I'd bet that there's a very high percentage of us here that had the same experience. Unless you're very fortunate to have a mechanic who really knows old Volvos inside and out -- and there are a few, but they're rare -- it's mandatory to learn to do your own work.

The good side of this is that 1) cars don't get much simpler to work on than old Volvos, and 2) you can get a lot of satisfaction from fixing the car right yourself.