Beached and towed for the first time. The 850 gave up. Yes, the Favorite Top Brand, praised by me for its reliability and durability, has failed. Goodbye, worldview.
The red Estate has had problems for some time, which have not been resolved by two garages so far. Looks like we’re dealing with a ghost malfunction that’s been taking me from pillar to post so far. The ghost defect is the dreaded defect that only occurs with you behind the wheel and not in the garage, where, just like at the doctor, they ‘can’t find anything’ while you cough your lungs out. It’s the nightmare of control freaks like me. Once I experienced such an incident with the SL. Occasionally the hood stopped when opening or closing. I took it to the specialist with a request to take a thorough look at it. It opened and closed the Benz ten times daily for a week. He didn’t make a sound. I went crazy. Anyway, that has been resolved. Unfortunately not.
A month or two ago, the Volvo started to hold back slightly on the way. Then he turned at a traffic light in the heart of Assen. For five minutes he gave no slog, while – long live the Netherlands – every passing motorist spontaneously offered his help. Then he started as if nothing was wrong and I made it home, barring a few minor hiccups, without further incident. A day later he gave up the ghost in the village. On the dashboard I had already seen two orange indicator lights flashing in the ventilation cluster after the start, according to the instruction booklet the signal to visit the garage. I just got it.
There the fuel pump relay was replaced. That seemed to help, although the indicator lights continued to flash for 20 seconds after turning the ignition. He also drove well. Until he turned off another traffic light with the death rattle of a car that you accidentally left in five, on the understanding that I drive automatic. The grief was so severe that I remained calm. Car was pulled over with the help of again the friendliest bystanders, dealt with the bewilderment for five minutes, then only started again because you never knew – and heck, it ran like a charm again. Could the vending machine be the culprit? But how was it possible that I could drive home 170 kilometers after the incident without stopping?
While he was driving, it might be wise to take him right away to the Volvo specialist two villages away. He had to know all the bitter secrets of elderly Volvos. He did his best, plugged in diagnostic plugs, ran a test – no problem. I picked him up and drove home again with maddening trouble.
Until a week later the 850 in the village started to sputter more and more. For the second time, I narrowly made it to the garage that had known about the fuel pump relay. They inspected the spark plugs, spotlessly clean of course, got zero error messages from the diagnostic device, with the best of intentions replaced the worn-out fuel filter and said, sorry, it should do it. That’s right, he did; the 800 meters home and the first kilometers of the next ride four days later. Then he started to shake and shake more than ever. He became unresponsive to the throttle, dropped back in speed, stuck at sixty, and died two miles away with the choked sputter of the first stoppage. Of course in a terrible place near an emergency traffic light for a road repair in a village nearby, so my fellow road users had nowhere to go. With combined efforts I managed to push the car into the shoulder.
I called the ever-obliging village garage, which pulled out with a tow truck without delay, and killed the wait with a google check on the keywords ‘Volvo’, ‘850’, ‘jerks’ and ‘automatic’. The crop of possible causes on Volvo forums did not make me happier. Someone advised flushing the machine. Spark plugs were often mentioned, ok for me, just like the farm-fresh fuel filter. Other possible culprits: Faulty lambda sensor, boost pressure sensor, throttle body, air mass meter, air conditioning, camshaft sensor, ignition coil. Other Volvo drivers also reported hiccups that do not occur continuously. “Sometimes just the whole ride, but other days it also rides perfectly.” Someone wrote that they had been struggling with the problem for six months.
I hope I got rid of it a little faster. Because I really want to be able to continue to love my 850 and my house brand. Anyone another tip?
I walked home with my head bowed, where my perfect S60 T5 had just been picked up by its sympathetic new owner. Sold due to lack of space, because there is only room for two cars in the parking garage under the new house. Fortunately, I had just borrowed the flawless and blood-fast electric Ford Mustang Mach-E as a test car. What a car. Without lambda sensor, ignition coil, throttle body and boost pressure sensor. Never have to worry again! Long live the plug box! Sob!