I own a 2001 V70 wagon which is starting to get on my nerves - all sorts of little things. The latest is the dash lights which flicker all the time - this can be forced when the turn signals are used but happens on its own. The flickering can also be seen in the headlights when I pull into the garage and the beam is concentrated against the wall. When I am waiting in my car for my kids to emerge from somewhere I can't even listen to the radio - within one minute the message center reads "low battery voltage." The obvious answer is the battery so I took it in to a dealer after a 7 hour trip when the dash lights could have been used in a disco. I was told that the battery voltage was low but that the battery had been recharged and was fine. I asked two questions: How did this happen in the first place (he said "stop and start driving") and would the battery hold a charge given that it didn't seem to be doing so before (he assured me it would.) I no sooner get back in the car and go to make my first turn when what should happen? The dash lights start to flicker. I had to pick my children up from school so I couldn't turn back to the dealer - got to the school, turned the car off and the radio on - within one minute I got the "low battery voltage" message.

The car is due back in the dealer next week since the part for the broken tailgate lock will be in (it never ends - the brake rotors were also warped at 23,000 miles). Any ideas? Are Volvo batteries any good or should I just go elsewhere? The car is just 2 years and 2 months old. My last Volvo (1998 V70) needed a new battery after 3 1/2 years.

One further note - I am spending the next 6 months in Canada where the temp. is slightly colder than my car is used to and with two kids I can't afford to be stranded with a dead battery. I did mention this to the dealer but it obviously didn't make much of an impression.

Jane

Sounds either like a computer problem or you have a short somewhere in the system. Try having another dealer check out the problem. A second opinion. As for the battery, 3 1/2 years isn't bad, unless it was a 60 or 72 month battery. Mine lasted right to 4. Sears, Checker Auto Parts, NAPA all sell good batteries. Volvo batteries are batteries. My second battery is a Volvo and works fine.

Hope this helps.

I would get an interstate megatron. Sounds like
you may have a defective battery. Wouldn't even bother
fighting with volvo. Just invest the $80 bucks.

Also make sure your battery cables are clean.

Given the fact that I don't want to be stuck with a dead attery when I have children in the car I think I will just get a new battery. What I don't understand is why the dealer would tell me that a battery which has lost voltage will, after recharging, now hold its power with no problem. Then why did it lose power to begin with? I explained to him that I can't even listen to the radio with the car off without getting a warning message after one minute - I certainly don't sit in my car for hours on end and do this. The car is running or it and everything in it is off so the battery isn't being asked to power something without recharging.

Thanks for the info on the battery,

Jane

That is the other battery that I saw.

Jane, take the car in and have another dealer or an independant, run a voltage check on both the battery, the alternator and the voltage regulator. The battery is a storage device, the regulator, is supposed to insure that it's always up to its capacity, and the alternator is what feeds it electrical current. They are the major components in the electrical system. Unless you have a low current drain somewhere, you have a problem with one or another of the parts. Have them run both ampacity and voltage. Amps are what do the work, and voltage should be between 12 and 16 volts depending on the condition of the battery and the speed it is charging. The biggest single use of the battery is to get the car started, it supplies current to run the starter motor, and then as the engine runs, the alternator takes over. I don't know where you are at, but somewhere in your area, is a firm that does electrical work. That is probably all they do, and they will have the know-how and the equipment to test the various parts of the system. Short of that you are going to have to take it to a dealer, with hopes they can do, what is required. Ask your husband, brother, boyfriend, who-ever to go with you. It cuts down on the BS factor. Remember some mechanics, (not all but some) see a woman, and work on the premesis that "if you cann't fool them with facts, baffel them with BS." Good Luck!!

Sam in Cinci.

Jane--First, welcome to the "it never ends" club. Second, sounds to me like a electrical system charging problem or ground/connection is loose. Could also be a wacky alternator. I don't buy the battery scenario! I would also go to another dealer and get it checked. Hopefully you have a 3 year lease and only have to deal with the BS another year!

Thanks for all the input. I did indeed have to send my father in. He insisted on speaking to the mechanic not just the counter guy. The latest diagnosis (and this seems to be the correct one) is that the battery connection was loose and the battery was grounding on the main frame of the car (hope this makes sense.) Voltage was thereby being lost. So - the connection was tightened, the battery charged again and we will see how long the fix lasts. The dealer did not even think to look in that area until a man suggested it to him. And...it only took three appointments for the dealer to get the right lock in to fix the tailgate (they kept forgetting the car had a rear facing third seat which apparently then changes the lock in the tailgate.)

As for the rotors - yes, the car had recently had a 22,500 service and tire rotation. I have now had the rotors filed down to prevent the brake pulsing - if that doesn't work I will apparently need new rotors.

Jane

Your symptoms are exactly what I would expect if one or more of the rectifier diodes in the alternator have failed. This is a common alternator failure mode (not just for Volvos, but for every other make and model car as well). Your Dealer, or even local Sears Roebuck, should be able to check this with an oscilloscope. There will be obvious missing phases in the alternator output ripple waveform during charging if any diodes have failed. Memorize that last sentence, and recite it to the customer service rep at the Dealer . . . that will get their attention.

Regarding rotor warpage - it is most often due to one of the following two causes:
(1) Resurfacing as part od a "brake job". This is where some of the metal is removed in order to restore a perfectly smooth surface.
(2) Improper procededure tightening wheel lug bolts (the 5 bolts that hold each wheel on).
Just before you noticed the syptoms of warpage, did you have brake repairs or tires rotated? Or a State safety inspection (In my State, the inspectiors are famous for removing a wheel to check brake condition, then damaging the rotors when replacing it)?

Hi,
Have you checked level in battery? Although they claim to be maintenance free some still need top-up (with distilled water)easily overlooked even on brand new batteries. If battery has several screw caps on top it is worth checking as no battery new or old will hold a charge efficiently if level is not correct eg: level should be approx 1/8" over top of cell. Also if level is found to be very low in one or more cells top-up gradually as over dilution is not a good thing.
regards tomo