PDA

View Full Version : Alarm siren, flat battery replaced. Easily!



paullus
Saturday 2nd August 2008, 13:00
In another thread I mentioned that a recent trip to my local dealers to have fault codes read to try to determine why my remote locking range was poor and the LED on the dash was flashing a fault warning. The only thing found was a flat alarm siren battery which it was doubted would be the cause of the poor range but would cause the LED to flash. To cure the alarm fault the siren would have to be replaced as the battery cannot be done on its own. The part was around £120 + VAT!
So I phoned Rufe and he beat my local dealers price by far but he went further than that and after a bit of digging he located a replacement battery module for the siren!!?? Remember my dealer said the battery can't be replaced. So I duly ordered the part on the understanding that it could be returned in the event that the siren is a sealed unit as stated by the dealer.
I have just completed the job inside an hour. Quite literally the most difficult and time consuming part was actually locating the siren unit as it was dead and wouldn't sound off. I thought it was under the passenger side but Rufe sent me a diagram which showed it could be fitted under either front wing! In the end I removed the drivers side front indicator, shone my torch in and there it was. The next most difficult part was drilling out the front 5 pop rivets which fix the plastic inner wing to the wheel arch and bumper. This has to be released to allow access to the siren. I then undid the two 10mm bolts holding the siren to the inner wing, released the electrical plug connector, put the unit on my bench undid two more bolts which hold the mounting bracket in place and four screws. I then took the lid off the siren unit and replaced the battery. Refitting is exactly the reverse of removal. An absolute piece of cake and everything is working again. The remote range hasn't improved but I didn't expect it to. The cost; a third of that for a new siren that the dealer recommended.
The battery pack consists of 4 Ni-cad batteries. The life is approx 8 years.
I have lost even more confidence in my local dealership to provide honest accurate information. I'm sure they have the same database as Rufe but I suppose they are not interested in older cars or just can't be bothered. I was even told that they would send a query to Volvo Technical and let me know the result. That was 10 days ago LOL!
Rufe, once again came to the rescue and saved me a packet (PM sent).