V40 (64 plate) Engine cracked
 

Hi,

I've had a V40 D2 for 3 years now (bought new) and for the most part have been pleased with it.

I had a couple of issues which unfortunately the dealership hasn't been really helpful with (The front disc brakes sheared in half after 2 years and the passenger door has never closed properly - it stands off the bodywork by about 5mm) but I have soldiered on with it and paid for the brakes myself; ignored the door as I will be handing it back after it had run its finance length.

Now to the big problem. The car started reporting low coolant about a month or 2 ago (after the last service as it happens) which I investigated (coolant level looked normal once cooled). The alert came and went quite a lot so I rang the dealership about it - they said Volvo sensors are quite 'twitchy' and 'cautious' and can sometimes go off even when cornering the car. Basically I was told to ignore it unless it stays on (it didn't).

Last week my engine reported a high temperature alert. It said to lower my speed, which I did. I pulled over just to be safe (as I was only a few miles from home), I let it cool and carried on - the warning was gone and I got home fine. The next day I rang the dealer. They said bring it in for a look. I said I wasn't comfortable driving it with a temp issue. They suggested I call out Volvo Assist, so I did.

An engineer turned up and plugged the car into the computer. He said that he could see an anomaly in the pressure of the engine and that to him it looked like the engine was critically damaged but that it might possibly be an air block or something simple. He took it to the dealership.

They dealership phoned me and told me the worst news possible when it comes to car ownership, the engine was broken - it had a crack in the engine block (I'm not very savvy with cars parts, so sorry if I explain this incorrectly). The car would need a completely new engine.

Although I had reported the fault to the dealership and VolvoUK (when the dealership was closed) a good month ago and well within my warranty, this was now 6 days after the warranty had expired (3 years old). The dealership contacted VolvoUK for us and they've offered to meet us half way and pay 50% of the cost (total of about £6000 - so £3000).

I feel a little let down by the Dealership and Volvo as I immediately reported the fault as described by the car inside the warranty and now they seem to not want to honour it.

I've tried to talk to VolvoUK directly but it's proving difficult.

I've been told to use the Sales of Good act which states a 6 year "fit for purpose" and to go through small claims court. I really don't want to do this but I REALLY can't afford the repair.

This isn't just a moan :) here are my questions I could use help with:

1. Is this unusual or have these little diesel engines got previous with this sort of problem?

2. Has anyone been through a similar scenario and can offer any advice?

I'm not particularly sure how to proceed now - the dealership have almost washed their hands of it and said to deal with VolvoUK directly. This is quite difficult to do. I'm not confident about going to SCC but I will have to if there is no resolution as I just cant pay for the car to be fixed.

Right now the car is sat in the dealership and if I don't agree to pay - they will not be giving me a car so I can get to work and will probably want me to arrange it to be picked up?

Thanks in advance for any help - sorry if this is in the wrong place or isn't part of what the forum is about.

regards,

Jason.

Is it the 1600 cc or the 2000 cc diesel engine ? Have they taken the engine apart ?

It's the 1600cc - I think they must've done at least some dismantling to find a crack in the block but not sure how much. They said it needs a completely new engine which they can get shipped within a week (if I were to pay the 3K).

Another quality PSA engine right there.......

SPA coolant loss
 

Used to have a 2012 V 50 with 1.6d engine, had water pump gasket/seal replaced first service due to coolant loss, told at time it was a known issue. May be worth exploring if issue remains with later engines, could be cause of coolant loss with your car

Seems to be the case - once I looked up the engine number from my last service I got a lot of information regarding broken PSA type.

This late 2014 models engine has been classified as critically damaged - all the coolant has pumped out into the fill area and the engine block is cracked. I had no warnings other than Coolant level too low, then a temp alert near the end of its demise.

A warning to anyone with this engine - do not take no for an answer if you start to get coolant/temp warnings - it could be your engine failing completely.

Jason,

Call the dealer and ask for the name and email address of the dealer principal.

Write an email to the dealer principal detailing the events that have occurred, including dates of conversations with the dealer and Volvo Assist. Stick to the facts and ask the dealer principal to honour the warranty given the circumstances. Bear in mind that technically the car is out of warranty and that neither the dealer or Volvo UK is obliged to provide any contribution to the cost of repair. However given that the symptoms were reported to the dealer and Volvo Assist prior to the warranty expiring IMHO you do have a case.

If this approach doesn't work then as you have identified you should use the small claims court.

Techwatcher,

Thanks for the advice. I ended up sending a PM via Twitter (of all things) to Volvo Sweden and got a response from UK Customer Relations later that day. After pretty much copying and pasting the OP, they have today (right this minute actually) agreed, as a gesture of goodwill, to replace the engine free of charge. This is a massive weight off my mind (and finances :) ).

They've also told me to take in the vented disc that sheared in half as it's unusual. They might even make my door look closed like it's supposed to if I'm lucky.

Thanks to everyone above for any advice you gave, really appreciated.

And remember: Low coolant alerts could mean something sinister, don't let the Dealership shrug it off if you have a warranty.

Jason,

That's good news; I'm glad Volvo has decided to do the right thing here.

Hope it's not too long before your V40 is back on the road.

Make sure the dealer provides you with a decent courtesy car whilst yours is being repaired!

How many miles had you done, out of interest?

They sourced a new engine within the UK so a week or so. Gave me a V40 to be going on with :)

Off the top of my head it had done about 45k? I got 18k per year with the finance and I was only saying to my wife the other day she might want to start using it to get the miles up :err:

They sourced a new engine within the UK so a week or so. Gave me a V40 to be going on with

ref brake disc this has come up before so in my mind its a volvo faults and they should pay not you

next your engine off coarse volvo should pay for engine 45 k miles and engine is cracked ,this is know problem esp on new style engines so thats why there paying up.

clutches they also have major problem with them cover plates collapsing ask ROOSTER ,they are using cheap parts thats why they are collapsing also cheap terminals thats why they loose can high signal

good luck..

Thanks for the info - I've left the discs with the Dealership to have a look at and speak to VolvoUk about - he said he didn't think it would fit the warranty as it's brake related but I would argue that. Citizens Advice have recommended I send them to Trading Standards as they raise concerns about safety - I'll report on what happens.

Another interesting point to make is that VolvoUK said that because I am not 'contributing' to the cost I will have zero warranty on the new engine. Sounds wrong to me but maybe there would still be an element of 'goodwill' if something did go wrong.

That is normal industry practice , for example if you had the problem with a week to run on the warranty , the repair would be covered by the remaining warranty in that case only the remaining week ... I would imagine you would have the usual 12 month labour warranty from the garage which did the work but it would not cover parts .

Ah! Makes sense and the labour warranty is useful. That explains it much better than they did :) cheers.

I wonder if making a minimal contribution would enable a warranty for the new part. Making a £100.00 voluntary payment would be well worth it to secure a years warranty. Below is an excerpt from an email I received from VolvoUK Customer Relations:

Would be interesting to know if making a small donation would validate the warranty.

Wishful thinking. No chance a £100 contribution will activate a full warranty on a £6k engine.

I wonder where the cutoff is then. They wanted me to put in 20% just before they said they would pay in full. 20% contribution would've activated the warranty.

Maybe it is 20% then? Certainly won't be £100 :). TBH you have had a great result and I wouldn't worry about it.

Ethics
 

I guess thats what happens when you have a go at building an engine that conforms to EU (well international) standards as opposed to doing a VW Audi group...Maybe if they had tested it on monkeys it would be more reliable?

Hi Jason. I have a similar issue. I am about to phone Volvo Customer Relations to discuss but don't expect any good outcome. Could you give me some more detail of how you contacted Volvo Sweden via Twitter in your case? I tried to send you a PM but the forum would not let me do that. Thanks. Dave

Hi, I am also having same issue on my 2014 v40 D2. Have had various things checked e.g water pump, new thermostat and now being advised it is likely that there is a hole or crack within engine/head gasket which is causing air lock. My car is not under warranty but should not be having such issues on a four year old 55k mileage car! Any help or advice appreciated. Is it worth contacting Volvo to report issue as a clearly common engineering fault? I have found 3 other people on this forum who have had same issues. Thanks

V40 engine cooling problem
 

Interesting to read the number of v40 owners having what seems to be an identical problem, ie, engine block coolant seepage. Just had a call that £700 needs to be spent to have the head removed to confirm it needs a new engine. I bought 3 of these models around the same time, 2015 (and still have them). There is clearly a manufacturing fault within the forged metal compound of the engine block for this to be happening on so many vehicles. I am in discussions with Volvo as I write and am determined to hold the manufacturer to account, even if it means litigation. Will keep the forum posted on the outcome.

V40 engine cooling problem
 

I have the same problem in my volvo v40 with PSA 1.6 engine… the antifreeze simply disapear and when i open the deposit it comes back! It has 4yr and 100000km, no warranty, but it seems like a common problem! Will check next week

Another Volvo user with the same issue. 1.6 engine, 85k miles. Comes up complaining about coolant. When I open the cap the coolant level returns to normal. No warranty on mine either.
Looks like I may be looking for a new car :sad_smile:

Don't assume anything , these engines are prone to water pump leaks , look for green stains around the bottom of the water pump or on the engine below the pump ...

I'll definitely do this.

Similar issue with Volvo V40 D2 2013 110 000 km
 

Hi I am from France and I have same issue as you on my Volvo V40 D2 Eco.
In French forums I don't read that much about V40s but I remember you have more Volvos in UK than us... So just a look on Google and I found your stories !

Quick story for mine :
Volvo V40 D2 1,6 110 000K (more than you...) Eco (No temperature reading)
- V40 alarm : coolant low
- Stop
- Open coolant : coolant is boiling
- Go Volvo saying : I think I have problem with head gasket
- Volvo answer : No
- Riding : problem again
- Go Volvo : I think I have problem with head gasket
- Volvo answer : No
- Riding again : problem again
- Go Volvo : I think I have problem with head gasket
- Volvo answer : No
- Me : Ok, so please try to check if you find some water in the oil
- Volvo : Hi sir, we found some water in your oil, you have problem with head gasket. Plus, your cylinder is cracked.

It may be a good idea to gather our stories.

Could you please give your mileage, car year, motorisation and final diagnostic of garagist ?

Thx for ur answers

(btw Sorry if I did not introduce myself in the forum, I assume this has to be done but I don't where)

Similar problem - engine cracked on XC60/coolant issues
 

I'm new to this forum but been having serious issues with our XC60 2014 of which sound similar to others on here. I am hoping someone can offer some advice.....

We purchased our XC60 in January*2018*through a non-Volvo dealer with great expectations of a safe and reliable vehicle for our family, but boy were we wrong!*

We've just heard from our mechanic who has told us the engine block has cracked and we need a new engine! It's a 5 year old vehicle and done less than 70,000 miles - I am horrified. We had issues with the coolant tank and pipes in February*2018 shortly after we bought it which was covered by the warranty purchased through the dealer.

All was fine until this June when the car wouldn't start, and later showed warning lights for engine coolant levels. Coolant had exploded out of the tank and gone everywhere,*we topped it up and nursed it to our local trusted garage who we have used for nearly 20 years. They told us the head gasket had gone but on further inspection the engine block has cracked! I was gobsmacked and so was our mechanic. He spoke to someone at Volvo*UK who was also shocked because apparently this "never happens".

Having now done some research online regarding this issue, it actually does happen and I've found several cases where engines have overheated due to coolant problems. So why have they not been recalled and faulty parts replaced? If we had known about this common issue we could have done something about it before we got to this point, but we are now facing a whopping bill!*

A subsequent call was made to Volvo UK by our mechanic to follow up on what they would suggest. The response was basically that it was out of their hands.*I have now contacted them directly and told as we bought the car, serviced and maintained outside of Volvo there's nothing they can do.

Surely they have a responsibility to owners if parts are faulty!

Coolant issue third time
 

[QUOTE=Oeildetaupe;2540642]Hi I am from France and I have same issue as you on my Volvo V40 D2 Eco.
In French forums I don't read that much about V40s but I remember you have more Volvos in UK than us... So just a look on Google and I found your stories !

QUOTE]

Hi,

I had the same problem twice. The third one is on the way. At first, the engine of the car was replaced with new one at 34.000km. At the second year of my car, I had the message on the dashboard saying that “coolant level low”. When I immediately checked the coolant level, which show me it was just below minimum. After that, I took the car to service and they just added water. This visit was not registered in the service. One year later after I took the warning for coolant level, I had the same message. At that time, the technical people in the service told me it was probably related to cylinder block and the engine needed to be replaced. Luckily, there was 3 months left to be out of warranty. I escaped huge cost and proceeded with the replacement of the engine.

I had the same warning “cooling level low” at 59.000km and visited the service 30.04.2018. Service did not find anything related to external factor and told me that they needed to remove the cylinder head on the condition that I had to accept 50% of the cost which would occur during the repair including replacement or repair of the engine. Because the warranty expired. The funny part is that Turkey Branch Volvo Turkiye presented the cost share as courtesy. This was the most disrespectful and unfair act I have ever seen and I did not buy it. At the and, they offered to replace the engine free of charge on the condition that I would sign a waiver of notice indicating that I would never make a claim on any defect related to the car. After having talked to my lawyer, I signed it. Also, I did not think it would happen third time.

Unfortunately, I had a warning saying that oil level was low two days ago at 74.000km. It is the same as my previous issue. It started with the "low oil.After a couple of months, I had the warning for coolant.

As soon as I checked the level of oil, I noticed that the level was normal but the viscosity is very high. Also there was a decrease in the level of coolant when comparing to the level one month ago. I think there is a water in the oil due to the leakage. I will probably have warning for coolant in the forthcoming days.

The most important point for me to learn about permanent solution. Otherwise, I have to pay once in a year to have my car repaired. It is obvious that it is not a solution to replace the engine. By the way, I read that installing a new exhaust manifold gasket was a solution. But, this is not case. A new one was installed prior to my second issue.Nevertheless, the same problem occured twice after the installation.

As a result, I do not believe that Volvo take a responsibility free of charge and will ask me to pay huge cost. Accordingly, I will go to a service except Volvo and I will have my car repaired. I kindly ask you to share your solutions if there is one applied to your car.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Aziz

Same issue Volvo V40 D2 2013 60k mile
 

My Volvo V40 D2 2013 crosscountry was diagnosed with a cracked engine last week. Started 2 months ago with the coolant level warning, topped up seemed ok for couple months then the engine temperature warning came on. Mechanic told me engine was finished and will need replaced. Only done 60k miles and Volvo couldn't care less.

I am having a similar problem. Volvo V40 2014 diesel 1.6 - bought just 1 year ago from a local used car dealership (just 36,000 miles on the clock). First got the coolant warnings (which I responded to by checking / topping up), then a week or so ago I got the engine overheating message, combined with the failure of the internal heating system (not great in winter!).

I purchased an extended warranty and service plan, so the car has been serviced since I bought it, and was serviced by the previous owner.

Car is now back at the dealership while they appraise the problem and in the meantime I have no car to drive after paying thousands for the car and just one year of ownership.

Volvo V40
 

I am doing some research, and I have come across this post...
I had the exact same problem, my car was serviced by TMS Volvo in November 2019, and in March I started to get a coolant level issue. Unfortunately with Covid no garage could look at my car till May, I kept the coolant topped up.
Volvo looked at the car, told me no problems, cut a long story short at the end of July, told it needs a new engine... £8500 approx. My car is a 65 plate and done 48k miles. I reported it to Volvo Uk who don’t seem interested, I raised a quality assurance complaint with my car finance, they didn’t uphold the complaint. I’ve made a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman now.
I’ve had a mechanic look at the car, I’ve been informed it’s a Peugeot engine in there. I’ve had this car since May 2019. Any advice... I am trying to get this fixed at the moment, but don’t want to rush as it’s not a small cost.

Thanks

which model and engine have you?

My 64 plate V40 D2 R-Design started to exhibit these symptoms (just short of 90k)

Fortunately I managed to trade it in against an S90 before it became a terminal problem.