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Sir,
I can understand your frustration. I picked up a 99 V70 T5 5-speed stick overseas through Tourist and Diplomat Sales (TDS) out of Germany. I am happy with the quality of the vehicle itself, but I have had nothing but unsatisfactory relationships with five dealerships in Germany and one here in Las Vegas, NV. The following list summarizes the problems I've had and dealer responses:
(1) Germany: Windshield glass separated from adhesive causing wind noise: Dealer claimed wind noise was normal and refused to fix under warrantee. I was able to prove that glass had separated by showing that water leaked through the seal. Dealer finally acknowledged problem and fixed it, but used defective sealant. I returned to dealer only to be told once again that the problem is just my imagination, but I was able to prove it again. Dealer finally fixed the problem correctly after FOUR OR FIVE visits to their service department over the course of months. Each visit was a battle.
(2) Germany: Slight backfire probably caused by rich mixture resulting in exhaust afterburning (might be common for turbos but I'm not smart enough to know). I don't know if this is common or not as I've never had the opportunity to drive another stick shift T5, but the 5 different dealership reps in Germany that I drove with claimed they couldn't hear any backfiring. Any passenger in my vehicle not affiliated with Volvo has acknowledged hearing the abnormal noise. This problem remains unresolved and my car is now out of warrantee. This may be normal for a stick T5, but I've never gotten Volvo to admit it. Anyone interested in hearing this? Leave your e-mail address and I'll send you .WAV files!
(3) Germany: Check engine light. Since the car was new, the check engine light has illuminated on numerous occasions. In each case but one (resulting in replacement of part of the fuel-filler system), I was unable to get the dealership to explain the fault code associated with the light. Instead, the dealer made claims like "the sensors are just too sensitive and the light goes on when it shouldn't". It appears that a recent software upgrade has resolved this problem since I've driven 17,000 miles without the light coming on (a record).
(4) Las Vegas: Oil Change. After a routine oil change, I drove my car home. When I got out of my car, I could see a substantial amount of oil dribbling from the engine compartment. I did not take the time to diagnose this as I had just payed the dealer for service and expected them to handle the problem. After calling the dealer, I was told that I would be called back. An hour later, I called again and was told, once again, that I would be called back. A few hours later, I got tired of waiting for the dealer to call me back and decided to drive back to the dealer. Lucky for them, they fixed the leak on the spot.
(5) Las Vegas: Dash Rattle. At 52,000 miles (fresh out of warrantee), a severe rattle developed in the dash. A few thousand miles later, the heater core started leaking. When the car was in for heater core service, I asked the dealer to also diagnose/repair the dash rattle (in writing in the earlybird envelope). After tearing apart the dash, replacing the heater core, and failing to diagnose/repair the rattle, they "apologized" for not doing this but were unwilling to absorb any labor costs associated with tearing into the dash yet again to diagnose and repair the rattle. The rattle is currently unresolved. BTW - on the way home from the dealer, a coolant level warning light illuminated. I had to add a great quantity of coolant to the engine as the dealer failed to properly replace the coolant after repairing the heater core.
(6) Las Vegas: 60,000k service. When I asked for pricing on 60k service, I was quoted $850. Being a stupid fool, I went ahead and OKed it thinking it had to be done. Two and a half hours later, I changed my mind and called the dealer so as to stop any unstarted jobs and save some money. The dealer's response? Sorry - it's all done. When I questioned the service writer about how it was possible to do "eight" hours of labor in 2.5 hours, we got into a big argument about how jobs are charged by the job and not by the labor hours. I understand how "flat rate" labor works and all that, but the amount of inflation the shop manuals are showing for jobs these days is simply absurd. Why do they even post shop hourly labor rates anymore?
(7) Las Vegas: Software problem. I am currently faced with a potential software problem. I decided I had had it with the local dealer and contacted an independent garage to get service. The garage owner told me that, without a Volvo proprietary VADIS terminal, he was unable to do anything for me since I had a 99 Volvo instead of a 98 or older. Apparently, in 99, Volvo redesigned the Motronic to make it impossible to diagnose problems without the proprietary Volvo VADIS tester. I can only interpret this as a move to eliminate competition from non-Volvo Dealer garages. Isn't this the same sort of thing that caused Microsoft to get busted in an antitrust suit?
I am convinced that the initial quality of my car was comparable to top-of-the-line European luxury cars (BMW, Benz, Audi). As a practicing aeronautical engineer, I know that it is impossible to make a vehicle (aircraft or auto) that is 100% problem free. The issue I have is with what I perceive to be the blatant separation between the money I give a car dealer for service and the service I get in return. It is clear to me that dealers are geared to sell cars as their "primary mission". It is also apparent to me that they use tactics to discourage people from maintaining older vehicles. Unfortunately, these cars are pricy and I just don't have the budget to trade one in every time it runs out of warrantee.
I don't mean to say that every Volvo dealership out there has a bad service department. I did find one in Montgomery Alabama that treated me well. I am just saying that the majority of the dealers I have used for service were not interested in solving my problems.
For you people out there who are happy with your service: you should count yourself lucky. Your good luck doesn't mean all Volvo owners are seeing the same level of service.
-Dale
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