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I just got a brand new Volvo S80 about 3 months ago. They car has 2500 miles on it. Yesterday the check engine and transmission urgent light came on. I brought the car into the dealer and they told me it needs a new transmission. They are not even going to give me a new transmission, it will be a re-manufactured unit.
I find this totally un-acceptable. How can a 40K car blow a tranny in 2,500 miles? Why are they giving my a used tranmission? How can I ever have confidence in this car again?
Please send me your advice. I am very unhappy with Volvo right now and really want to simply get my money back if possible.
Thanks,
Mike
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Why waiste your time. Is this the AWD model? Either way, you own the best Volvo they make right now (I base this statement on warranty claims against this model) They finally got it right, and now nobody is buying them (go figure).I assure you that these type of problems are rare in the 04 S80's. As far as a remanufactured transmission, your better off, after all your new one failed. A remanufactured unit is alot different that a rebuilt unit. A rebuilt they replace what is broken. Don't worry about it, you own a great car.
fyi, I will not type why but I know what I am talking about, my mother wanted to buy an XC90 Turbo, I told her that is fine but lose my phone number. So I talked her into an S80 AWD, and she absolutely loves it. (has 12,000 it and has no problems)
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The model that we have the is 2004 S80, but it does have the 2.9 engine and the 4 speed auto. The new models have the 2.5T engine and the 5 speed. We saved a few thousand going with the 2.9 vs 2.5T, but it may have been a mistake. At first I felt better about the 2.9 engine since it has been around for awhile and I figured the bugs would be worked out vs the newer 2.5T. I guess I may have been wrong about this. My parents did not need the more powerful engine and they rarely leave the house with snow on the ground so AWD was not needed. They are more afraid of falling/slipping in the snow then their car getting stuck in snow.
I hope what you say is true. My mom really likes the car when it runs. But she does not like it enough to deal with the frustrations of the last 7-10 days.
I really hope this all works out for the best.
THANKS FOR EVERYONE'S HELP ON THIS MATTER.
Mike
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posted by
someone claiming to be v70 gUY
on
Tue Mar 2 04:30 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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There are several ways to play this hand, but be sure to stress the fact that you really like Volvo's and are committed to the brand...no matter what you really feel.
1. You could take the reman unit and accept the fact that it is covered under the new car warranty.
2. You could take 1. and scream for an extended warranty as others have suggested. You have a good chance of getting it.
3. You could scream for a new trans unit, but there is no reason to believe it will be any more reliable than a remanufacturered one. This is a highly unlikely outcome imho, mostly because they will not want to start a trend.
4. You could become the obnoxious in-your-face consumer and demand a replacement car. After all no $40k car should have a major component fail in 90 days. This car must be a lemon and who could trust it now. Etc., etc. A long shot, but with enough pressure on the regional rep, they might cave in.
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We went as high as the President of VOlvo North America. While the Volvo offices were very nice, friendly and professional all they offered us a "Re-Manufactured" (used) transmission with the full 48/50K warranty. Standard warranty practice.
They would not go for an extended warranty on the transmission. If they are so confident in this used transmission I do not understand why they would not stand behind it.
The Volvo contact for the area John Mars will not speak to customers. I do not know how this guy got his job or deserves to keep it if he cannot speak with a customer.
I even offered to pay more money to get into a different Volvo car to make my mom feel more confident. No go.
I am giving Volvo the benefit of the doubt that this problem is simply bad luck and the S80 tranmission will last 100K miles. But I am not holding much hope.
FYI: I own a Saab and have had zero problems for over 60K miles. I was planning on buying an S60R this summer. Not any more.
If you want to pay 40K for a car, have a major failure in 2,500 miles, be without the car for over a week, have corporate people unwilling to speak with you, and no ability to negotiate or understand your situation in any way....THEN YOU SHOULD DEFINATELY BUY A VOLVO. Otherwise I would buy a Saab.
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posted by
someone claiming to be v70 gUY
on
Wed Mar 3 05:35 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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Hope Volvo North America reads this forum...they just lost a customer.
Chances are your rebuilt transmission will work just fine. Still pay very close attention to its operation and if anything seems unusual take it back.
While not on the same scale, I had problems with the following Volvo's when delivered.
1998 740 - Water pump sprayed coolant out the front.
1996 960 - Stereo dead.
2000 S80 - Wheel bearing noisy and AM radio reception bad.
In each case the dealer fixed the problems, although solving the AM reception took several tries.
The key to resolving something like this is having a good dealer to repair these ever more complex machines. Individually these problems can be seen as an indicator of further problems to come. Or they can be seen as one serious problem in a car that was otherwise delivered with a whole lot of other features that work correctly. In my case it's been the latter.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Volvo Repair
on
Sun Feb 29 17:36 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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Hi My Brother has a volvo s80 which had the same problem. I hope this is the problem on your car. He bought a car and had the same lights came on. He changed the transmission fluid and and thats it, no more problems occured after that. The transmission fluid has to be from the dealer olny. Auto Zone, Kragen and so on, might have the fluid but in dealer it is different kind. After you change the fluid you might need to reset the lights. After they have been reset drive around for a while. This might work. Email me at chernioglo@hotmail.com whats happens. Thanks
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Obviously any transmission they will put in there will be covered for the balance of the new car warrenty - 4 year/50k - I believe. You have to give them some credit for telling you it's a remanufactured unit - a lot of folks just wouldn't tell you - they'd just put it in and leave you in the dark. I would agree that you have every right to ask for a new transmission - but probably no way of knowing whether you will actually get one. If it was me I would do the following: 1) make myself as big a pain as I felt comfortable with (and I like the extended warrenty idea), and 2) whatever they agree to do, get rid of the car before the new car warrenty expires. There is something very wrong with a car that would have such a problem.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Steve
on
Mon Mar 1 07:01 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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"There is something very wrong with a car that would have such a problem"
No, not for an S80. Unfortunately newer Volvos in general after '98s have generally sucked when compared to older models. Sadly, it's not the same car company anymore.
BTW, I wouldn't accept anything used if it was my new car with only 2,500 miles either. I'd say "new or the car's yours".
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With 2500 miles, I would find that completely unacceptable too. I would contact the regional and national reps. Review the lemon laws and consider an attorney if the regional/national guys won't negotiate.
I could understand a reman if your car had a lot more miles, but your car is essentially new. However a reman might not be a completely bad thing. Remans can last as long as new, but if you decided to go this route, I would insist on a full warranty. Sometimes remans only have a 12k warranty.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Riverside V70 guy
on
Sat Feb 28 05:18 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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I would think that any repair made under the original factory warranty would be under warranty for the duration of the factory warranty, 48 months/50k miles. Maybe you could negotiate a free extended warranty to put your fears at ease.
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posted by
someone claiming to be n0v8or
on
Tue Mar 2 01:44 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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You have to read the exact Warranty wording very carefully. If like Ford's warranty (hopefully not), only the original factory-installed components are warranted for the full term. I had a MAF module fail at 1200 miles in an '03 Ford. It was replaced by a dealer with a remanufactured unit that had only a 90 day warranty. When the remanufactured unit failed 6 months later (at 3200 miles), I had to pay for the next one myself. I bought an aftermarket MAF for less than half of the Ford price, with a 1 year warranty.
I've had a similar experience with GM (Pontiac). Only the original parts were warranted, even when they were not functioning properly when the car was delivered.
Nissan, in contrast, will change replacement parts for free during the full warranty period.
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posted by
someone claiming to be Mik
on
Mon Mar 1 15:26 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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I would be demanding a new transmission,not a reman,and would also be asking for a free extended warranty on the vehicle as a means of them regaining your trust in their product..afterall you could have used your 40K on something else.Do let us know how you get on.
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