in position 2, it is after SRS work. That way, if you accidentally pinched something that would cause the airbags to deploy when the battery is connected, you aren't sitting in the car.

The door locks are kinda common, as is the CD player. I can't say I've replaced any P1 turn signal switches but that doesn't mean they never fail.

 

Hm? I've never been a fan of removing trim panels, etc. Those plastic connectors are brittle. I have a set of bones tools but still --- many times there are breakage issues. Helped my son replace a window glide on his Saturn and one of the panel connectors was a glue on connector that broke off from the back of the trim. Had to do an epoxy job to it.

If I do work to fix the CD player I would like to upgrade it but I can't find any places that supply a double din with a wiring harness.

The CD will play but it doesn't want to give the CD back. I need to get small tweezers, reach into the small slot and grab the CD.

 

The 2004.5 and 2005 had the most gremlins. Most were cured with software updates. Once they are resolved, the car should be good. There was a recall for the door harness connector that cured a door lock issue.

Unfortunately the stereo system is very modular and interconnected via a fiber-optic MOST bus. The climate control and the stereo use the same display (ICM). This makes upgrading very difficult. Even if you get Volvo parts, you need to activate with software and good luck finding a Volvo service that will do the software for the upgrade. They like to stick with the factory configuration. The easiest fix for the CD is to replace it with the same part number CD player. Ebay has a wide selection.

An aftermarket option is the Bluepower BLP990 which integrates right into the system and adds many modern features. The downside is that you have to order from Sweden and it is around $500. I am thinking about buying one of these.
https://www.bluepower.se/en/product/...dunit-arm.html

 

Sort of makes sense. Doesn't explain what I experienced but not going to argue. Where did you get this info?

 

VIDA. If you look up the procedure for replacing a battery, its the usual disconnect negative then positive, remove and replace, connect positive then negative.

If you look up a procedure that involves the SRS, it either has you connect the battery with the key in position 2 or reach in from outside the car and turn the ignition on with your arm behind the steering wheel.

 

Looks like that BluePower head unit interfaces with the climate control and it looks like something to own. I'll need to get out my currency convertor to figure out what 590 EU equals in US dollars.

Funny you mention the door harness. I was pushing around the wires and the rubber at the door that looks like a connector and the locks have been working 100%. Ha --- now I jinxed it and I'll go out today it that lock won't work.

If I decide to keep the car I may consider that BluePower unit.

 

The price outside Sweden is actually a little better. If you start going through the checkout process it comes up 472 EUR + 32 EUR shipping. It goes up a little converting to USD. I have been watching the exchange rates lately with the little shake-up with the Euro.

 

I've searched around and there were a lot of hits about the door harness being the culprit. At some point there was a recall on the door harness.

I started moving the accordion rubber about and pushing on the connector that attaches to the door. Locks started working 100% and did so until yesterday. Then I went through the same process and the locks are again at 100%.

Would pulling the connector on the door and cleaning it be a good idea?

 

I think that is a good idea. DeOxit is a great contact cleaner. You may want to apply some dielectric grease around the connector to seal out moisture.

 

Now the question is how to pull the harness connector off of the door. I looked at it, it seems straight forward but I've been fooled before.

 

Today I removed the connector. When I pulled it off there was a light bit of liquid that came out / off of the connector side. Well that's not good!

I sprayed it down and applied a good amount of dielectric grease. It is working but it was working before I removed the connector. The test will be to see how it works in the future.

Removing the connector had me stumped at first but once I developed a technique to pop up the lock...it was easy.