Could one possibility be that the gearbox lock up clutch might be wearing and particulate leading to filter blockage. It’s a difficult one as the fault code could be due to a number of reasons which could lead to an expensive investigation. It’s a difficult dilemma for you.
I did the same on my 2010 XC70 D5 auto, and also I had Haldex fluid and filter changed on the XC70, and Superb 4x4 every 20k miles, but it did not prevent a Haldex failure at just over 40k miles on the Skoda.Have just booked my Volvo in for it’s yearly service. This topic has reminded me that I intended to have the auto transmission changed. It is supposed to be sealed for life (whatever that is). All works fine but I am told it is a good idea too change if the car is used for towing.
On Monday I will call my indie and get a price. It will be interesting to compare. I do know that mine has no drain plug, old oil needs sucking out. I am expecting £80 to £100.
John
At the moment 71k miles is just average for a 10 year old car, as Covid has brought the average mileage down the last two years.Our Jeep has low mileage for its age and is in immaculate condition. Once I knew it was the alternator I did a bit of shopping around and a new replacement was just under £800 with cost of about £200 to fit.
Going on that when the Jeep dealer said over the phone to me that the cost was just over £1200, I gave them the go ahead as not much of a difference and saved the hassle and cost of uplifting the vehicle to an Indie.
At the time I never realised that the price was excluding VAT however they are insisting that they also gave me the price incl VAT. Why give me the price excl VAT in the first place?
I do agree the costs do seem disproportionately high for what seems to have been done, but in all honesty that is what using a main dealer tends to do to prices
As for the actual cost you have been charged, you should have been given an itemised bill which shows the cost of parts and labour.
Unfortunately, It is very common for garages to quote ex VAT prices to customers. I suspect it could be to make the job look a little cheaper. But it could also be the fact that main dealers often deal with commercial businesses where VAT has to be shown separately. Customers should be wary about the practice and ask for confirmation of whether quotes include VAT or not.
For several reasons main and franchised will only fit OEM parts f as this removes any possibility of warranty claims being turned down by the manufacture where non brand parts have been used. OEM and branded parts you might obtain from elsewhere as a consumer are likely to carry similar prices.
Main and franchised dealers generally do have higher overheads - snazzy high profile showrooms and they usually have to pay something towards the cost of all the branding highlights they have on the premises. Also the employees invariably have to be brand trained which also costs, three factors that independents don't tend to have.
Concerning the work carried out and what might be needed in the future if the current works have not resolved the issues. I think you need to face the fact the car is ten years old. Its not covered by by warranty, so any failures will now bring their full cost on to the car owner. I think ten years without any major costs is actually pretty good.
You weren't obliged to use a main dealer, but you did so because you believed they might have a better insight into the vehicles problems. it was your choice. Cars are increasingly expensive to both buy and own, its the nature of such things.
Lets hope you don't need to have any of this work redone.
Most garage's have a system for estimating jobs, where for jobs such as regular, known or common problems, the system has well established time's and necessary parts listing to complete the job. This enables garage's to fairly quickly produce estimates for customers.
Where this cannot help is with unusual issue's where investigation is needed to establish what the problem actually is. A scan of an ODB port to read the recorded faults may only take 10 mins, but digging down through the data and mechanical bits for more precise analysis can take much longer if the problem is intermittent or unusual. Time costs money.
Car makers take many thousand of hours testing components, and the failures and how they interact with other components, but somewhere along the way, something happens that has not been known about.Many motorists have found to their costs that the technician takes stab in the dark relying too much on a computer and changes associated components, but does not resolve the fault. More and more components are changed until the fault disappears, but technician is none the wiser to which component caused the fault.
However the customer has had to pay for all those components plus labour when the actual fault may have cost £50 with an hour's labour. Instead the customer has to pay £1000 for unnecessary components and additional labour as the technician relies on a computer to give him and answer.
Car makers take many thousand of hours testing components, and the failures and how they interact with other components, but somewhere along the way, something happens that has not been known about.
Technitions during their work gain their experience , from courses and working on the cars, every now and again they find out certain faults happen that is not recorded by the makers in the fault finding books that are available, this knowlege is hidden away in the techs mind or his/ her little book of gems.
When the diagnostic code states, change component A, its changed but the fault persist, eventually its traced to component D, sometimes, the same code has three or 4 components that can cause the same fault code.
When I had a Sorento Mk1 in 2005 I felt the Kia technicians weren’t that knowledgeable about the car as there were not many such cars in the area. They did the servicing whilst under warranty but once the 3 years had passed it went to my local garage who we had been using since 1976 and who dealt with a very wide range of customers cars.In our case the dealer wanted to replace totally unnecessary parts i.e. transmission fluid and filter. I have since found out that they have only been a Jeep dealer for about 2 years. It maybe that the technician is not experienced enough in Jeeps, but is highly skilled in other brands.
On my three visits to the dealer in question I have not seen any other Jeeps of any other model on their premises, but the other Jeeps have been around the back or elsewhere.
However this time around only the radio station was changed and everything else was as I had left it when handing over the Jeep unlike the previous occasion when just about every control inside the cab had been adjusted.
I’ve had two Sorentos. Tough as old boots , reliable and comfy. I left the same dealer as you once the warranty expired. A wild weird electrical problem arose. On starting up every single bulb lit up like a Christmas tree.When I had a Sorento Mk1 in 2005 I felt the Kia technicians weren’t that knowledgeable about the car as there were not many such cars in the area. They did the servicing whilst under warranty but once the 3 years had passed it went to my local garage who we had been using since 1976 and who dealt with a very wide range of customers cars.
You now have the benefit of hindsight about some of the problem, and its only now that you believe the change of filter and transmission oil was unnecessary, I don't think anyone likes to waste and I don't like to see unnecessary charges, but sometimes the only way to establish if a problem has been solved is to test it in the way it is actually used. In this case there is no substitute for the correct fluid and filters.In our case the dealer wanted to replace totally unnecessary parts i.e. transmission fluid and filter. I have since found out that they have only been a Jeep dealer for about 2 years. It maybe that the technician is not experienced enough in Jeeps, but is highly skilled in other brands.
On my three visits to the dealer in question I have not seen any other Jeeps of any other model on their premises, but the other Jeeps have been around the back or elsewhere.
However this time around only the radio station was changed and everything else was as I had left it when handing over the Jeep unlike the previous occasion when just about every control inside the cab had been adjusted.
Apologies I did not make it clear. After the new alternator was fitted I was informed that to resolve the P0741 fault code they needed to change the transmission fluid and filter.You now have the benefit of hindsight about some of the problem, and its only now that you believe the change of filter and transmission oil was unnecessary, I don't think anyone likes to waste and I don't like to see unnecessary charges, but sometimes the only way to establish if a problem has been solved is to test it in the way it is actually used. In this case there is no substitute for the correct fluid and filters.
Perhaps the method used by the garage was the the recognised standard way of investigating the problem based on the symptoms presented, and you may have encountered the same procedure regardless of where you went.
Some Volvo gearboxes require “sucking out” replacing with fresh oil, and I believe sucked out again and again refilled with fresh. Must cost a fortune
My CVT takes 12.4 litres of oil when it is changed. And its not sealed for life. Having the gearbox and three diffs changed cost £313 in July 2020 at a main dealership. Towing or arduous duty requires more frequent changes.Some Volvo gearboxes require “sucking out” replacing with fresh oil, and I believe sucked out again and again refilled with fresh. Must cost a fortune
You can of course request one, that is totally within your control, whether they oblige you is quite different, but the outcome could be very telling.
However, from all I have read here, if for forming an opinion about them I don't think I would need to know any more.