posted by
someone claiming to be Teklord
on
Mon Dec 2 12:29 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Well, if you searched this board under my name you will see my numerous visits to the dealer for a harsh transmission shift. I now have a brand new tranny.
By the way, with the new transmission, the car does not "feel" new anymore. I guess this could be psychological, but I can definitley feel it.
Anyway, my V70 now has 13,000 miles and a new tranny. Yesterday, I was making a left hand turn at about 25 mph and the car made this loud "groaning" noise. After that noise, steering from left to right also groans. I can replicate this problem over and over. Its time to go back to the dealer. UNEXCUSABLE for a car that I paid close to $40,000 !!!!!!
I love Volvo's but this is leaving a very bitter taste. Would I buy another one? I was looking at an S60 but not anymore. I am very turned off by this car. I would not recommend Volvo to anyone but my enemies. Would not buy one again.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Chris Regensburger
on
Sun Dec 22 01:32 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Your new gearbox has a redesigned valve-body. It's the result of hard shifting complaints. We've just beenreplacing valve bodies, with much sucess I might add!
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posted by
someone claiming to be pinebark
on
Tue Dec 17 15:48 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I experienced the same agravation with my 2001 V70 T5 which eventually drove me to sell the car. The loss I took on the car is well worth the peace of mind in not expecting something else to break.
How can you enjoy a car...good seats and all, when your confidence in the car is shot to hell. Yeah, a good dealer is worth it's weight in gold. But how can you produce a $40,000 car and miscalculate the tire size such that the abysmal turning radius is met at it's limit by tires which rub the wheel wells? No, that's not "a little thing". And only one example...the list is long and painful, I'll leave it at that. Com'on, there's just no excuse.
I hope potential buyers and Volvo exec.s read this board carefully.
540i wagon...no regrets.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Chris Regensburger
on
Sun Dec 22 01:36 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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They changed thefront toespecs to eliminate tire rub. All that's needed to fixit
is an alignment.
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posted by
someone claiming to be pinebark
on
Sun Dec 22 15:31 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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The service tech told me that the fix was to install shims which actually increased the turning radius from abysmal to very abysmal. Since I wasn't under the car while they performed the "fix", I can't verify exactly what was done. I can tell you about the sinking feeling I got when I realized that I bought a car which was "engineered" and produced without catching the problem to begin with.
I would have more conviction about the shim explanation, except many of the posts I read here turn out to be more accurate than what you get at the dealer service counter. Either way, I'm still pissed.
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Whoa! I hadn't heard that one--so the idea is that if you turn the steering wheel all the way, your tires are rubbing the wheel wells? That's good to know--thanks.
Mark
--
Mark 2002 V70
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posted by
someone claiming to be Darryl
on
Tue Dec 17 03:54 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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We have two 98 AWD V70s we bought both second hand. The first had 40K Kilometers on it and the other had 36K. Both drive flawlessly and I have put on over 25K Kilometers on mine. We have not had one problem with either of the cars. They both drive like dreams. My wife has the v70R in automatic and I have the v70 in manual. We have the extended warranty with them and haven't had to use it once. My wifes one kicks a little ass when the pedal hits the metal.
I took a Volvo friends advice and take my cars to McMillan and Saunders in Toronto. Not only are they friendly and nice but they know Volvos. They also know how to fix them too.
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posted by
someone claiming to be sad volvo owner
on
Fri Dec 6 14:36 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Teklord,
You are correct in your indignation with these cars. They are overpriced pieces of junk. I am an ex-auto mechanics instructor who made the mistake of buying a 1998 V70R for my wife. Nothing but problems. If I could get a fair price,I would trade or sell, but as it is, I guess I will just warn others away.
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posted by
someone claiming to be sad volvo owner
on
Fri Dec 6 14:36 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Teklord,
You are correct in your indignation with these cars. They are overpriced pieces of junk. I am an ex-auto mechanics instructor who made the mistake of buying a 1998 V79 R for my wife. Nothing but problems. If I could get a fair price,I would trade or sell, but as it is, I guess I will just warn others away.
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Groaning on turns? Wonder if your car has the same front linkrod ends (a/k/a swaybar endlinks) that the 98-00's have....when worn, these can cause a groaning sound on turns and it's not an expensive repair. The life of these bushings can be distressingly short.
--
David \\ (98 S70 T5SE Black, misc mods (mostly lighting), red calipers) (92 940GLE)
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Teklord,
Actually $40K for a premium European marque is hardly a lot. Nonetheless, you should enjoy your car and trust your mechanic.
At @60K miles and after one major collision, I can honestly say that my car is aging very well. Or, maybe I'm getting comfortable with its needs.
It does require meticulous maintenance, which I mostly do myself. This board is invaluable for DIY owners.
Didn't some auto journalists peg Volvos as manic-depressives. The car's personality, not the owner's. It's certainly not like my wife's "point & shoot" Honda. The Accord is no thrill ride though. That's your trade-off.
If I didn't like to tinker with my car, or didn't have a trusted mechanic, I'd probably be tired of it as well.
Good luck,
Bryan
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posted by
someone claiming to be jeff
on
Tue Dec 3 03:41 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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My suggestion. Why don't you talk to the dealer about buying the car back under the lemon law (check your state law). You justification should be that for a 13M mile car, it's been in the shop way too long. The dealer will give you grief, but will ultimately have to oblige. If he/she does not, get an attorney involved to help expedite the process. Of course there will be negotiations e.g. you trading the car in for another Volvo. Just make sure the new car is discounted enough to recover the most of retail value of your V70 when you purchased it.
If you decided to trade the car in for another Volvo look at what day of the week the car was manufactured. Generally, cars that have been manufactured on a Wed, Thurs have fewer problems. I don't know why but studies have proven.... Perhaps your car was manufactured on a Monday. Who likes to work on a Monday? Especially in manufacturing. Most are still recovering from their weekend hangovers and miss bolts here, a nut there, transmissions and engine misalignments, etc, etc.
I have a 98 S70 T-5 and have had minor problems: brakes, o2 sensor, antenna mast and left upper control arm. These problems have occurred after 50M miles. Damaging to the pocket book, but expected. The thing I like most about my Volvo after 5 years it still as tight as it was when I bought it.
Good luck.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Eddie W. in FL
on
Tue Dec 3 07:39 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Jeff,
How do you know what day of the week your car was made? Is it somewhere in the literature that comes with the car? I've never seen any "code" or such that will tell you that.
Regards, Eddie
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posted by
someone claiming to be jeff
on
Tue Dec 3 11:48 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Eddie-
The dealer should have access to that info. Have the dealer pull a full record using VIN number.
jeff
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posted by
someone claiming to be Chris Regensburger
on
Sun Dec 22 01:42 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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The closest you can get is the structure week, which is meaningless. Besides, ittakes morethan aday tobuilt a Volvo. They are made by teams, start to finish.
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posted by
someone claiming to be bill d cat
on
Mon Dec 2 23:12 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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106,000 NYC Miles ... car still feels well, maybe not new, but newer than either of my Saabs felt at that mileage. Newer than my last brand-new Chevy rent-a-car.
My own dealer seems to have had an epiphany in it's service department, went from really awful to "good" in a couple of years. Maybe change service departments as others have said?
-bill d cat
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Time to trade it in, isn't it?
--
98 R Wagon, all kinds of goodies 94 854 Sedan some goodies 92 740 Rag Wag
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posted by
someone claiming to be bob
on
Mon Dec 2 13:50 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Your power steering fluid is low. For some reason these cars use P/S fluid. Sometimes they leak from the supply hose at the bottom of the reservior. Sometimes no visible leaks but fluid low. And no, they shouldn't have had to disturb the steering other than unbolting the rack from the subframe to replace the trans. The rack/pump/hoses remain intact. These cars also use coolant. No visible leaks, but require occasional topping up.
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Why not just find a Volvo service dept. who knows what time it is.....and dont try to tell me that the one your using is OK.....because if they were things would be fixed correctly the first time....and they would not fix this thing and f#*k up that thing.
I tell people this over and over.....be VERY sure you know of a *real good* dealer service dept BEFORE you buy a new Volvo. Yes they(the cars) are all covered under the 4/50, but if you go to a shop where the techs cant even use a ball point pen with out reading the instructions first you will be in a world of crap in short order!
sorry for your problems....but I have 30K NYC miles(and I sure as hell dont baby my cars) on my 2000 S70 GLT now, and no real problems.....nothing that could not wait till the next LOF at the dealer to fix..... I would buy another Volvo in a second!
--
Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ
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posted by
someone claiming to be masher
on
Tue Dec 3 03:31 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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SteveF-your right in that the only one who is going to look out for themselves is themselves!!! But how does Volvo get away with a crappy support network at higher than normal shop rates???? If we were talking Kia, Hyundai I would understand but there is no excuses for Volvo! My feeling is the quality had taken a down turn in the mid 90's and now they don't know how to "manage" all the new found problems with the more sophistcated designs and S*^T suppliers they use! It shouldn't be a crap shoot in going to a volvo dealer--independents YES but not a high priced volvo dealer!
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Ok you wanted to know. Well....all Volvo dealers in NA are indy owned and operated. Volvo NA does not own ANY of the dealerships, and they give each dealership a lot of room af far as the dealers policy on repairs, and qualifacations of the techs working there. I have found over the years (I been in Volvos for 11 years now) that Volvo NA does just what they say they will do. When I use the word "say" I am talking about warranty, and after sales policy.....all the piticulars are in black and white in your warranty.
Personally I find Volvo NA's "support network" to be about on a par with most other marks.....they do no more and no less than they should.
Volvo NA does not dictate hourly shope rates....they do have a set amount of time they will allow for repair work done under warranty, but the service depts hourly rate is set by the owner of the dealership....and I am sure they know how much they can get in a said area of the country/state.
Like I said it is up to the buyer of a new volvo to find a dealer who has a service dept that is run and operated by competant people, who care about repeet biz, the customer, and the work they do. NOT a dealership who only cares about pushing units off the lot as fast as they can.....and has a service dept only as a after thought...or because Volvo NA says they HAVE to service their produce if they want to sell it.
Thank God I have a quality Volvo dealer to take my car to. I live about two miles from Mid-Town Mahattan, and drive past no less than 4 other Volvo dealers that I know DO NOT provide the same quality work that I get at my dealer. Some of these other places may offer free car washes....or give late model loaners(the dealer I use does not have ANY late model loaners nor have I needed one in the 11 years I been using their service dept), or free lunch or what ever....I dont need that crap.....I want the work to be done right, and I want it to be done by people who I know, know what they are doing. 90% of the techs, the SM, SW's, and the owner(yes he is there every day!)are all faces that I have seen at this dealer since day one.......that means quite a bit to me.....also I usually have one of the same three techs do all my work.
People on this board who know me....know I am totally anal about my cars....and more so the Volvo I drive.....it gets outstanding care....I will not go into it, but lets just I do go a bit over the top with keeping my S70/GLT serviced correctly. That said I can afford to buy a MB, BMW, Audi....and I would LOVE to buy another new one(been looking at the 03 530i with all the goodies)what stops me from buying one is sure not loyalty to Volvo NA, or the service dept I use....its the fact that I know for sure it would be VERY hard for me to find another dealer service dept around here who will provide me with the same quality of service I get at my Volvo dealer.
And....thats what TOPS my check list when I go car shopping.....can I get high quality service.....because they ALL NEED it.
--
Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ
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posted by
someone claiming to be RhysB
on
Mon Dec 9 23:47 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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I'm always very interested to see these comments about some shoddy treatment by certain Volvo dealers in NA. I've dealt with Volvo dealers in 3 countries (UK, Netherlands and Portugal) and all have been absolutely excellent. Volvo dealers in the UK have been generally recognised as one of the best (and, for what its worth, voted the best) dealer networks in the country. The service I received in Holland and in Portugal has been first class.
It's a real shame that Volvo NA doesn't seem to uphold the same consistently high standards that seem to apply in the European countries that I'm most familiar with. I have certainly been treated much better at Volvo dealerships than I have by MB, Audi, VW or BMW dealerships. Even though I find some model from the German manufacturers very appealing, I would hesitate before buying because the Volvo dealerships I've dealt with have more that justified my continued custom.
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posted by
someone claiming to be masher
on
Tue Dec 3 09:44 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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SteveF-so basically Volvo dealers sound like "franchise type" operations. Then I can see your point about "variation" from dealer to dealer. Your right though, its whats AFTER the sale that counts! Thats why I luv these car sites--lots of good info/history!
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posted by
someone claiming to be Chris Regensburger
on
Sun Dec 22 01:53 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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One thing isthat since theFord takeover, dealers are under intense scrutiny as to how they spend warranty dollars. When you call tech hotline about a tranny complaint, they tell you to do some software upgrades and reset the adaptation andreturn it to the cust. Dealer's can't just order a transmission and many other parts. They want you to do the cheap stuff first. Then you have to do abunch of tests on VADIS, which they review then they might send you a tranny.
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Yes your right, but I think a "franchise type" operation has quite a bit more rules & regs. that the parent co. holds the owner to....
I could very well be wrong though.....I have no idea what the exact description of what the relationship between Volvo NA and their dealers would be called....but I do know that each dealership is owned by a person....and not Volvo Cars USA or Ford's PAG. And usually the person who ownes a dealership has a backround in sales.....in my case, the owner(and his two children who work there)have a rich history in the "service" area.....and not in sales! As long as the dealer I use for service(I did buy my S70 from a high volume, sales oriented dealer....can you blame me...I saved over 2K$) dont change the way they do things.....I will have a Volvo in the drive for a long long time.
--
Steve F. in Hoboken, NJ
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posted by
someone claiming to be bill d cat
on
Tue Dec 3 04:32 CST 2002 [ RELATED]
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Similar complaints about BMW and Audi dealers, too....
In fact, I'm unimpressed with Honda's dealers in that since the cars seem so bulletproof, they tend to pad the routine maintainance, with things that really don't need to be done.
-bill d cat
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