XC70: Engine cylinder head gasket suspected.

[geordieboy59]

Hi everyone.
My first post on here so be gentle on me!
i bought a XC70 10weeks ago from a non volvo dealer, 40,000 miles on clock 2013 model for £16,000, full service history. lovely condition.
Beautiful car. i have had two small issues so far which were the windscreen washer bottle had to be removed and unblocked of gunge and no water coming from front washers and
i had to get the headlamp height adjusted as they were so low i couldn't see where i was going, how the previous owner could is beyond me.
But now the car has developed a much more serious problem.
The warning light on dashboard is on and the warning
"coolant level low stop safely" comes on and then changes to "Stop the engine".
My local Volvo dealer says it "might" be the cylinder head gasket
and it will cost £1,800 plus vat for a new one.
and if when we strip the engine down we discover a cracked engine block then it will require a new engine.
to say i am distraught is an understatement.
So basically i'm wondering how many other XC70 have the same problem
and how was it resolved?
the car is still inside its 3 month warranty but it will not stretch to paying Volvo £1,800 +vat so my dealer has arranged to pick up the car from Volvo and get his engineer to check it out and repair it under the warranty but what happens if they find a cracked engine block? can they botch a repair on the block and hide it from me only for it to go again in 6months time?
Over to you guys, let me know what you think.

sorry guys but this was posted in the general forum in error, i'm new to this game.

[kenny]

Just return the car under the consumer rights act, you no longer need to give them a chance to repair it. If you bought it on HP or paid any part of it on your credit card write to them and hold them equally responsible under section 75 of the consumer credit act. If you do choose to let them repair it there is no limit on what it costs. They fix it end of. If they have given you an insurance backed warranty that has several get out clauses, this is in addition to your statutory rights. Do some reading on the above acts and get them told. Do not let them tell you what they are prepared to do. If in doubt contact your local citizens advice shop. Check your house insurance to see if you have legal cover if you do use it.

[big square car]

Have you physically checked the coolant level?

[Tatsfield]

A quick and simple test for a blown head gasket is to dip a combustion products test slip into the coolant to see if it registers engine combustion traces which cannot be there unless exhaust gases are entering the cooling system via a blown gasket. It's a two minute test and while a negative result might still be a gasket failure, a positive result will definitely be.

[Semnoz]

I'm a bit confused as a different posting on this forum states that the head gasket has blown (see last comment):

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showt...=273326&page=2

[Tatsfield]

The only thing the OP said here was "might" be blown, so I responded to that. If it is blown, all his worst fears will come into play.

[Rooster]

Simple test,

Check the water level from cold in on max, this is releasing the cap to check,

Take the car for a decent drive (say 20miles)

Park up and leave over night, then in morning check level and listen for a hiss when you release cap and see if level rises,

If there is a distinct pressure in system, ie the level rises from min to max then its a fair bet the headgaskets gone,

Last thing is there 2 little pipes coming off coolent reservoir as there was an issue with ones that only had a single pipe as radiators used to get air locked, worth a try for a 10quid pipe that takes 2minutes to fit,

[Semnoz]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

The only thing the OP said here was "might" be blown, so I responded to that. If it is blown, all his worst fears will come into play.

He said this:

"i just happened to be passing my volvo dealer, i pulled in and asked them to check the level. the tech guy took the cap off but it was very hot and under pressure, we could see the level was below Min on the reservoir, the level rose to maximum as the cap came off and there was no more space to put any more coolant in, it was full to the brim. he put the cap on and told me to check it again the following morning when it was cold. I did so but...it was under so much pressure i couldn't take the cap off without spray coolant everywhere. so i took it back top Volvo and they say it is a blow cylinder head gasket!
well i didn't buy the car from a volvo dealer i bought it from a decent auto shop in Yorkshire, they have picked up the car and checked it out and it is a blown cylinder head gasket !"

That really is unlucky - hope he doesn't lose any money over this.

[Tatsfield]

Why do people post different histories in parallel threads? Life is complicated enough!

[kenny]

Originally Posted by Tatsfield

Why do people post different histories in parallel threads? Life is complicated enough!

Probably the same reason they join start a thread and begger off not letting you know how they got on.