Xc90 > **garage dispute** > **d5 cylinder head failure**

[sspaul121]

Morning All,

I have an ongoing issue with a Volvo specialist and my Volvo XC90 D5 185bhp 07 plate. They have had my car since the 7th Jan this year as we are in dispute. :

From the outset it needed a service and MOT. Plus my car was losing power for approx 10-15 secs and the ABS/Anti Skid light warning message and lights would come on; Brake Assist Warning message too.

Apart from the above there were no other issues. They fixed and completed all the issues/work above. £700+ was paid. The plan was to sell the car.

However whilst in the Trader's hands it also developed a more serious problem and was going into major limp mode under hard acceleration. They initially thought this was an issue with the rockers.

They asked me to test drive the car (100 mile round trip) and upon driving there was black smoke, it lost power, went in limp mode and it no way drove the way it had done when I left with them. I am unsure if this caused further damage. Regardless I would have thought that they would have concluded the same issues had they test driven the car themselves.

Anyway upon a more detailed inspection they concluded that there had been a major cylinder head failure. They said it was just bad luck, could have happened at any time and is a known issue with the D5 unit.

For a 2nd opinion I called a Volvo dealer and 2 well established Volvo specialists. They advised that they had not experienced such an issue whilst working on the D5 unit except for when a timing belt had snapped and also a part from a fan belt had broken off, lodged in the timing belt and caused it to misalign. The Trader has not provided this level of detail.

The issue has been with mediation body (National Conciliation Service). After multiple emails since March the NCS have suggested an independent inspection take place on the vehicle. As part of my conversations with the other garages I had already discussed this option. They advised that one could be undertaken however this would only confirm the damage that had taken place and not how this would have occurred.

They have not admitted fault and provided a bill for fixing the issue of £3k. The car itself is probably worth £4k.

In the early stages (Feb/March) and to move things forward I suggested I pay half towards this. They did not accept this.

Last week they put forward their first compromise position and said they would be willing to pay the Labour (approx £1k) and source/supply the parts (£2k).

Else it will probably go to small claims court something which I have no experience of.

I spoke to one of the experienced Volvo specialists again yesterday and they said they cannot see how the head would have failed unless the timing belt and/or tensioners have been compromised in some way as a D5 head failing for any other reason is not a known or common issue.

My overall argument is that the car should have been returned to me the same way it drove and performed before the major cylinder issue. Based on the opinions of others I do not see how this could have happened unless they have accidentally caused this issue and not admitting to it.

Your thoughts and guidance would be very much appreciated please for a non-mechanic and regular Joe like myself.

[Moose Test]

Do you know exactly what work was performed by the garage initially?

A simple oil and filters service (plus, just for example, say an ABS ring change for your problems there) wouldn't carry any realistic possibility of a mechanic introducing a failure of that nature.

If they've undertaken any work involving the auxiliary or cambelt, then it's a totally different scenario and the smoking gun in all probability sits there.

[sspaul121]

Originally Posted by Moose Test

Do you know exactly what work was performed by the garage initially?

A simple oil and filters service (plus, just for example, say an ABS ring change for your problems there) wouldn't carry any realistic possibility of a mechanic introducing a failure of that nature.

If they've undertaken any work involving the auxiliary or cambelt, then it's a totally different scenario and the smoking gun in all probability sits there.

Thank you for your reply.

Outside of the MOT and Service the following work was undertaken:

Investigate Antiskid fault. VIDA diagnostics highlight issue with RHF wheel speed sensor. Checked and found reluctor ring broken. Requires new and possible sensor if rubbed.

Checked DEM pump fault code. Found connection weak on plug. Make good and checked resisenace in pump. Resistance excessive. New pump required.

Checked remaining fault. On road test found car goes into limp mode. Smoke test to find air pipe from airbox split and leaking. New pipe required as 1st step.

Swirl flap rod adrift.

Replaced OSF driveshaft and hub with 2nd hand part (Driveshaft seized into hub)
Rechecked Antiskid light on.
Traced to AOC Pump fault.
Replaced pump with 2nd hand part.
Fit new clip to air pipe from air box.

Car still goes into limp on acceleration. Recheck for air leaks. Non found.

Suspect problem with rockers. Needs injectors removed and rocker box off to check and confirm. Engine system message on dash.

[CondorXC90]

Just to be clear - have the garage offered parts and labour to repair the car? It wasn't 100% clear from your post - did you mean their compromise is labour (about £1000) and you pay for parts they source (about £2k)? As it reads that they have offered both.......in which case it appears as if they have offered to repair it at no charge to you and that would be best case scenario.

When arbitration services are involved it can be protracted....plus the pandemic will doubtless be blamed as well. You need to get to the end of the arbitration process and consider other options such as small claims court - the longer things drag on, the higher the possibility of the business closing (and re-emerging under a different name in the same place!) and your claim, even if upheld, going nowhere........

[sspaul121]

Originally Posted by CondorXC90

Just to be clear - have the garage offered parts and labour to repair the car? It wasn't 100% clear from your post - did you mean their compromise is labour (about £1000) and you pay for parts they source (about £2k)? As it reads that they have offered both.......in which case it appears as if they have offered to repair it at no charge to you and that would be best case scenario.

When arbitration services are involved it can be protracted....plus the pandemic will doubtless be blamed as well. You need to get to the end of the arbitration process and consider other options such as small claims court - the longer things drag on, the higher the possibility of the business closing (and re-emerging under a different name in the same place!) and your claim, even if upheld, going nowhere........

Thank you for responding.

In January I offered to pay half of the £3k bill for repairing the Cylinder head issue (£1k Lab & £2k parts).
So I would pay £1.5k and Trader contributes £1.5k. 50:50 split basically.
They declined.

The mediator went back to the Trader this week. The trader has now offered to cover the Labour only approx £1k and for me to supply the parts approx £2k.

[Tannaton]

Not sure what to suggest, have they dismantled the car?

Cylinder head failures are rare on the D5 and generally manifest as loss of coolant, then overheating as it gets worse, really bad cases will have rough running on 4 cylinders and possible steam in the exhaust - i.e. none of the symptoms you describe.

Clearly you're not going to reach an agreement with them, I would recover the car as soon as possible.

Something either very smelly is going on or they are incompetent (or both) from what you have said.

[reggit]

What have they done about repairing the ‘head gasket fault’?

If nothing, there should be nothing owed above the initial work they did.

Read a thread recently about intermittent smoking which turned out to be a cheap rubber or plastic valve in the crank case ventilation system, that’s where I’d be looking.

[sspaul121]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

Not sure what to suggest, have they dismantled the car?

Cylinder head failures are rare on the D5 and generally manifest as loss of coolant, then overheating as it gets worse, really bad cases will have rough running on 4 cylinders and possible steam in the exhaust - i.e. none of the symptoms you describe.

Clearly you're not going to reach an agreement with them, I would recover the car as soon as possible.

Something either very smelly is going on or they are incompetent (or both) from what you have said.

Thanks for your response.

They dismantled the car and concluded there was a cylinder head failure. They have put it back together and the car has been standing ever since.

There was black smoke and it was driving really poorly in terms of performance and going into limp mode when I drove the car and then returned it to the Trader.

They then stripped it back to conclude it was a "major cylinder head failure".

Even at this late stage I it would be useful to know what they concluded in terms of what the specific damage is, and how this was caused (in their opinion).

To date they have only stated "major cylinder head failure".

[Moose Test]

Did you request that they continue to investigate the engine issue, after their initial report during the service & MOT?:

(" Car still goes into limp on acceleration. Recheck for air leaks. Non found.
Suspect problem with rockers. Needs injectors removed and rocker box off to check and confirm. Engine system message on dash.")

Having stripped the engine and found (allegedly) an issue with the head, how did you get to the point where they put a now know (allegedly) failed unit back together for a "road test"?

[reggit]

Originally Posted by sspaul121

To date they have only stated "major cylinder head failure".

I would ask them to show you the major failure, if the engine is apart they should be able to do this. Make sure you inspect it with someone who understands engines if you go down this route.