abs hydraulic unit needs replacement...

I have a 3 year old Volvo S40. Recently, I received a warning on the dash:
"anti skid service required" (or something very similar). I brought the car to the local dealer and they said, after hooking it up to the computer, that the ABS hydraulic unit was dead, meaning that the ABS part of the brakes no longer function. Car is drivable.

They quoted me approx Euro1900, including part, labour and VAT to replace the unit. I guess I have no option but to pay but it does seem expensive and I'm surprised that such a part could fail in a new-ish car with less than 50000km on the clock.

Is anyone familiar with these units? Is such a failure common? Any thoughts/comments?

those hydraulic ABS units dont usually give trouble..they last many years.
it might be worth your while to get a second opinion, it could be something more simple.

Thanks Starlite,
would I need to go to a volvo dealer to get a second opinion or could any garage do this?

any garage that has a good computer...most of them these days...should be able to hook up to your car and give you the information you need.

Thanks again.

It's more than likely a 50p sensor that's gone. Expect to pay €100 for one though.

I know someone with a Jag with the same problem new ABS unit from main dealer €3200
He bought one on ebay for €400

Pique,
a sensor was my first thought too but that could be wishful thinking. I did get some tyres changed recently and I wonder if that could have led to sensor damage.

Ed, I'll certainly look into less expensive options.

Thanks all.

maturin said:

...I did get some tyres changed recently and I wonder if that could have led to sensor damage. ...

Click to expand...

Its a remote possibility I guess. Did anyone do any work on brake-pads / discs where coming into contact with the ABS sensors would be more likely?

mathepac,

yes, it's probably remote. The brake pads were checked a few days previously during a service. Although the wheels were struck very forcefully when the tyres were changed. Perhaps this could have done some damage.I think I'll get a second opinion from another garage.

I had a similar diagnosis on a 6 year old Nissan Primera, a €2000 quote for an ABS unit replacement, though this was more a guess from the 2 nissan garages I brought the car too, they checked the computer, the abs wiring loom and the sensors, however the abs was misbehaving rather than showing as an error on the computer.
Further 'internet' investigation showed that the problem was actually a crack on a reluctor ring, much cheaper to fix and caused by a set of new tyres being fitted. Good luck.

Just wondering how you got on with problem in the end?

I drive a '06 S40 and recently my dashboard computer displayed the same message; ''Anti-Skid Service Required''. A trip to my local Volvo garage confirmed that the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit had failed and would require replacing at a cost of approx €2k!

Supposedly there is a type fault with these ABS units and a large number of S40's have experienced similar problems to ours. Certainly this is not a failure that should be occuring in 2-3 year old cars. Volvo are no doubt well aware of this but have failed to issue a recall to rectify the problem (which in my opinion reflects very poorly on them).

My garage has submitted a claim to see if Volvo Ireland will cover the repair costs but based on what I've heard to date I'm not filled with any great hope. However if the matter isn't dealt with to my satisfaction I will be voting with my feet when trading in and will head to the nearest Audi / BMW / ABV (anyone but Volvo) garage!

Hi! The Volvo garage has a computer that can read live data and can check the feedback from the ABS sensors. If they say it's an ABS unit, it probably is. The low mileage and fact that the car is just out of warranty may work in your favour. you could get a contribution from volvo. ask the garage to check and see if volvo will get the cheque book out. the submit an "RA" (Repair Authorisation) which will tell them if volvo will contribute.

an independent, well-kitted out garage can carry out the same repair

Hi Firinne; as your name suggests you speak the truth- thanks! I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Volvo will cover 80% of parts and labour for this job. The said that they would have covered the whole lot except that one of my services wasn't completed by an authorised Volvo dealer (I changed oil & filters once myself trying to save a few quid but this has now turned out to be the most expensive service to date!). Despite this I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome so hopefully Maturin had a similar experience.

Hi All, I have a 04 Volvo S40 [75k km] and a few weeks ago the message
"anti skid service required" appeared on my display - I had ignored it until this morning when I brought it in for a service. I got a call to say that a new ABS unit is required and will cost in the order of 2K.

My dealer said that they had sent of a request for Volvo to contribute towards the cost, I await hopeful I will get a similar outcome to ROF.

I would call this the tipping point with my experience with Volvo, since buying the car the climate control system systematically fails after a fix has been put in with the cooling function failing. Earlier this year the ingition lock went, i.e. on my daily commute to work I stoped outside local shop. When I went to back to the car the whole system was dead, the only I could do was open the car - it did not recognize the key. I had to be towed in BUT Volvo did contribute towards the cost which was "only a few hundred euros".

Between the above and high dealership costs I have lost confidence.

Faliure to recall and rectify these problems to me demonstartes a lack of honesty towards its customers and I will be making it my business to share my experience of owing my first Volvo with others.

A despairing volvo owner.