Is there a specialist who can repair my Volvo XC70's faulty DEM module?

I own a 2006 Volvo XC70 Cross Country AWD Estate fitted with a 2.4-litre 185bhp 5-cylinder diesel engine. It has just completed 100,000 miles. During a trip last week a yellow warning triangle appeared on the dashboard accompanied by an 'Anti-Skid Service Required' message on the vehicle information console. The car continued to drive normally and there appeared to be no change in its braking performance. The following day I took it to my local Volvo franchised dealer who examined it and diagnosed a fault with the Differential Electronic Module (DEM) which, as I understand it, is an electronic unit attached to the differential on the rear wheel drive assembly.

The engineer had checked all the contacts and indicated that the fault was not with any of these but that it was a problem internal to the DEM module itself. Then came the bombshell. The quoted cost of replacing the faulty DEM with a new unit was over £1700. But can the DEM unit be repaired? The 'Anti-Skid Service Required' message comes up every time the car is started but this is not accompanied by the ABS warning light or any other ABS related message.

Asked on 13 July 2013 by AR, Bideford

Answered by Honest John

There is another possible reason for this that the dealer did not make you aware of. If tyre wear is different front to back this will also affect the four-wheel drive system, which interprets a difference in rotation of tyres front to back as a loss of adhesion. So worth taking a look at them and perhaps running a tape measure around them. If there is definitely a fault with the DEM unit, then a couple of people who may be able to recondition it are www.bba-reman.com or www.ecutesting.com

Tags: electrical faults abs brakes repairs

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