I live in the Republic of Singapore and own a V70 that is still under warranty. The one-and-only dealer told me that the engine stabilizer mount on the top of the engine is cracked. But this is a "wear and tear" item and not covered by warranty. I escalated it to the Swedish Volvo technician working at the dealership and he tells me it is not covered because it is "subject to vibration." What part on a car is not subject to vibration? When I pointed him to the volvocars.com website and the on-line warranty manual that states clearly what is considered "wear and tear" he said he has to come back with some documentation on this.

During the same visit, the left front tire was rubbing on the wheelwell on right U-turns. They changed the steering stop to a much larger one and put in 2 extra washers. When I asked the Swede if this is a "mickey mouse" job he said no. There are 3 steering stops for the V70. And "this is a mass produced car so there will be variations." Now I have a much larger turning radius and the steering lock-to-lock is less than before. Does "Six Sigma Quality" exist at the Volvo plants? How can they tell me that variations exist. Plus they charged me to put in the new steering stops. Remember, the car is still under warranty!

"Volvo for Life???" This is my 3rd and probably my last Volvo if SM Motors is not covering engine mounts in the new car warranty. Funny thing is, all the warranty documentation that came with the car doesn't even have a "wear and tear" item section that limits Volvo's liability.