V60 hybrid phev ISG failure

[Bungle1976]

Originally Posted by London Volvo

The electric AC unit of V60 Hybrids is a well known problem at Volvo. However, take your car to a Volvo main dealer and they will act like they have never come across the problem before. The charge for a repair at the main dealer is GBP2,500 and Volvo will charge a premium for selling what is an AC unit with a significant latent defect.

When the AC unit fails, it causes a short circuit which drains the starter battery of power. Even a charge of the starter battery will not allow the car to start.

The only emergency method of getting the car to start is to use the Volvo App and get the car to pre-heat or cool the car-you can then start the diesel engine and possibly get to where you need to go in "limp mode".

There is no easy diagnostic code for the AC failure-when the starter battery is drained, pretty much every fault code registers and a main dealer will start replacing parts for everything that is showing a fault code. My main dealer (Senintel on Seven Sisters Road) changed the On Call battery at GBP 500 first and then wanted to charge the same again to replace the starter battery. After which they quoted GBP 2,500 to replace the AC Unit, but only after I told them that the AC unit was not working. Volvo UK were worse than useless in trying to get Senintel to diagnose the car and refused to provide a hire car under Volvo Assist until the dealer diagnosed a fault.

Well I have to say your experience was very different to mine, I got an "air conditioning service required" message along with no air conditioning (obv!) but the car continued to be drivable for a couple of months until I got around to booking it in (pandemic was at its height so there wasn't exactly a panic). Dealer was very helpful, diagnosed the compressor straight away, Volvo accepted it was a known fault and gave a goodwill contribution (can't remember whether it was 50% or 30% now) even though the vehicle was 5 years old and therefore well out of warrantee, total cost to me was just iver £1k which was still a lot of money but not as bad as it could have been. I understand the compressors being fitted now do not have the same issue (I think everyone I know with the V60 hybrid has had the compressor changed now, but no-one has needed a second one).