Year 2 Service - Items not included?

[Clan]

If it was a strong blue colour then there was no need whatsoever to change it , as a coolant hydrometer or spectrometer reading would have shown it still protecting down to -38 C or thereabouts ...
on what basis did they state their reason for changing it ? I would be more inclined to report this to them ..

[darbs]

they just mentioned the 2 yr timeframe, ie it was recommended at 2 yr intevals.

[S60D5-185]

Originally Posted by darbs

i might do this, although i have nothing in writing, just a phone quote. in any case, i'm happy that i shopped around and found somewhere cheaper.

i must admit, if it wasn't for this forum, and the practices followed by others to get the best deal, i would have probably just told volvo to do it. i suspect far too many do that, especially in the extravagant north london brent x area.

i think to date this forum has saved me well over a grand - including fixing self inflicting bodywork damage. i'll make sure the missus knows next time she complains i spend too much time on it!

Darbs, none of this story is great but out of all of the points raised it's the coolant change that i find the most annoying. Seems like through no fault of your own you have had perfectly good stuff removed and probably had it replaced with inferior and paid for it.

I would be trying to recoup this cost from Volvo .

Darryl

[Clan]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

Darbs, none of this story is great but out of all of the points raised it's the coolant change that i find the most annoying. Seems like through no fault of your own you have had perfectly good stuff removed and probably had it replaced with inferior and paid for it.

I would be trying to recoup this cost from Volvo .

Darryl

DARBs got it done at kwikfit not volvo ...

[S60D5-185]

Originally Posted by Clan

DARBs got it done at kwikfit not volvo ...

Yes Clan, i realise that but according to what you said there was no need for the Coolant to be changed and he was ill advised by the Volvo Dealer hence why they should reimburse.

[rkennedy]

There is an issue, I believe, in not using a Volvo dealer to change the brake fluid. To ensure that the new brake fluid gets through the ABS pump (and that is the very expensive bit you want to protect from corrosion!), the pump itself needs to be activated and to do that requires it to be connected to diagnostic equipment. I do not believe that Kwik Fit would have the necessary equipment. Yes, it's easy to change the fluid but has new fluid gone through the pump?

Also, be very careful with the antifreeze. There are different variations on chemistry that are very important and you do not want to be mixing the wrong types of coolant together. Coolants are getting as complicated as oil grades nowadays! It's probably ok to completely change the coolant, whatever the chemistry, but if the car goes back to Volvo for a service and they top up the coolant with the pucka fluid - potential problems. Not worth it in my opinion. To change the coolant is a pretty simple job for the average diy mechanic so if you want to change the fluid - do it yourself with the proper Volvo coolant.

[darbs]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

Darbs, none of this story is great but out of all of the points raised it's the coolant change that i find the most annoying. Seems like through no fault of your own you have had perfectly good stuff removed and probably had it replaced with inferior and paid for it.

I would be trying to recoup this cost from Volvo .

Darryl

i take your point. it does seem that my dealer is not the only one advising this change takes place at 2 yrs, so i'm not 100% sure it wasn't necessary. i may contact them to ask them what they think. anyway, as the coolant was changed over completely, and it only cost £40, i'm not too bothered.

i'm going to contact kwikfit to get the spec of the coolant they added.

[darbs]

Originally Posted by rkennedy

There is an issue, I believe, in not using a Volvo dealer to change the brake fluid. To ensure that the new brake fluid gets through the ABS pump (and that is the very expensive bit you want to protect from corrosion!), the pump itself needs to be activated and to do that requires it to be connected to diagnostic equipment. I do not believe that Kwik Fit would have the necessary equipment. Yes, it's easy to change the fluid but has new fluid gone through the pump?

many thx for the advise. i know kwikfit are brake specialists, so i would be very surprised if they didn't know this, as practically all cars have ABS now. i will check first - i'll give them a call today. obviously if they don't have the equipment to do the work, they won't be able to do it... very anti-competition if that's the case!

[Clan]

volvos dont need any specialist method of flushing the brake fluid through ...

[darbs]

i had the brake fluid change done today - £34.95. the brakes feel much sharper.

i've done some more research on coolant, and the most compelling evidence is that blue coolant needs changing every 1-2 yrs and red coolant, every 5yrs. blue is manufactured to BS6580. this is what was in my car, and is what kwikfit changed over. kwikfit uses unipart coolant. it does both red and blue.

red coolant is also known as longlife coolant. it contains Organic Acid Inhibitor Technology - OAT and is manufactured to BS6580:1992. the improved anti-corrosion technology means it lasts longer.

coolant colours shouldn't be mixed, but you can flush the system of one and fill with the other. from what i've seen, and from the experience of others, both colours are compatible with all cars.

from my research, i conclude volvo were right to specify a change to my blue coolant. what isn't clear though, is why it was filled with blue in the first place. as red is more expensive, i think this can be the only reason. a flush and change to red may be what was included in the £89.88 quote from volvo (vs the £39 from kwikfit), although this wasn't identified to me.