Intro: Someone backed into the front of our '96 850 wagon and damaged the grill and hood enough to prevent it from opening. (No, they didn't leave a note!) Body shop did a nice job on the front end (looks like new)
Problem: In the 3 days the body shop had it, the car was started, moved
10 feet, stopped, repeated several times. On the day we picked it up it wouldn't even start. It finally started and worked fine. Then my wife left the lights on and killed the battery (brand new in January). She jumped it, left the blinkers on and killed the battery again, jumped it, and it appears to be fine now.
A few days later, I was driving it when it started coughing and sputtering while idling in traffic. It sounded like it was going to die but didn't. Instead, the check engine light came on. The engine has run without a problem since (over two weeks now), though it sounded a tiny bit wheezy this morning after an hour on the highway.
Fields Volvo service thinks it may need it's 60k tune up (it is at 59.3k miles), but charges $100 for the privlage of looking at it. My wife thinks it just needs it's oil change (due about now). I don't have a diagnostic tool, but would like some advice of what to look for. I don't feel like putting a ton of money in, as we plan on selling it in the near future.
Thanks.