BIG Heated Seat Problem on my 1995 T5CD

Hi ALL
Thanx for a fantastic forum this is the place to visit for top notch info regarding Volvos.Here is my problem and believe me it is a BIG one.I have owned now a T5CD "1995" on an " N " which has covered 134,000 miles it has been lowered and has Wolfrace Voodoo alloys so with it being dark blue it does look the part.The car was imaculate both in and out with the interior looking almost brand new which i though was good considering the mileage.It has also been modded by one its former owners a race tech at TWR racing he added a " T " piece to a pipe that connects to the turbo to keep the boost there a tad longer and he has reprogrammed the ECU slightly to give it 260bhp which has been verified with a rolling road tune.I had been looking for a GOOD 850 for over 18 months but my search centred around the T5r but when this car came up for sale i was impressed.I had it checked out by the AA at a cost of £234 and it went to my local volvo dealer for a compression test to make sure the engine was OK and it passed with flying coloures.I have ALL the reciepts and bills for work done etc and ALL the MOT`s for the car it has a FULL volvo dealer history.Now as you can imagine i liked this car a lot it went like shtink has a luxurious interior and handled well and drove as smooth as the day it was bought what more could you ask for ??.I picked up my new pride and joy last friday 27th sept.Everything was A-OK till yesterday morning this was a cold morning and a prefect time to test out the heated seats.So i get in the car set off for work with a work mate who switched on the heated seats,we get 2 mins down the road and my seat is not getting warm but his is Mmmmmmm strange since they had been passed as working by the AA engineer who inspected the car.Now all or a sudden and with out warning smoke started bellowing from beneath the drivers seat.My first reaction was open the window fresh air would be a very good idea since i was starting to choke.Second reaction turn off seat then pull over.I had a look under the seat and ALL of the foam was well ablaze as was the carpet.First things first ring 999 and second we tried smuthering the fire with my jacket and his works T-Shirt which did not work what were we to do ???.No more than 30 seconds later the flames were about 12 inches above the seat melting the steering wheel the underside of the dash the headlining and the door trim.Luckly a taxi driver stopped and let us use his Fire Extinguisher to put out the fire but we were to late there was extensive damage to the interior.5 mins later the firbrigade arrive who pulled the base of my seat to bits to make sure the fire was out and dowsed it in water for good measure and disconnected the battery.I have since been in touch with the AA and my local Mill Volvo dealer .... the AA said they would probably come out to inspect the fault since i had made a complaint within the first 3 months of having the inspection but my volvo dealer was not very helpful at all he told me that volvo would not be interested at ALL because of the age , mileage and the fact that i was the 4th owner what a pile of rubbish this has to be a safety issue ??? he phoned Volvo on my behalf and said that volvo had logged the phone call as a safety issue quite what this means and what the next move is you guess is as good as mine he also said that stated that some one could have modified the seat could someone out there PLEASE tell me why on earth someone would want to modify the seat and if so for what purpose ?? does this man live on the same planet as me ???? seams not.This was the first time i had used the heated seat which was passed as OK by the AA engineer since i bought the car.Has anyone here came across the same problem and if so what did they do ??Is there anythig else i can do.If anyone would like to mail me in search of more info mail me at mg0020241@blueyonder.co.uk.I know this post is a tad long but thanx to ALL who read it.

Cheers

Mark

PS i loved this car to bits it was very fast,luxurious and i though the build quality was good so what happened have i got the rotten egg in the volvo basket ????

[don kalmar union]

Just a note to say that I have a pair of frnt seats in blue velour out of my S70 that might make a suitable replacement if your seats are badly dameged. You can email me on sales@kalmar-union.com or 'phone me at home 020 8959 3230. (I have in fact got the complete interior)

jey thanx very much for the kind words don kalmar union sorry but one way or another this car will be going it will stink to high heaven plus it will never be the same again + it was a full leather interior not CLOTH

[Simon Linton]

First, you should contact the insurers, giving them the details you have done with us, plus all the documentation re the AA and the garage.

With a bit of luck, they will approach the AA for you and sort out who will pay.

If they prove too slow or give up, Which magazine do a legal service with the backing of the consumer association which can often get recompense in deserving causes.

This one sounds ideal for this exercise if the details I have read are accurate.

Thanx Simon for the advice

ALL i have written above is correct and as it happened only i bought this car private that is why i had the AA inspect it.I have rang both the AA and Volvo plus they will both be getting a nice letter posted to them first thing monday morning.Could you do me a favour and pass on as much details as you have about the Which Mag Legal Service plz to mg0020241@blueyonder.co.uk.

Cheers

Mark