Hej,

I'm from Sweden but a long time US resident. It's been EMBARRASSING to read all the posts here about the crappy quality on Volvo cars, and especially the XC. I grew up with "everybody" having Volvos which lasted forever and were extremely reliable and problem-free (if boring) cars.

I am the owner of a '98 XC myself. I bought it without doing any research due to lack of time...my Ford Taurus (which I liked) was totalled when an idiotic driver hit me, and I had just 1 week to get a new vehicle. My (Swedish) parents gave me a monetary contribution with the stipulation of "get a Volvo V70..we want the safest car for our grand-son" ...so I went to the Volvo dealer; safety being the number one reason. I liked the V70 AWD but not its looks and ended up with a XC instead.

Now, 4 years and 36960 miles later I sure wish I had found this site before!!!

I've had so many problems with this car that I bought the extended warranty the day before my factory warranty ran out...

I saw "harders" posts and I've had just as many, if not more, problems than he has. I'll list these in another post...the list is long and it's late. But the immediate problem now is the lousy gas mileage issue. When the car was new, I got 18mpg city (which is pretty much all I drive). This quickly went down to 17 and then 16. Now, after the latest service (which included front rotor replacement yep, brake pads and rotors are another issue) 4 new tires (I had one flat and had to replace all 4 pirellis with 20,000 miles left...ouch) and a wheel alignment PLUS a transmission fluid change (the tech said it was really dirty)the darn mileage went DOWN to 14.9 MPG. I took it back (about 50% of the service had not been performed on tip of this issue) and they performed the service again (I hope). Well, now the mileage is down to 13.2 according to the computer and my calculations. I am NOT hard on the brakes, I don't carry a heavy load, and all the other issues that can affect fuel consumption have stayed the same (A/C, tire pressure, fuel grade etc.). I've had all the recommended service on the car, and more. I complained about the gas mileage back in '99 when I had 10,000 miles on it. The computer read 16.1 but my calculations had it more like 13-14. They did not find anything then or now.

I've searched and searched on this site and others for this issue and found few possible answers. I have not found ANY volvo owner with such a lousy gas mileage.
A Ford150 owner had a similar problem and the problem was a FAULTY LOCK UP TORQUE CONVERTER. Could this be the problem with my XC???
Also, the tranny fluid should not be that bad after only 36800 miles, should it?
I've basically got a lemon, I realize that now, but I'm kind of stuck with the car for awhile and need to know more so I can ask the dealer to fix it. And, yes, I'm looking for an independent volvo mechanic as I have lost faith in the 2 dealers I've used. Anyone know of a good one in Atlanta, Georgia?

Sorry about the rambling..I'm tired and ANGRY that Volvo ever let this car pass their so-called quality inspection. I really think they just don't give a damn about cars that are shipped to the USA.

Svensk ARG tjej (Swedish ANGRY gal)