General: Watchdog 12/12/06 Etm....

[stoatsngroats]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and...20061205.shtml

Volvo response
http://www.volvocars.co.uk/tools/OwnersArea/etm.htm

[iwantanS60R]

interesting wording, it would appear under uk law then that dispite obviously being a faulty part becuase it is not deemed a safety issue regardless of whether it is or isnt a safety issue the recall has not been called.

Once again i think the call is going to go out to all those that have taken the time to contact watchdog to also contact vosa, without contacting them and telling them about how it left you at 20mph in the outside line they aint going to call it a safety issue.

I

Hi i work in a volvo dealer and would like to respond to the recent whatchdog program. 1 all cars that are affected are between the years of 1999/2001- 2 volvos warranty covers mechanical /parts defects for 3years or
60000 miles which ever comes first
3 in the last 8 months we have replaced 2 etm units
4 85% of cars we have looked at have no or little service history
5 no other car maker in the world would offer a free software upgrade/ good will for cars of this age.

my wife drives a nissan micra ,again this car has a known etm problem did nissan offer help NO. any way thers my gripe IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP WITH THIS OR ANY OTHER VOLVO ISSUE CONTACT ME. andyman699@hotmail.com.................................................: angry2:

[iwantanS60R]

found the search button at half past 7 did we and type " volvo / forum " by any chance. ?

1. Correct, also known as pre 2002
2. As Standard and not in question
3. Then you should be doing more
4. is that 85% plus the 2 cars you did becuase that means you havent seen many cars in 6 months for a dealer.
5. Umm, not entirly true, i got free software upgrades on my alfa and my dad has on his hyundai, think you'll find this will be obliging your dealer is !

Originally Posted by meatballs

Hi i work in a volvo dealer and would like to respond to the recent whatchdog program. 1 all cars that are affected are between the years of 1999/2001- 2 volvos warranty covers mechanical /parts defects for 3years or
60000 miles which ever comes first
3 in the last 8 months we have replaced 2 etm units
4 85% of cars we have looked at have no or little service history
5 no other car maker in the world would offer a free software upgrade/ good will for cars of this age.

my wife drives a nissan micra ,again this car has a known etm problem did nissan offer help NO. any way thers my gripe IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP WITH THIS OR ANY OTHER VOLVO ISSUE CONTACT ME. andyman699@hotmail.com.................................................: angry2:

[Andy_eclipse]

Originally Posted by meatballs

Hi i work in a volvo dealer and would like to respond to the recent whatchdog program. 1 all cars that are affected are between the years of 1999/2001- 2 volvos warranty covers mechanical /parts defects for 3years or
60000 miles which ever comes first
3 in the last 8 months we have replaced 2 etm units
4 85% of cars we have looked at have no or little service history
5 no other car maker in the world would offer a free software upgrade/ good will for cars of this age.

my wife drives a nissan micra ,again this car has a known etm problem did nissan offer help NO. any way thers my gripe IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP WITH THIS OR ANY OTHER VOLVO ISSUE CONTACT ME. andyman699@hotmail.com.................................................: angry2:

1. The cars affected were built then but in some cases have had multiple failures of this part.
2. A warranty is in addition to your statutory rights not instead of, and three years is not a very long time for a part of this type to last, it should last the life of the vehicle.
3. As this part has a predicted failure rate of 94% (volvo's figures) before 100,000 miles, you don't appear to service many of them.
4. Whether or not a car has a service history has little or no effect on the life of this component. As it is not part of any service schedule for this model.
5. People buy Volvo's for reliability and safety, I am not sure that applies to Nissan Micra's! However being proud that your company has had to have major attention from CARB, The Denver Channel, NHTSA, VOSA and Watchdog before agreeing to do anything about the problem is not what I would describe as impressive.

Volvo have made an error in fitting this part, things like that happen, it is not the dealers fault, but it should not be the customer who has to pay for that mistake.

[Oli]

Hello Meatballs,

Welcome to the forums. I'd like to remind you that you work for a dealer and not for Volvo, you should not and can not pretend to represent Volvo on this or any other matter. That is for them.

There are many posts going back some time on the ETM issue, including some pretty scary stories and close shaves, that really are unacceptable.

Have a look at Vexedvolvo for the low down on the failings of the design and the information gleened from Volvo, effectively admiting liability for the issue internally, but not dealing with the issue effectively with customers.

A 10 year warranty is available for this part in the US. Volvo claim that they are only providing that warranty due to an air quality issue, not safety. However the National Highways Agency has carried out a full investigation of the matter, leading to a recall for the software upgrade, which complements the 10 year warranty.

The fact that Volvo have changed the unit in 2002, also backs up the claim that it was not a good design. Having carbon contact stips and bushes to control the fueling system of a car is madness. My sons' Scalextric set works on the same principle. The stirps wear out, but to charge £650+ to replace the unit with another of the same design and risk that it WILL fail again is just not on.

I reported ETM failing symptoms several times during the warranty period for the car, but surprise, surprise, no codes to read when the dealer gets the car. At the last service, knowing that I have random problems, the software was upgraded (without discussion as to why) and I was charged for the privilage. Oh yes, the warranty has now expired.

Rant over (as you put it) for now.

Oli

[iwantanS60R]

Yep, it goes without saying that volvo are making massive inroads into the US market and its economically viable for them to offer a 10 year warranty on this part and the car in the US.

This shouldnt however be at the expense of the UK market. Unfortunatly its the same red tape put in place to protect us (the consumer) thats getting in the way, volvo dont actually have to do anything on this matter becuase they are governed as it were by the NHA or Vosa, until they feel it necassary to issue a directive to volvo and to fully investigate into the failing ETM's we are at the mercy of each dealer to the tune of £600,

As to what the software recalibration does is anyone's guess as i doubt even dealers know exactly what it addresses. My speculations i would say though to monitor and avoid jerky movements i'e poor/rough idle, this also explains the somewhat slower throtle response some people have reported afterwards.



It is worth reading the below link, its the official recall offered in the US, it mentions no sign of ETM replacment only that they will offer the same as offered in the UK (ETM Clean and software upgrade) . . . . . interesting

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...0&summary=true

[Andy_Gibson]

Originally Posted by meatballs

Hi i work in a volvo dealer and would like to respond to the recent whatchdog program.
5 no other car maker in the world would offer a free software upgrade/ good will for cars of this age.

Sorry but your wrong
I used to own both a 1986 VW mk2 Golf and a 1990 VW Jetta
They had problems in the USA where the heater matrix could leak and pump hot coolant over the drivers legs...not good
VW fitted a pressure bypass valve to all models with the correct chaissis numbers and this was worldwide

On my VW's the dealers also removed the dashboard and fitted new heater matrix as well all for no charge

And these were fitted in 2001 so the older car was then 15 years old but they still did the repairs for nothing

[k-dog]

Also just to confirm that other makers do free of charge recalls.

And these were fitted in 2001 so the older car was then 15 years old but they still did the repairs for nothing

I used to have an E36 BMW, when it was about 5 years old I got a letter saying that they had found a fault with the steering column on that model. I took it in and they replaced it for nothing.

I think this is pretty common practice - the problem here is, as already mentioned, that it's not really a safety issue (which is why they do it - to avoid lawsuits) but a customer service one.

I get the points about it being unsafe if it happens on the motorway though - it's just not as bad as, say, a faulty airbag sensor causing it to go off when driving.

[tangey]

Just wait and see how quickly it becomes a safety issue if someone (and I hope it doesn't happen) dies due to one of these "customer service" issues.