Volvo Repair: 2000 s70, side impact protection, 3 things

Question
I have just got this car from my father and there seems to be some problems that maybe you can give me some direction on.
1) srs light on all the time
2) sometime when i drive the transmission seems to disengage the engine just revs up ,when you let you off the gas its ok.(it does shift hard sometimes)
3)air conditioner was told the Evaporator Core
need to be replaced quote $1200 80% for labour, is this something i can do because i just involves taken the dash out?

thank you for you help- in reviewing your answers to others, it seems that your the first person that seems to know how to explain the repairs so people understand what they are getting into.


Answer
well the srs light is most likely a fault sips bag.  That is the side impact protection system.  It is located inside the seat.  The seat will have to be removed from the car and the upholstery removed to gain access.  The srs light will still have to be cleared by the dealer so you may as well go in to have this looked at.  Its not that easy.  You could just have them clear the light.  The odds are the light will do one of 3 things:

1-go off and stay off
2-go off and stay off for a little while before coming back
3-go off and then come back on before the car even leaves the dealer

Can't really say which will happen.  But if its one of the first 2 it could save you some money, at least for a little while.

The transmission can be one of 2 things.  The software could be updated to try to take care of the problem.  That fixes that issue 50% of the time.  That is a dealer only procedure.  If that doesn't fix it then the only thing left is to replace the transmission.  Don't try to have it rebuilt either.  I have seen attampts at rebuilding them and they all were worse than they started.

The evaporator core could be replaced by yourself if you feel confident on removing the dashboard.  Definitly invest in a manual that explains the procedure before starting though.  You will have to pay for a few things that you cannot do yourself though.  The A/C system will have to be evacuated, vacuumed, and charged by a shop that has refrigerant recycling equipment.  Also the connections for the evaporator are very difficult to remove and require a special tool to pop the garter spring.  Ask someone at the parts counter for information on what tools you need.  They should be able to look at the connections and show you the right tool.

James