General: Help!! have I bought a lemon?!?

[PaulieOfArrod]

Hi All.
Been driving 20 years. Just bought my first volvo, today. an S60 2.4 t s auto. Seemed fine on the test drive. After I picked it up though..transmission problem...

After slowing down and then when the engine and transmission has / should have gone down through the gears, and when it is then "picking up" the weight of the car again, there is a pretty serious jolt and shock. It is very intermittent, but when it happens it is severe. I think I can possibly avoid it most or all of the time if I manually go down the gears while decellerating. However, after I stopped at one point and then just set off from standing it did it then too...

It has been sold by a garage on "trade terms" although I'm still sure they can't sell to joe public something that's not of merchantable quality.

I only know the very basic mechanical features of a car. haven't played about with one for many years. Been driving BMW's for 10 years. Aside from this issue I'm extremely impressed with the Volvo. It's more comfortable on the motorway than the modern 325 the wife usually uses.

There is one other issue:water, condensation and mold in the boot, particularly centering about the nearside rear light cluster area. I couldn't see any gaping rusty hole (body work is very good, especially for the age), so reckoned it might have been from valeting and being then left standing. But if anyone has any knowledge on that, that would be great too.

Gearbox is the main fear / concern though of course.. It's a 2001 car with 90k miles on the clock and pretty good regular service history, most of it main dealer until past 60k.

If this is a terminal problem with the gearbox I need to probably think of my next move quick regarding the garage and maybe trading standards...


Thanks!!

Paul

[foggyjames]

You're right..."trade terms" isn't worth the paper it's written on.

If you need to start looking at it yourself, inspect the fluid level and condition (burnt smell? colour?).

cheers

James

[stephenevans99]

P2 autos are renowned to be troublesome. Check the fluid on the dipstick as mentioned - but also check the gearbox mount underneath to see if it's 'intact'.

[RM955I]

Originally Posted by stephenevans99

P2 autos are renowned to be troublesome. Check the fluid on the dipstick as mentioned - but also check the gearbox mount underneath to see if it's 'intact'.

It's lack of proper maintenance that is troublesome, not the gearbox.

I wouldn't waste time on the car - a trader can't absolve himself of his responsibilities just by passing a sale as a trade sale: it won stand up. Take the car back now for a refund failing which tell him you're going to. CAB and Trading Standards.

Once the auto starts to play up you could ends up chucking more than the car is worth in trying to fix it

[egg_on_toast]

It doesn't matter what the dealer sells the car under, he is still responsible for selling a roadworthy car without mechanical defects, unless he has highlighted them to you before purchasing. Just take the car back to them and get them to sort it.

TBH though it does just sound like low or spent fluid, might be worth checking the fluid colour/level before you go to the dealer so you have all the facts. Condensation/water in the boot is probably a seal around the light leaking and letting water in.

[Brendan W]

Yes and yes again. It's most likely that they were aware of the problem.

[Rossi-fan]

Oh by the way, don't let this put you off owning an S60 or other similar Volvo. They're great cars under normal circumstances, this one has simply suffered a little bit of neglect by previous owner/owners.

Did you check the color/condition of the ATF by any chance?