Beware 2010MY XC60 Owners Manual IMPORTANT Error
 

After about a month of trying to get an answer & involving about 4 dealers & a totally useless Volvo technical support I have finally got to the bottom of a problem.

The MY10 XC60 price list, on the internet & hardcopy, shows the 4 wheeldrive 205hp to have a towball weight loading of 75kg.

The XC60 owners manual, whether downloaded or supplied with the car, shows the towball download limit is 90kg for the 4wd 205hp model.

Thus the same car noseweight limit is 75kg from one source & 90 kg from the other.

The Volvo product manager has now confirmed that the owners handbook is wrong and that the towball load for all manual XC60's is 75kg whilst for all automatics it is 90kg. This figure is legally enforcable if you are stopped or have an accident.

I am amazed at this as 75kg is very low for a 4x4 vehicle & precludes towing many caravans that would otherwise easily be towable.

I don't know what Volvo are going to do to inform owners but I can see that some owners who have relied on the handbook are towing illegally & are going to be very upset when they find out!

Similar problem with V70 2009 MY09


and the official responce as I complained and tried to return the car a week after i recieved it was its a brochure misprint and they will not allow a return

It came to notice when I collected my car i noticed the towbar I ordered and paid for was not fitted and I had to return a week later and believed this was because they were pushed for time as the new reg had just turned

The new towbar had a plate fitted to it giving max wieghts that hugely differed to the booklet ( max towable weight was 2000Kg)

when checked it was advised the V70 shouldnt tow anything over 1200Kg max and not the 1550kg the brochures etc said

so caravan has stood this year and im currently trying to sue Volvo for misleading me

Not looking very good so far im afraid despite trading standards informing them of the consumer laws of UK Volvo are adamant there terms and conditions disclaim all UK law
i kid you not I have the letters from Volvo UK here

I did recieve a voucher though for £250 not bad for 33K car we cant use

bloody hell!
 

Sale of goods act should put them straight.
Fit for purpose!
Do they not get it?
Reputations won over time by good product & customer service, are lost too quickly by failure to admit mistakes and rectify errors.
Simple economics!
Do you think Ford, having stolen all the good stuff from Volvo, now want to rubbish the brand so we'll all buy the Ford versions they've copied?

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/f...ummary/25741-3
at the bottom of the review it says "you might also like to see "XC60" ????????
I'm a conspiracy theorist based on knowledge and experience, not just paranoia.
I feel so sorry for you!

Jesus mate you have my full sympathies having to try and deal with VCUK following my experiences with them earlier in the year. ( http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...=faulty+volvos ). I just wonder how they can get away with treating customers like this and still expect to sell cars!!!

The response was amazingly awful. The technical help desk hadn't a clue, the dealers seemed to have no more information than the catalogue & no Volvo number to call for "special help". Eventually Technical just stopped contacting/ replying to me. Sort of makes you wonder about spending £25k with a company that cares for its customers so well.

DazzleV70R - what a mess. I am so sympathetic for your predicament.

Im sure there was a bit about the xc60 weights in either Practical caravan or the Caravan Club magazine iin the last 2 months or so. They had issued a correction over the nose weights somewhere. Cant find it at the moment. Sure ive got it somewhere. And to think they gave the XC60 towcar of the year.

I think there's someone on the forum that uses their XC60 to pull a horse box!! Definately cant see that working with a 75kg nose weight!!

I just had a look at the VCUK website and on there it states 1800kg max weight. The kerb weight is 1755kg so and 85% match is just under 1500kgs!! So if theyre saying its a printing error then theyre still printing it on the website for the new cars now.

Found the test article from Practical Caravan and its a D5 se geartronic, towing limit 2000kgs and nose weight of 90kgs and 85% figure of 1643kgs.

This was Volvo Uk responce on the fact the car was sold to me with speed dependant steering and was listed on the order form and on the brochures and website as fitted as standard

Its on Volvo letter headed paper im happy if questioned to photo copy this if needed and shows Volvos up yours attitude

This is a small part of a 2 page letter

We have investigated this issue at great length as you are aware.
Your vehicle is not a mis build, the speed dependant steering was available on the V70 R design and the T6AWD on both brochure and website.
Unfortunately this feature was only available on the V70 R design T6AWD (checked n checked in 2009 no such model available)
There was a product news bulletin sent to all Volvo dealerships on 11 Feb 2009 confirming this and as you ordered your vehicle on 25 February 2009 this should of been explained to you.

There are disclaimers on both website and brochure explaining product changes prices are subject to change.
The manufacture reserves the right to make changes to models at any time without notice to prices, colours, materials and specifications

I have been quoting the consumer goods act as not as described they simply laugh.
I have been told the BBC watchdog program is researching Volvo as it goes and Ive spoken to them over my experiances
Ive no contact number but this is where it will end up when a big company simply lie blatantly and refuse to be held to account.
Im laughing as the XC60 is now ieng advertised as tow car of the year by practical caravan magazine

Someones going to have egg on there face

My RRS has a 150kg nose weight and 3500kg max tow weight!! I fully feel for you with VCUK thumbing their nose at you as they did exactly the same with me over the shed they built that was sold to me!! I had months of fighting and after the umpteenth time that it went in to Arnold Clark in Aberdeen to get looked at for a low battery warning that nobody could find out why it happened I went and got rid of it. Decided life was too short to spend it arguing with a bunch of self important robots that have fresh batteries inserted in their backsides in the morning to make sure they spout the company line of "its nowt to do wi us!!"

Oh I wrote twice to Watchdog too and still never even got a reply so I wouldnt be holding your breath there......

You need to distinquish between what is legal and what is advisable.

The 85% figure is the advisable tow limit - a 1800KG kerbweight car is advised to tow a maximum of 1530KG. However, to that 1800KG you should add yourself, any passengers, luggage and also the nose weight. That could quite easily have the car at 2100KG - where upon 85% becomes 1785KG.

So on to the official numbers - since day 1 the new V70 has been rated with a 90KG nose weight and a tow limit of 1320KG (2.0 Bifuel) - through 1600/1800KG (2.5T) to 2000KG (D5 Auto/T6).

Then you get the issue with nose weights - 90KG is reasonably generous - especially if you are running a twin-axle (horsebox, caravan, car transporter).

I regularly run a 1900KG car transporter behind my HEICO mapped Sept 2007 V70 D5 (Phase 3) - and it is superb. I am towing within the cars documented capabilities. The car is comfortable doing so.

The V70 2.0D has a 1600/90 limit/nose manual or diesel.