I have a 99 Volvo s-80 2.9L non-turbo. I have been through a lot with
the car that I won't get into but the latest is that the dealer's
service people say that the car needs a new PCV box because it is
sludged closed, they think. I am a little skeptical, especially when
they quoted me an $800 fix including a $150 price tag for the part. I
looked at the service bulletin and it said "get to it, clean it and
retest... 55 steps or so." I also found the part online, at the second
site I looked at costing $33.42. Unless my dealership is getting the
part directly from Sweeden in a lacquered wood box on a velvet pillow,
I don't see $120 in markup on the part being justified, even at the
dealer. Additionally, my car is popping a code for something completely
different.

So, the first question is this: In driving the car, would I notice a
problem with the PCV box in the performance of the car? If so, what
would that be?

The second question is: Is replacing the PCV box something that I
should have expected in 95K miles of driving the car? If not, what
might be causing the sludge that may or may not be there and is this
something that might need addressing (likely more expensive
addressing)? If so, who the Hell designs a car with something that is
definitely going to go wrong that takes four hours of labor to get to
and put back? I love driving the car, but  hate fixing it. Next car
will likely be Toyota or Honda at this rate.