Faults:

Electrical faults: 'emission service required', 'hi engine temp stop safely ASAP'

Temperature gauge reading hi.

These are some of the warnings that have appeared, but are all false. I know this because I have had the car checked by an independent mechanic. I am a mechanic also, but have never worked for Volvo.

The car did cut out once, but not while moving. The reason for this is that the ECU thinks the car is overheating, and therefore cuts out to protect the engine from any damage. You can continue driving, but the risk is that you wouldn't know if and when the engine was actually overheating.

I was advised that the problem was with the relays in the main fuse box in the engine compartment.

I myself removed the relays, cleaned the contacts and sprayed the fuse box with wd40; this is to keep away moisture. This is only a temporary solution until I can replace the fuse box, but it worked instantly and I have had no more warnings from the ECU (ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT)

This is not to say that the problem has been permanently fixed and I would advise anyone who encounters similar problems to take the car immediately to a qualified mechanic or a Volvo dealership. But you will pay more at the dealership.

General Comments:

The Volvo S80 is a great car, minus the electrical faults explained.

But this hasn't put me off.

The steering is very responsive and smooth as is the gearbox.

The traction control is excellent, especially because you have the option of turning it off.

Mechanically the engine is sound and has been built with high mileage in mind.

If you travel long distances regularly, this car is ideal for you.

My car is 10 years old and has traveled 136000 miles, so you have to expect some minor problems with high mileage cars.

Above all, the safety features in this car are ahead of its time.

If only they made aircraft as safe as this.

Faults:

Engine died on three separate occasions. Once while turning right and accelerating over a small bump, once when going over speed bump and the last time when I was doing 120 kph on the motorway and hit a small bump. Each time I had the following error: "Electronic System Service Required" and "STC Service Required"

On all three occasions I lost power-steering, brakes etc, so it's really rather dangerous. On each occasion I had to have the car towed to a Volvo dealer, and on each occasion they told me it was fixed, but in reality they had no idea what the problem was, and they charged me each time even though it was not fixed.

After extensive research by myself, I found that the potentiometers in the electronic throttle module wears out on almost every S80 between 1999 and 2001. This can cause MANY various error messages to appear, including the "Emissions warning light" to light up on the dash.

In the USA and Sweden, Volvo offered to replace this unit and extend the warranty on it to 10 years. Unfortunately in Ireland they do not offer this, so I will have to purchase the unit at a cost of over €1,000.

Also, the ABS / STC control module is prone to errors, and this unit is also very expensive to replace.

I wish I knew about these problems before I bought the car.

General Comments:

To sum up this car in one sentence, I would say it is the most unreliable car I have ever owned, and my advice is to stay well away from the S80 between the years of 1999 to 2001.

Trust me, you will have problems with it. Mechanically all seems to be fine with the Volvo, but the electrical system is of extremely poor quality.

The modules wear out and break very quickly, and they are very expensive to replace.

I am lucky not to have crashed three times when the engine died when I was driving at speed.

Stay away from the S80.

The only positive I can think of is that the seats are very comfortable.

I have had various problems with this car, every week there is a new problem to fix.