Recall
 

I have recently received a letter from Volvo regarding the inlet manifold recall.

In the letter it does say I need to await for second letter. Regardless I've given my dealership a call to enquire and was told that I won't need to come in unless I have issues (EML light, unusual smell etc).

I always thought whole point of a recall is to apply any preemptive fixes.

Any thoughts on this?

Don't panic, it will be carried out as a preventative measure when they get the parts and organised a repair strategy, a further letter will ask you to take your car in for the preventative work to fit the new manifold, and if you have any problems before then you will get it repaired sooner if you contact your dealer.
I doubt many will actually experience any problems before getting called in.

The first letter is to draw your attention to the potential problem and what to look out for and what to do if you have any symptoms.

Thanks. Hopefully I get an update soon. The "inlet manifold may melt and deform or localised engine bay fire" risk does worry me. Apparently it affects all four cylinder diesel engines manufactured between 2014-2019.

However the dealership did say I don't ever need to come in unless there's an issue would suggest there won't be any preventative work?

Who would make a part bolted to the cylinder head made from plastic. Oh yeah Volvo. Yet another recall. Hopefully it doesn't take 3 attempts like the powerpulse hose to get it fixed.

Yes, I must confess I was somewhat taken aback to learn that the manifold was made of plastic! However why is this only becoming apparent now, after 5 years?

What's even more worrying is the dealership saying don't come in unless there is an issue. Shouldn't it be replaced anyway as precaution?

I’m not worried in the slightest about this. I don’t tow with it and even if I did I would idle the engine before stopping it to allow it to cool down. I mostly switch the stop/start system off. Have only once caught the engine regenerating the DPF when shutting down, so I restarted it immediately to dissipate the excessive heat.

The manifold is only ever likely to get really hot after shutting down after a heavy load, where the colder parts like the inlet manifold then become a heat sink. It’s not likely to happen while the engine is running.

The reason they don’t repair it straight away is probably because they do not have the required number of parts, and may not have even designed the required modifications yet. It is likely to take a considerable amount of workshop time to complete the mod when they have a solution. Could be a year or more before all eligible engines are done.

In the meantime just drive on and don’t worry about it but use normal best practice when shutting down a hard worked and hot engine.

It is being replaced as a precaution, they just can't do every car straight away, we will all get called in when parts available and ready or at service interval. They are saying we will call you in when available but if you experience a problem contact your dealer straight away for a fix.

I guess that means the failures are extremely rare. It may have taken 5 years for the fault to come to light (excuse the pun).

Many many cars have had plastic inlet manifolds for years now. Including Ford's.