Anyone with a T8 at nearly 4 or 5 years old - read this!
 

As many people have reported there have been instances of failure of the electric motor in the rear axle. This unit is called the ERAD. In the past the entire unit has been replaced, which has been quoted as a circa 9k GBP cost. Repair is sometimes possible and there is now a repair and modification kit for this unit which I am led to believe is about 1.7k parts and about 12 hours labour. This will add up to a circa 3.5k GBP job to repair.

The ERAD can fail in different ways but common symptoms are hesitation on pulling away, pulling away then cutting out, juddering (axle tramp) or a loud clunking from the rear.

What I have found out recently is that Volvo has increased the warranty on this part to 5 years. Up to 4 years old they will pay for 100% of the repair cost. Up to 5 years old they will pay for 50%.

What I also now know is that this is strictly enforced. My car was 48 months old on 1.3.20. I had first symptoms on 8.3.20. I rang the dealer about a week later and it was booked in for 31.3.20. Due to UK shutdown I didn't get to the dealer until mid May when the codes were read and the fault diagnosed. The dealer tried very hard for goodwill for me, but Volvo UK refused as the 48 month deadline is strictly enforced. Volvo UK also have full access to the dealer software so they know exactly when the codes were read. So for me from Volvo all I am offered is 50% of the cost. Luckily I have an aftermarket warranty which should cover it.

So. For anyone experiencing any of the symptoms above, and if the car is close to either the 4 or 5 year anniversary then get to the dealer ASAP and get the codes read. It could save you a lot of money.

Hope that helps someone.

For clarity, am I right in thinking that more recent versions are not so prone to failure?
Definitely reinforces the point that its important to try and maintain some kind of warranty cover on vehicles like these, they are so complex and expensive to repair when things go wrong that the risk is just never worth it IMO.

I would agree re warranty cover. I do wonder how many Hybrids and EV's will end up being scrapped in years to come - whilst still relatively new - simply due to uneconomic repair costs..... so much for saving the planet.... and how many will buy EV's or electrified cars with the rumoured targetted scrappage scheme who end up paying out so much on PCP's cannot then afford dealer servicing and end up with high bills for repairs ......

Not to mention depreciation rates..........
There is possibly a logic in leasing the car or even key components such as battery/electric motors/transmissions?

Renault tried that with the Zoe battery, now dropped due to limited market take up.

And there is me hoping to buy a Volvo PHEV this coming weekend.....

I think so yes. The repair kit is apparently a significant modification, so I would be very surprised if the new units coming from the parts supplier to the factory were not also modified. When this happened though I have no idea.

I only bought mine at 3 years old because I could get a warranty. I wouldn't have entertained it without one - even though I had known the vehicle from new (it was my company car for the first 3 years of it's life). Provided there are no hitches and it does actually pay out then my £599 for a 3 year unlimited mileage aftermarket warranty is looking like a very good purchase indeed......

Car is booked in for w/c 22nd June. They need the car for 2 days to do the job. I will report back afterwards.

Thanks, a) is there a mileage limit? b) presumably it's only if something is wrong with it, they won't entertain any precautionary/advisory work on it?

In answer to your questions:-

a. I have been told by my dealer that there is no mileage limit.
b. Yes. It has to be faulty and ideally to save an error code. This is a repair of faulty units, not a precautionary repair or recall.

Hope that helps.

Update.

After a bit of messing about with problems with the availability of the part, the job is now completed.

I had a service and one other job done at the same time, they had the car for 2 days total.

According to their master tech, they are now quite proficient at this job and can get it just about done in a full day, but tend to still book in for 2 days in case of any hitches.

I was told the cost being invoiced to the warranty company was 2.3k GBP (I am not sure if this is ex VAT or inc VAT, I assume ex. VAT) so a bit cheaper than initially thought. Nothing to pay from my side, the aftermarket warranty company picks up the full bill.

Car is now transformed. Back to how it was when it was new. I am also getting more electric miles out of a full battery now than I have done for a long time too. I assumed the reduction in real range was due to battery degradation but it would appear it was actually due to problems with the motor.

Excellent service from Riverside Doncaster as usual.

Here's to the next 103,000 miles from the car!