[bmdubya1198]

Ah, he probably just got the code from Volvo. They have a website where you can put in the VIN or radio’s serial number to get the code.

 

[raivis_rsn]

Ah, he probably just got the code from Volvo. They have a website where you can put in the VIN or radio’s serial number to get the code.

In USA yes, but not here in ****ty Europe. We don't have that website. I tried to contact dealership but they said it's not possible if radio comes from junkyard.

 

[bmdubya1198]

In USA yes, but not here in ****ty Europe. We don't have that website. I tried to contact dealership but they said it's not possible if radio comes from junkyard.

Damn, that really is sh**ty. I guess they're more concerned about stolen radios in Europe?

 

[JaredR]

I tore down the 901 to the board at the bottom. There are indeed two chips that say Volvo. That orange plug doesn't connect to anything and it goes into the chip next to it. My dad happened to be passing by my workbench as I was noticing this and is hypothesizing that this connector is how the code was programmed. I'm definitely in over my head on this project at this point so I'll probably do a little more research to attempt to determine if it is worth proceeding further. Cleaning the lens on the CD player seemed to be pretty straightforward, however, so I'll probably at least try the CD deck in another 901.

 

[raivis_rsn]

I'm curious about these green wires. They shouldn't be there. Looks like someone tried to bypass something. However, that white glue (or what it is) looks like coming from factory. But definitely none of my 901s have these jumper wires.

 

[JaredR]

I'm curious about these green wires. They shouldn't be there. Looks like someone tried to bypass something. However, that white glue (or what it is) looks like coming from factory. But definitely none of my 901s have these jumper wires.

Interesting. Note the line connecting the attachment points of the left one and the arrows on the right. Seems like that would indicate that whatever they are connecting is supposed to be connected. Now I want to take more apart. Lol.

 

[JaredR]

I realized I had a SC-900 that I'm never going to do anything with literally collecting dust in my office...

....so I pulled it apart to see if the front circuit board was the same.

It looked the same, so I desoldered the board from the 900.

Conveniently, the code in the 900 did not contain the number 4, so I was able to immediately test this by putting the 4less board in the 900.

It works! So now I have an otherwise functional SC-900 that doesn't have a working 4 button.


Then I put the 901 back together. The fact that the shop radio is run off of a P80 radio is extra convenient when I need to reset radios. I enabled the test mode by holding down 6 to make sure everything was working. Everything seemed to be fine, although cleaning the CD read head doesn't seem to have had much impact—none of the 3 CDs I tried even spun up.

 

[raivis_rsn]

The fact that the shop radio is run off of a P80 radio is extra convenient when I need to reset radios.

Yep. I have that advantage too.
Front boards are the same across all 900/901. FM tuner boards also the same. It's the cd changer that's not compatible with anything what it doesn't come from.

BTW, what's so special about zLines? Probably I'll never understand that hype about certain tyre models. It's just rubber. Isn't it?

 

[JaredR]

BTW, what's so special about zLines? Probably I'll never understand that hype about certain tyre models. It's just rubber. Isn't it?

They have excellent grip, ride nice, last reasonably well, and are incredibly cheap in America for what you get. I paid about $100/tire for the 17s for my T-5R and about $75/tire for this car. By comparison, the Michelin A/S3+, which offers comparable performance, would cost about $150/tire and $140/tire in those respective sizes, while having a shorter lifespan and harsher ride quality.

We are concerned with having as much grip as reasonably possible because there are a lot of opportunities to crash in America. Here in Southern New England, people drive really fast on the highway (I've been in traffic flowing as fast as 110 mph and 10-30mph over the posted limit is the norm). In other neighboring regions of he country, there is some speed limit enforcement and people tend to drive a bit slower, but there is often more large wildlife to collide with. On a recent drive through Pennsylvania, I was seeing a dead deer on the side of the road every 3 or 4 miles. And then you have states like Florida where there is again little enforcement and people drive really fast, and on top of that there is no safety inspection for cars and the test to get a driver's license is a video game (I'm not making this up), so that state is littered with cars and drivers that have no business being on a public road. So everything we can do to help our chances of not crashing in this country is a huge win. At this point, now that I have seen the light of great brakes and tires and I am used to having them, I'm sure I will insist on having them for the remainder of my driving career no matter where I live in the future, but I've done a fair amount of driving in Quebec the past few years, and traffic there is unbelievably more reasonable and easier to deal with. I don't know if I would have gotten to this point if I lived somewhere like that.


My understanding of the North American vs. European tire market is that Americans are unconcerned with grip and more concerned with lifespan and price, so perhaps you have more good choices there. We have some really bad tires here. When we bought this car, it was on Yokohama Avid Touring, which would get ABS intervention uphill in the dry with 280s. My dad's NA came on Michelin Defenders (a supposedly all season tire) which I could spin into 3rd gear when it was below freezing out.....in a 20v NA. This is the kind of stuff most people buy here because it lasts forever.

 

[raivis_rsn]

Your explanation makes sense.
After 4 years of daily driving I don't use all season tires anymore because of relatively poor performace in snowy conditions.

 

[JaredR]

Your explanation makes sense.
After 4 years of daily driving I don't use all season tires anymore because of relatively poor performace in snowy conditions.

Oh yeah, same here. I don't have winter tires on any of my cars but that's because we all try to avoid going out in the snow at all because all the idiots are out with the AWD SUVs on all seasons. My dad's NA being winter capable is plenty to cover our needs.

It's the same deal with shoes, too. I went out for a walk on the beach to check out the storm in my new $23 shoes I bought last week to walk the soles off and not feel bad about it and was having a real tough time navigating the the stones. I finally did fall down in a gust....on top of my camera (everything seems to have survived undamaged...this time). The terrain wasn't even that tough. Next time I'll go back to wearing my legit and much more expensive boots that have so much grip on the beach that I can just walk around like I'm walking down the street. It's far cheaper than damaging myself (or the camera). Car crashes are even more expensive and time consuming. The correct rubber for any situation is critical.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Currently in NC, they are literally handing out driver's licenses due to covid concerns. No road test, do a sign/vision test and you're good to go. My 16 year old neighbor and 24 year old cousin got their licenses this year this way, and it's pretty scary to know that we're driving on the road with these people.

Also gotta say, Pilot Sport AS3+ are AMAZING tires. However they're expensive. I bought 3 used ones from another local Volvo enthusiast last year when she blew out one of them on her V70R. My brother's S60 already had two on the rear from the PO that were like new, so I threw two on front and he's put around 12k miles on them so far. They're wearing WAY better than my Cooper Zeon RS3-As on my V70R.

 

[JaredR]

Currently in NC, they are literally handing out driver's licenses due to covid concerns. No road test, do a sign/vision test and you're good to go. My 16 year old neighbor and 24 year old cousin got their licenses this year this way, and it's pretty scary to know that we're driving on the road with these people.

Also gotta say, Pilot Sport AS3+ are AMAZING tires. However they're expensive. I bought 3 used ones from another local Volvo enthusiast last year when she blew out one of them on her V70R. My brother's S60 already had two on the rear from the PO that were like new, so I threw two on front and he's put around 12k miles on them so far. They're wearing WAY better than my Cooper Zeon RS3-As on my V70R.

Holy shiit that's terrifying.

Come join us at the zLine party when you're tired of overpaying for grip

 

[bmdubya1198]

I’m happy with the zLines on my mom’s XC90! They’ve been good. I just need to replace the DEM pressure sensor so the AWD works again. That V8 just has too much torque to take off without roasting the tires if you apply more than a little throttle. Good thing my mom’s got a light foot!
Those pilot sports just grip soooo well. And they’re quiet, smooth, and they last. I wish they were cheaper.
I got them for $20 a piece, so that’s the only reason they’re on the car.

 

[JaredR]

well nevermind guess you're not overpaying for grip then LOL

 

[bmdubya1198]

Nope! I need to find more of those $20 Pilot Sports for the rest of my fleet. They're not growing on trees though...

 

[Chicago_Wagon]

Those pilot sports just grip soooo well. And they’re quiet, smooth, and they last. I wish they were cheaper.

+1. FWIW, I've been extremely happy with Michelin tires (different tires on different cars/trucks) over the years. Definitely not cheap, but very impressed with their performance in basically all driving conditions.

 

[JaredR]

+1. FWIW, I've been extremely happy with Michelin tires (different tires on different cars/trucks) over the years. Definitely not cheap, but very impressed with their performance in basically all driving conditions.

Michelin has some very good tires and some bad tires. I've experienced both. There's usually someone with a comparable offering for a lot less money.

 

[Wayne T5]

Holy shiit that's terrifying.

Come join us at the zLine party when you're tired of overpaying for grip

Let me know when they start making them in 245/35 20 size, lol.

 

[bmdubya1198]

That’s a big wheel! Lol