HELP! 2004 XC90 "Power System Urgent Service"
 

Hey, First Post so be gentle...

TL;DR: Car cut out all power, battery swapped out, alternator reading as fine on RAC diagnostics was fine and now warning still showing but not cutting out power, also keeps telling me the Parking Sensor needs servicing but parking sensors will work intermittently....please help!

So, Bought an XC90 exactly a week ago today...in fact, it's probably exactly a week to the hour that I had purchased from a dealer 2 hours away...

I knew the basic things to check, AWD had gone (Shaft was loose and would spin!) and the majority of its belts had been replaced, water pump and turbo have all be replaced...it seemed okay, I knocked the guy down from £3,500 to £3,000...Drove the 2-hour journey home without any issues.

Yesterday, went to pop to the shops with missus and 10w/o baby, went to pull out from a round-a-bout, fast, no power...cut out in the middle of a three-lane round-a-bout, after a minute of constant restarting, it gets going...on the motorway, less than 2 minutes down the road it cuts again...Nerves were shot holding my youngest child on the edge of a motorway with nowhere to go!

Call RAC, police turn up...we were stuck on the tiniest bit of hard shoulder, managed to get put on a flatbed and taken off the motorway RAC bloke plugged it in, tried charging the battery, no luck, his computer was reading that the alternator was working as it should...battery wasn't holding any charge properly, so £170 on the side of the road and battery was replaced...brand new battery.

Today driving to drop the kids off at school, the same message pops up "Power System Urgent Service" but this time no power problem...it came and went within two minutes and hasn't shown itself since...

However in its place is the "Parking Assist Require Service", Checked the fuses, swapped them out just in case, reversed, worked fine...Missus got in to take the little one to swimming and it came back with the warning...

Someone on FB has suggested the Regulator on the Alternator might be the issue with the power? Anyone able to back up that claim?

Have I bought a heap of S*** car or is there a simple fix?

I'm looking to find out soon because we are going to get it back to the dealer within 30 days if it looks to be too much hassle!

Sorry for the rant, bloody love the car already but its proving to be an absolute pain in my backside!

Yup- likely alternator. Get in touch with dealer- tell them car broke down on motorway putting your family at risk- say either you will return car or (if you really like it and as 2 hour journey ) tell them you will take to local indie and they liaise with them to fix it.

Hi.

Firstly, the scenario with your parking sensors is a common one. Many cases reported on these forums; the sensors and/or wiring loom seem to suffer from water ingress and eventual corrosion. I've had it happen to two cars. The situation is typically intermittent. Reasonably expensive to have replaced by Volvo (about £70 per sensor and £1-200 for a loom, I think I recall) but by all accounts workable OEM replacements are available on eBay which you or your local garage can fit.

On your major problem, it does seem to suggest that you have a charging / regulation problem, which could explain how the first battery came to die.

Given that you've bought it from a dealer and have a right to return, I'd suggest splashing a few quid at Volvo and getting a full VIDA diagnostic. If there is something seriously wrong, you have a pretty irrefutable report with which to present your dealer.

Its hard to see why a new battery on a D5 will flatten overnight??

Mysterious electrical problems and messages can often be traced to the CEM (Central Electronic Module) which have a habit of failing due to water/overheating damage on older cars.
Its one of the few things that can bring about total failure such as stuck in dangerous place with no power or controls!

After a brief stop all problems dissappear only to return when least expected.

Companies such as Volvo Diagnostic have built a business around rebuilding volvo electronic units.

Good luck