1. Today I called a local shop known for very reputable foreign work (Waterford European - MI) and he told me he cannot look at the car until the 12th (next monday) and if it needs a trans his cost to R and R and change seal is about $1,100 plus fluid. He said he would put in a used trans, which is not included in the price. This shop has an excellent reputation.

2. This afternoon I took the car to a trans shop (RC Trans and Gear - MI) I've had good experience with for almost twenty years. This guy stands behind his work. I had a Jetta trans seal go bad after two years and he took the car back and redid the transmission without any hesitation. He told me he would rebuild it and guarantee it for as long as I own the car but wanted to see it first. When I got there he had mostly domestic cars, but a number of Jags, Lexus and BMW.

3. Randy (owner) took the car for drive with me in it and after about ten minutes told me he thought the trans was fine and had been misdiagnosed. He thought the car was starving for fuel, maybe a filter (which is not serviceable in this car) the way it labored under load. At that point the check engine light came on for the first time since the problem started. The car was dogging from a standstill....not stalled out but severe lag and hesitation. I can't believe the dealer technicians could be off so far but I'm interested in a second opinion.

4. When we got to the shop Randy's mechanic put a scanner on it and pulled a code for 'rich' indicating an oxygen sensor. Randy said he does not believe the sensor is bad and throwing the code. He thinks the poor running is causing the sensor to trip a false code.

5. Where am I going to find someone who can figure out what is going on with this car? Randy would not take any money. Told me if I need a trans, see him then. Not now.

6. My brother-in-law suggested that the new trans at the dealer might not be new after all, but possibly a rebuild. I was worried if Randy rebuilt mine with 160k that I might be better off with a used one. BIL said I would have no way of knowing how many miles were on the Volvo rebuild (if it is rebuilt).
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I'm stuck on Volvo and Volvo's stuck on me....