[inteller]

Here are the instructions to do it yourself in case anyone is wondering. You can always do it yourself then roll the dice and bitch to Volvo to add the 2yr on. They claim they can't do it but I know this is bull**** because I had my P3 extended by them.

You will need a VIDA sub at $75, the software is $20 or so I think. The parts kit is $700+ and I suspect now a good portion of that is the overly developed bracket that could have been solved with velcro.

Looking over the instructions, a good tech can R&R this in the 1.6hr they estimate. 4.4hrs that my stealership quotes is criminal.

 

[S60Tragic]

Off topic but, people in this discussion might know. In Australia, Volvos sold up to 2021 or so did not have modems at all. In my MY20 S60, the passenger and driver kick panels are blank with no provision for the SIM card module. Volvo Aust told me that there is no "telematics module" in my car and so no access to the Volvo OnCall facilities and "Volvo Cars" app. There is no upgrade available. Those cars also will not connect to a Wi-Fi network – they can only connect to a Hotspot [making the built-in hotspot feature very ironic] or Bluetooth.

Is there an after market way to add the telematics unit ? Would any aftermarket work be compatible with Sensus ?

Thanks.

 

[vzhq16]

I just set up an appointment with my dealer 2 days ago. She quoted me $722 (out the door) to make the system operational and provide a 2 year subscription to VOC in my 2015.5 V60 R-Design P*. They would need the car for a few hours and so are providing a loaner for the duration as well. I'm calling that reasonable.

 

[dgomes]

From the instructions on the pdf above, it seems they also are putting the module on an entirely different location than the original…

Can any one confirm this?

If this is true, I would also expect a much better signal handling and less disconnections or lost signal… which is actually great!

 

[FusionRedXC60]

From the instructions on the pdf above, it seems they also are putting the module on an entirely different location than the original…

Can any one confirm this?

If this is true, I would also expect a much better signal handling and less disconnections or lost signal… which is actually great!

I am confused too. It seems old VCM and TEM are thrown away in the instruction. and new TEM is installed. Maybe the two modules are merged to one.

 

[Delmarva]

From the instructions on the pdf above, it seems they also are putting the module on an entirely different location than the original…

Can any one confirm this?

If this is true, I would also expect a much better signal handling and less disconnections or lost signal… which is actually great!

Was there something in that Volvo documentation that indicates signal strength and consistency would improve? If not I think you can count on getting a usable signal but the disconnects will likely continue.

 

[Tech]

a good tech can R&R this in the 1.6hr they estimate

So at your indy, you charge what you can do the job in, even if book time is more? So the more often you do a job and the more familiar you are with it and more efficiently you can do it, the less you charge?

Guess I should have charged .5 for P2 timing belts instead of book time.

4.4 is high. But how do you not understand how book time works and how warranty times play into that?

 

[Tech]

I am confused too. It seems old VCM and TEM are thrown away in the instruction. and new TEM is installed. Maybe the two modules are merged to one.

Yep. On later models, the VCM and TEM were combined. That's where the cost is, not the bracket someone else was whining about. VCMs used to run around $1500 when I was at the dealer.

 

[inteller]

I just set up an appointment with my dealer 2 days ago. She quoted me $722 (out the door) to make the system operational and provide a 2 year subscription to VOC in my 2015.5 V60 R-Design P*. They would need the car for a few hours and so are providing a loaner for the duration as well. I'm calling that reasonable.

722 on a P3 is high. That's $600 here.

This is a SPA car, different part, different install, apples and oranges.

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[inteller]

Yep. On later models, the VCM and TEM were combined. That's where the cost is, not the bracket someone else was whining about. VCMs used to run around $1500 when I was at the dealer.

Not sure why they are saying throw away, the kit has a core charge on it.

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[inteller]

So at your indy, you charge what you can do the job in, even if book time is more? So the more often you do a job and the more familiar you are with it and more efficiently you can do it, the less you charge?

Guess I should have charged .5 for P2 timing belts instead of book time.

4.4 is high. But how do you not understand how book time works and how warranty times play into that?

We charge fair prices, in most cases what the job actually takes to do. We are not bound by book or warranty time, we are bound to quickly getting cars in and out and making our customers happy so they come back. It's why we get all the dealer's customer pay business while warranty jobs sit two weeks+ on their lot.

I can say we never charge the time to push a button on a computer for a software download, which is what the local dealer clowns charge....and is how they arrive at their 4.4. You can go work on something else while software is downloading. In the case of this job you can be putting it all back together while the software downloads...it's just trim pieces. Likely that's how Corp arrived at 1.6.

This job does not and will never take 4.4 hours to do unless you are not a mechanic and trying to do this at home....which, sometimes I think that's the level of skill here at the local dealer so...

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[Tech]

Just because that's how you charge people doesn't mean the flat rate system doesn't exist anywhere else. As a technician, I shouldn't make less for years of experience that make me efficient. And forcing techs to do a customer pay job at warranty times is BS too.

 

[Pioneer4x4]

... I shouldn't make less for years of experience that make me efficient. ...

I fully agree with this. I have worked piece-work pay in the past, which is basically the same type of system. I found ways to get extremely efficient that others couldn't (planning/dexterity) all while improving quality.

... And forcing techs to do a customer pay job at warranty times is BS too.

That I don't "inherently" agree with. I think that is part of the job you signed up for working at a shop that does warranty work. I do agree that it can suck, and if the jobs aren't distributed fairly, it can really suck. My brother in law works collision repair, and similar jobs can really almost be like a punishment, especially if they all go to (or avoid) the same people.

I guess both aspects also come down to what pay rate you get before the whole book time comes in, that should compensate/make up for both cases, right?

 

[Tech]

Warranty time for a warranty job is what I signed up for and is part of the job. The times usually suck, but in many cases can be beaten after doing the job once or twice. I rarely lost on a warranty job.

But warranty time for a job that is not warranty is not what I signed up for. This is not a warranty repair so it shouldn't pay warranty times.

If an indy shop wants to undercut and lowball themselves, that is their choice. But flat rate is real and good techs can make a lot of money on it without sacrificing quality and they shouldn't be punished for being good.

 

[nums]

To be fair - AT&T's announcement that it was shutting down its 3G service didn't happen until February 2019, at least 3 years after the XC90 was made available (ref: 3G Network Sunset Shutdown| AT&T Business.)

I am not criticizing Volvo for installing a 3G modem in 2016. I am critical of their delay in offering a fix.
3.5 years was NOT a timely response. Volvo was informed of the 3G shutdown in February 2019. Volvo did not have the 4G upgrade available for the 2016 XC90 until October 2022 (6 months after the shutdown).

 

[nums]

I have a 2016 S80 Platinum that was built with the 3g system. With a little help from a member here, I was able to get the upgrade to 4g done by my local Volvo dealer a couple of months ago.

In my view, the dealer charged a substantial sum for this project. The initial 'verbal' quote was $580-620 give-or-take. This apparently referred ONLY to the parts kit itself. What it turned out to be is 1.4 hours of tech time ($201.53) + control unit exchange ($655.18) + TEM VOC Reload ($84.94) + tax ($56.50). The total bill for this upgrade was $998.15. More than I expected. More than others have reported. But, it is what it is.

The dealer also told me that this would require a future software upgrade. As of now, I haven't heard from them about getting any upgrade to the software.

The 4G upgrade requirements are different for the 2016 S80 and XC90. The S80 upgrade was both less expensive ($998 vs $1500) and available sooner (April vs October). Another user explained that the XC90 required a new wire harness assembly; other models did not.

 

[Delmarva]

I am not criticizing Volvo for installing a 3G modem in 2016. I am critical of their delay in offering a fix.
3.5 years was NOT a timely response. Volvo was informed of the 3G shutdown in February 2019. Volvo did not have the 4G upgrade available for the 2016 XC90 until October 2022 (6 months after the shutdown).

Global problems including chip shortages, a pandemic, shipping backups, difficulty sourcing many other components meant that many components were in short supply. I can see how a manufacturer would delay work on non-critical replacement parts under those circumstances. Especially when the existing component would be functional for 3 years.

 

[inteller]

I am not criticizing Volvo for installing a 3G modem in 2016. I am critical of their delay in offering a fix.
3.5 years was NOT a timely response. Volvo was informed of the 3G shutdown in February 2019. Volvo did not have the 4G upgrade available for the 2016 XC90 until October 2022 (6 months after the shutdown).

The 3G shutdown was known way before 2019, don't let volvo blow smoke up your ass they didn't know until then. Why else would they put 4g modems in 2017s?

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[Pioneer4x4]

...Why else would they put 4g modems in 2017s?
...

Same reason we all got phones with 4G, better performance/much faster data rates.

 

[Gary-16-Xc90]

You might consider calling Volvo Care to request a Volvo rebate for the modem cost. Maybe get up to a 30% off rebate on parts and capped at $200. Not for labor or sales tax.

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