Folks,

I have a '98 V70 XC AWD with ~160K miles on it. Last fall I was having problems starting the car, and my mechanic put in a new tumbler. Two days later, the car wouldn't start again -- the mechanic said to try starting it in Neutral (something about a neutral safety switch?); I did, and it worked. Life went on and only one other time did I have to shift into Neutral to start the car.

Months go by, and a few weeks ago the car wouldn't start. No cranking, but all lights/accessories work, battery is fine, etc. I turn the key and just hear an electronic "whirr" for a second or two, then nothing. I tried starting in Neutral; no good. After about 2 dozen start attempts, the engine cranked and started. I drove it to the repair shop; they couldn't find a fault code, but based on the symptoms they said it might be either the "antenna ring" or the starter itself -- but they couldn't be sure it was either.

I opted to not have anything done, and the car operated fine for about 3 weeks. Then, 2 days ago, it happened again -- no start. Lights/accessories/battery all fine, but I couldn't get it started in P or N. I tried starting the car for about 1.5 hours (probably 75-100 times), and it never cranked. Had the car towed about 2 miles to the mechanic; when it got off the tow truck it turned over and started without a problem. My mechanic again couldn't duplicate the error, and couldn't find a fault code, but again said it could be either the antenna ring or the starter. I had him replace the antenna ring.

Fast forward 48 hours; after a couple of days driving the car without incident, getting ready to head home this evening -- the car wouldn't start again. Same symptoms. Replacing the antenna ring 2 days ago obviously didn't solve the problem. I'm now faced with towing the car AGAIN to the mechanic, where it could start up again -- if he can't duplicate the problem, how can he diagnose it? Do I really have to spend $450 to get a new starter in the hopes that doing so fixes the problem, or is there something else we can look at? Any thoughts?

Thank you!