Xc90 siren

[Shanusascarabus]

So my father in law has bought yet another money pit car so I'm trying to help him out and save costs.
The garage has told him his siren needs replacing, it works but not as it should.. when you lock the car the alarm just constantly goes off so the fuse just needs pulling.
After a very brief search I have discovered that the sirens batteries may just be flat, can these be replaced or sent away to be done, or is it quite literally a case of a new siren.
Many second ones out there but who's to say the batteries are ok in them.
As always any views and ideas are very much welcome

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Shanusascarabus

So my father in law has bought yet another money pit car so I'm trying to help him out and save costs.
The garage has told him his siren needs replacing, it works but not as it should.. when you lock the car the alarm just constantly goes off so the fuse just needs pulling.
After a very brief search I have discovered that the sirens batteries may just be flat, can these be replaced or sent away to be done, or is it quite literally a case of a new siren.
Many second ones out there but who's to say the batteries are ok in them.
As always any views and ideas are very much welcome

what do the fault codes and last 10 alarm causes say when read out ?

always best to buy the complete siren assembly IF it is faulty ...

What makes you think it is faulty?

[Shanusascarabus]

Thanks for the quick reply Clan,

I have no idea what the last ten causes are as the fuse is currently pulled, all I can tell you is as soon as the fuse is put in the alarm starts to go off when the door lock button is pressed... is there an easy way to see the causes ?
The garage that told him this is not a dealership or an Indy, just a backstreet garage that looked into dash board light issues he had ( basically poor contacts )
This is mainly the reason I am here, to make sure that the siren is at fault and best way of replace/repair.
I tried the search function on here but for some reason it does not work on my phone

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Shanusascarabus

Thanks for the quick reply Clan,

I have no idea what the last ten causes are as the fuse is currently pulled, all I can tell you is as soon as the fuse is put in the alarm starts to go off when the door lock button is pressed... is there an easy way to see the causes ?
The garage that told him this is not a dealership or an Indy, just a backstreet garage that looked into dash board light issues he had ( basically poor contacts )
This is mainly the reason I am here, to make sure that the siren is at fault and best way of replace/repair.
I tried the search function on here but for some reason it does not work on my phone

The car needs the codes reading, it stores the last 10 alarm causes to be read out , you need a garage who knows what they are doing .. to diagnose the actual fault , rather than guess which will cost you more than taking it to a dealer ...

[Tannaton]

Ae he ^^ said you need to get the car plugged in to some Volvo diagnostic gear at a dealer or Indie. That does mean a small investment upfront but in all likelihood it will tell you exactly what the problem is, and how to fix it.

Volvo's have very good electronics with aircraft like levels of security and resilience, this works to the owners advantage whether the car is 1 or 15 years old. As you would expect - you cannot overcome the security systems by simply pulling a fuse.

The battery failing in the alarm siren is a common issue on older cars but it manifests as an "alarm service required" message on the dashboard, it does not cause the alarm to trigger.

Getting the codes read will save you a lot of time, any car will become a money pit if random poke and hope diagnosis is applied. I don't mean to sound unfriendly, but we see lots of new members with cars that are far harder to sort out that needs be because of previous owners or their mechanics trying to overcome symptoms rather than get to the root cause of the issue.

[Tineca]

I use the icarsoft handheld code reader. I always buy Volvo's so it's been a good investment. Will help find out what is going on. Probably only the same cost as a couple of diagnosis sessions at a garage.

[Shanusascarabus]

Again thanks for the replies, I dont take any replies as unfriendly or a dig.... in fact I myself know it's quite vague as it's not my car.... I'm just the one he comes to because I have a tool set and service my own cars.
I appreciate all replies and i think i already said the reason for asking on the forum is I'd like opinions rather than him throw parts/ money at it.
The alarm service comment rings a bell so I will try and find out more info, the cars now 16 years old just for the record
Thanks for all replies once again

[Shanusascarabus]

Just to confirm the Alarm service light is on on his car, so I'm kinda guessing with it being 17 years old the siren could be either the fault or part of the issue ?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Shanusascarabus

Just to confirm the Alarm service light is on on his car, so I'm kinda guessing with it being 17 years old the siren could be either the fault or part of the issue ?

guessing can cost you a lot of money on a modern car 👍

[eddy3987]

Volvo quoted me nearly £200 for a new siren