My car is vibrating upon acceleration in 3rd or 4th gear at 2000-3000 rpm. Its subtle, almost like a hum and it will stop vibrating when I let off the gas. My indy shop says it the got to be the tranny, my dealer says they checked the tranny and it was cool. They won't check software without charging me, which I think is bul%sh^t. If its something other than the tranny I'll pay. I don't think they cared much when they replaced the tranny because I checked the ATF level when I got home and it was low and my indy shop told me they didn't re-tighten the drive axle correctly. Any ideas out there?

Your story reads incomplete to me so far. I "assume" that a dealer has previously/recently replaced your trans and that the reman trans now has a problem? If that's correct, why then go to an independant as your reman trans has a 1 yr/unlimited mileage parts warranty through that dealer? Actually, ANY Volvo dealer anywhere could help you with that.

There IS trans SW that might cure your shifting problem too btw but why do you think that that's BS? If you recently had them replace your trans and you can demonstrate to a service writer or tech that there's still a problem with your trans, they "should be" commited to look into the SW and if it's not SW, it's a warranty issue.

I don't see the point in going to an independant for opinions when they can't check SW PNs (lack info and eqiupment) or diagnose the problem in detail. All that's doing is making a "he said, she said" debate without the facts.

I had my transmission replaced 10,000 milea and 6 months ago, right before the warrenty expired. I went to an indepentant shop to have my rotors replaced for $60 as apposed to $120. I asked him to look at the drivetrain while the car was lifted.

As for the software, I aske the dealer if any was downloaded for the new tranny, they said "of course." Where does the software go? Does it wash off in the rain?

The trans is still under warranty so go back to your dealer and explain the problem, asking that a tech ride with you so that you can demonstate what's happening. If it can be duplicated, they'd have no logical reason to ignore you or not address your problem as (IF it's a trans problem), they'll be paid by Volvo to replace it again if need be.

There is no need to ever DL software for a new (reman) trans. The SW goes into a trans ECU but that ECU cares less what trans is in that car (original vs reman). The ECUs adaptation should be reset (in theory) but that's about it. The SW PNs should be checked via the dealers Vadis PC to make sure that it has all the latest available SW. For '99 S80s, there are several dealer only tech net notes (available through their VEN network) which give plenty of detailed info about SW and available DLs. I'd assume that they would have done all that BEFORE replacing your trans however.

To date, I have not seen a bad reman S80 trans. Every one that we've installed is still doing OK and we've been replacing them since fall '98 when S80s first came out (not unusual as the first ones had problems).....GM trans!

Frank, thanks for your advice and, please, keep it coming.

I would agree that there shouldn't be any thing wrong with the new tranny, which is really my problem. You say they shouldn't need to DL SW with the new tranny install, but the dealer humored me with the assurance that necessary SW DL were done and that it shifts just fine. I never said I had a problem with shifts, it was vibrations. This leaves me ?'ing integrity yet another time. Because of this and schedules, I havn't made the effort to take the car back yet.

I want to go back with as much knowledge as possible so I avoid charges for cleaning throttle bodies and such. So tell me if you know, when the tranny is replaced, is there a certain rotation that the engine/trans needs to be in to be properly in sych? I think the vibrations are most noticeable in 3rd, when the engine and tranny are spinning at a 1:1 ratio.

Also, please think of any other drivetrain componants that may cause acceleration vibrations due to wear. Remember I have 84,000 miles.

Thanks, again.

A problem in many dealerships is lack of good technical communication at times. The guy you talk to isn't a technician, he's a service writer and most of those guys were never techs or really know many technical details themselves YET they still have to at least try to sound as professional as possible. Some ask techs when they don't know while others will make up a story, trying to tell the customer what he thinks that customer wants to hear. That's what I think happened in your case with the SW story IMO.

What else could be happening? Although you might think it's trans related, it might be a fuel (driveabilty) problem instead, a possible problem with a MAF meter or ETM (throttle module) which are both common part failures with your mileage.
An experienced tech could determine that vs a trans problem. I'm speculating but you really need to have a dealer tech diagnose that.