Is it worthit?

[M-R-P]

Tell me there's a light at the end of the tunnel...
I am currently looking at a bill for £735 for a new DIM on the Big Sweed . I have been resoldering the thing for over a year and I and the DIM can't take it any more. I've tried loads of second hand DIMs from various scrappies and even one with the exact codes didn't work. The car is worth £2000 tops, 180450 miles on it, it's gonna need new bushes on the front and there's a dodgy rattle noise when I open and close the waste gate. the bodywork is shabby, no rust but evidence of plod using it as a battering ram and no 2 panels are the same shade of dirty white.

Other than the above, she's sweet as a nut.

My question to you, my fellow enthusiasts, is it worth forking out half the value of the car for a speedo or shal I just break the dam thing?

[p fandango]

a tough call, you could get another explod for not much more than your repair bill, but who says the DIM etc is going to be any better on that. personally if your happy with the car & know exactly whats up i'd get it fixed

[M-R-P]

a tough call, you could get another explod for not much more than your repair bill, but who says the DIM etc is going to be any better on that. personally if your happy with the car & know exactly whats up i'd get it fixed

The DIM was fixed on all volvos after 2004/5 from what I've found. there are some lurrvely sweeds out there but I can barely afford 700 quid (actually I can't) so I deffo can't afford another one! eerrgh, don't need this! Such an absolutely brilliant car ruined by a poxy processor badly soldered! shame on volvo!
Sorry to rant but I don't want to end up with a money pit! I wanna fix it but if I do the DIM and the turbo decides to eat the waste gate paddle, I don't have room to break it so I'm gonna drop it at the nearest scrappy and take my 117quid weigh-in value!

[p fandango]

The DIM was fixed on all volvos after 2004/5 from what I've found. there are some lurrvely sweeds out there but I can barely afford 700 quid (actually I can't) so I deffo can't afford another one! eerrgh, don't need this! Such an absolutely brilliant car ruined by a poxy processor badly soldered! shame on volvo!
Sorry to rant but I don't want to end up with a money pit! I wanna fix it but if I do the DIM and the turbo decides to eat the waste gate paddle, I don't have room to break it so I'm gonna drop it at the nearest scrappy and take my 117quid weigh-in value!

rant away, i know the feeling. The only thing is most of my problems with BT are self inflicted because i messed something up lol. As for the DIM's both mine & my old mans went in the same week, which as you say would of been £700 each going to Volvo's pocket. Luckily my bro works with circuit boards so resoldered both our boards & so far so good (although i have lost my clock & outside temp which isn't a great loss)

your turbo could go, or it could be fine. But if you broke it & forked out for a new car you could still have issues to deal with

[M-R-P]

rant away, i know the feeling. The only thing is most of my problems with BT are self inflicted because i messed something up lol. As for the DIM's both mine & my old mans went in the same week, which as you say would of been £700 each going to Volvo's pocket. Luckily my bro works with circuit boards so resoldered both our boards & so far so good (although i have lost my clock & outside temp which isn't a great loss)

your turbo could go, or it could be fine. But if you broke it & forked out for a new car you could still have issues to deal with

I can't help thinking that if I had taken my time the first time I resoldered it, I wouldn't be in this situation now. It's been resoldered so many times now, the solder is shot/gone. no spark or tech will even touch it because I've had a go.
hurrumph!
PS The clock/temp run from the legs on the right hand side of the motorolla chip, top half. Run an iron over them and that'll probably fix it!

[The Flying Moose]

I definately wouldnt scrap it! The car is worth a small fortune in parts... I know you say you havnt the space but even so you would be litterally throwing a grands worth of parts away.

As for repairing the car however, if the clocks cannot be repaired again and it will mean incurring the £700 bill if I were in your shoes I would probably be getting rid given the cars value, I can therefore understand why your considering it.

[M-R-P]

I definately wouldnt scrap it! The car is worth a small fortune in parts... I know you say you havnt the space but even so you would be litterally throwing a grands worth of parts away.

As for repairing the car however, if the clocks cannot be repaired again and it will mean incurring the £700 bill if I were in your shoes I would probably be getting rid given the cars value, I can therefore understand why your considering it.

The thought of bodging it one last time and palming it off to a dealer (I wouldn't shaft an individual but a dealer's ok) has crossed my mind but I don't want to be without a T-5. Me and the missus were given (yes given) the car cos we couldn't afford to buy one and a part-ex would still be out of the question. I have to admit, I love these things, everything about them suits me all over and it's bloody practical for carting my son and all his cr@p about so I really tempted to pay-up and get her right again. But I can't be doing with pouring every penny I have into it.

I'm not looking to be talked into or out of fixing it, just your valued opinions guys, for that I am grateful.

[Porcine_Aviator]

The problem is that you have a car that, like ours has either been used and abused or had a lot of use. Christine has cost us more than she is worth over the years we have had her. But like you we don't want to get rid of her, better a devil you know etc.

If you can afford to spend £700 to get a new DIM and you know that the new one is going to last for a long time, then it has to be worth it. After all you are enjoying the drive, you love the speed, you can carry loads of stuff, you enjoy the comfort, they are great in the snow, I know after driving back from Huddersfield over the M62 in a blizzard last December, mind you The Flying Moose may not agree with me on that

Yes they do have their problems, but how much would you have to spend to get a car that has the same spec as your V70, right now they are a lot cheaper, but again you do have to wonder what's wrong with the cheap ones.

Christine has a leaky rad that I need to get fixed before the onset of winter, yet more expense but at least I know what needs doing. That reminds me she needs a near side front tyre.

[M-R-P]

The problem is that you have a car that, like ours has either been used and abused or had a lot of use. Christine has cost us more than she is worth over the years we have had her. But like you we don't want to get rid of her, better a devil you know etc.

If you can afford to spend £700 to get a new DIM and you know that the new one is going to last for a long time, then it has to be worth it. After all you are enjoying the drive, you love the speed, you can carry loads of stuff, you enjoy the comfort, they are great in the snow, I know after driving back from Huddersfield over the M62 in a blizzard last December, mind you The Flying Moose may not agree with me on that

Yes they do have their problems, but how much would you have to spend to get a car that has the same spec as your V70, right now they are a lot cheaper, but again you do have to wonder what's wrong with the cheap ones.

Christine has a leaky rad that I need to get fixed before the onset of winter, yet more expense but at least I know what needs doing. That reminds me she needs a near side front tyre.

Love how you call her "Christine" says it all when you spend all your time and money fixing one thing only to have something else f#*k up!

[Porcine_Aviator]

Love how you call her "Christine" says it all when you spend all your time and money fixing one thing only to have something else f#*k up!

We named her after Steven King's car

[p fandango]

The clock/temp run from the legs on the right hand side of the motorolla chip, top half. Run an iron over them and that'll probably fix it!

he did mine first & one of the tiny chips fell off the board, think he put it back upside down as there were no markings on it so just guess work lol

[M-R-P]

he did mine first & one of the tiny chips fell off the board, think he put it back upside down as there were no markings on it so just guess work lol

pmsl!

[M-R-P]

We named her after Steven King's car

I know, that's what I meant

'57 Plymouth Fury. Excellent film!

On of my wife's fav films is The Money Pit!

[Porcine_Aviator]

[p fandango]

pmsl!

just check your phone very well if you send it back for repair lol

[M-R-P]

Just an update,
Me an mrs MRP have decided to save up and get the DIM sorted. I recon that I can deal with any other problems myself and I'm not about to give up on her yet.

Big Sweed forever!

[JelT5]

Well done mate; I'd been considering scrapping and selling parts on mine when the engine went bang yesterday, but decided that I like the car too much to do that

[M-R-P]

Well done mate; I'd been considering scrapping and selling parts on mine when the engine went bang yesterday, but decided that I like the car too much to do that

It's weird, when I passed my test 3 years ago (started late) I went straight into a 2 week old nissan note with all the trimmings and gizmos, 60mpg and that new car smell. When we got rid of it, I wasn't in the least bit bothered but the idea of not having the sweed doesn't really appeal!

[andyb1375]

Dont know if this will help, but I have had several units repaired by a company in Great Yarmouth. the company is called Clusters Uk. The last two Audis that i have done were £180 each

[M-R-P]

Dont know if this will help, but I have had several units repaired by a company in Great Yarmouth. the company is called Clusters Uk. The last two Audis that i have done were £180 each

Thanks Andy but I've already gone down that route. Because I have already had several attempts at it myself, nobody wants to touch it in case my attempts have weakened it.