Wow!

My used 960 has had 3 problems since I got it with 58K on it over 2 years ago. None that I considered bad. New battery and voltage regulator immeadiately after I got the car. An intake manifold gasket about a year later and I just replaced the rear window washer pump. (It's a wagon.) A problem with the brakes cleared by cleaning the wheel mounting surfaces and useing a torque wrench when putting the wheels back on. My first auxillary purchase for the car was a set of new Volvo shop manuals and I have done all the work myself. The "shell" may be familiar but almost everything "under the hood" is of new design.

Is it possible your dealer has been providing "provocative" maintainence on the car? The car has a lot of newly designed features and if the mechanics haven't been keeping up-to-date, the old way of doing things may have not worked. The fact that several things needed to be done twice is suspicious. Is there another dealer or independent you can try?