Today, while my wife was driving Arabella, our 1996 850 sedan, the "Trax" (spelling?) and ABS lights were on for quite a while, from the time she started the car to some time later; then went out.

The dealer quotes $56 for a half hour of diagnostic time (put on machine, read codes), and anywhere from $50 to $700 to repair. Questions:

1. Am I correct that not dealing with this problem right away is unlikely to cause more expensive problems later (barring an accident when the ABS would have been helpful to have)?

2. Any thoughts on likely problems, and whether a competent home mechanic can fix problems with this system?

I think that there have been some earlier posts on similar situations. One of the suggested problem areas was a failing ignition switch which I believe can be diagnosed by jiggling the key after the car has been started. If the lights go out, replace the switch. I've got the same problem with my '95 850 but haven't gotten around to the fix yet. Jiggling the key usually makes the lights go out.

Search for Victor Rocha here...he's the ABS guru and he can direct you in the right direction, most likely an ABS module rebuild. This module also controls the TRACS.
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1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.