Would you buy another Volvo?

[GJB]

Originally Posted by AyrshireXC90

Although I did not vote, I would have been one of those "not on your Nellie" brigade.
I will be PXing my third Volvo (first was N Reg 460, second was 09 XC90, current is 63 XC70).
My current car has been unreliable (new alternator after it expired completely, and new auto box). The final straw was how I was treated both at dealer and importer level when I discovered a problem with the paintwork, that should have been dealt with under warranty (at a cost of c£700).
As a result, I am moving imminently to a rival marque, and also avoiding the dealership brand.
Obviously, keeping the customer happy is no longer felt to be worth the effort by VCUK and the local dealer chain.
I am excited about my new purchase, in the hope that the marque is a bit more reputable than VCUK.

Was this all fixed under warranty ?

[Warkman]

Well, 12 months in and the XC60 has been to the dealer...
Once fior the Annual service. Nothing, nada has gone wrong, nothing has fallen off, stuck or rattled.

Would I buy another one? Hell yes!

[AyrshireXC90]

Originally Posted by GJB

Was this all fixed under warranty ?

Alternator - yes
Gearbox - eventually
Paint - no

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by AyrshireXC90

Alternator - yes
Gearbox - eventually
Paint - no

Two or three years ago I spoke to a chap who had a lovely Aston Martin and I remarked on what a cracking car it was. He replied it had taken him 4 years! with Aston Martin to get the paint work to a satisfactory standard. Say no more!!

[RoyMacDonald]

Have to say I was shocked when I saw video of a Range Rover being painted and repainted and repainted in the factory.

Roy

[lillia]

I am car-hunting at the moment, but I am now in the "probably not" camp, partly because I remain unimpressed by later Volvo models on the market. This is one of the reasons why I have held on to my old car (02-reg S80 T6) for so long, despite many recommendations that I sell it years ago. I have had three Volvos on loan during the past year while the car was first having the brakes and rotors done, then replacing the timing belt for the second time in 4 years and lastly for a longer spell during the annual service which included fitting a new exhaust. I could not wait to get my car back!

The newer models appear to be trying too hard to ape other cars, and one of the main reasons I bought a Volvo was to not have a car that looked like nearly every other one on the road.

My old car is solidly built, responsive, fast and still looks pretty good when it is clean. It has just passed the 140K mark, so still got some life left in it. It works as long as mechanics do not screw things up during a service, which unfortunately has happened more than once (argh!) and therefore cost me more in time and money than was necessary. The seemingly new practice of rushing to do an MOT on a car before servicing it or fixing existing problems pointed out when checking the car in for said service, only to have it fail and then only fix those failure points during the "service" has ticked me off to no end. This past year has left me with the impression that some don't take too much care when the cars they are working on are old. This, more than anything else, is the reason why I am now looking for a new(er) car and not prioritising Volvo.

After spending nearly two months looking at various brands, I had narrowed the list to include an S80 D5(!), a C70, an XC90, Audi A6, Audi A4, BMW 7-series, BMW 5-series, Mercedes SLK, Mercedes CLK, Jaguar XF. The list is now chopped to two: S80 and Jaguar XF (either an XF-S or V8 non-supercharged, pre-facelift - the newer ones are generic and hideous IMO). Coming from a T6, any other S80 will frankly feel like a step down performance-wise. Plus Volvo has made the unholy decision to remove km/h readings from the big round speedometer on UK cars. This is a big deal. The C70 is cute but too small. Plus I don't like the new shape. Or small cars. So the Mercedes ones are out. Was unimpressed by the interiors of many of the others in the list. The litany of complaints re build quality and reliability of the XF is frankly scary to read. But in my estimation, maintenance costs etc. will be the same as for a Volvo if one is lucky enough to get a problem free version.

I have never given a thought to depreciation before, but I am considering that now. If I'm spending oodles of money on servicing and repairs then I may as well get a car that will at least depreciate more slowly.

[NigelDay]

Originally Posted by lillia

The seemingly new practice of rushing to do an MOT on a car before servicing it or fixing existing problems pointed out when checking the car in for said service, only to have it fail and then only fix those failure points during the "service" has ticked me off to no end. This past year has left me with the impression that some don't take too much care when the cars they are working on are old.

This irks me as well, but I think the theory goes like this. Testing stations are audited and if they 'repair' cars before the MOT they will have a 'suspiciously high' pass rate. Hence the practice of failing first then fixing before the pass. It doesn't cost you any more, but it is depressing to see a fail, especially now the MOT data is public on the web.

[lillia]

Originally Posted by NigelDay

it is depressing to see a fail, especially now the MOT data is public on the web.

Exactly this. I only discovered that the MOT data was on the web in November, just as I was getting ready to put my car up for sale. Imagine the shame of seeing not one, but three MOT failures on a car which is taken in for a genuine Volvo service every single year and which is meticulously maintained! When I eventually get around to putting it up for sale, a prospective buyer could be forgiven for thinking that I did not take care of the car or that I cut corners with maintenance.

Once I realised how they operate, I began to specifically say to them after the first failure: "PLEASE do not take the car to the MOT depot until AFTER you have serviced it and checked/fixed the things on this list." I am not prone to rage but I was hopping mad when they called to tell me that it had failed the MOT because of a basic problem that they should have sorted out during the service. Their excuse was they were trying to beat the MOT queue.

[wimorrison]

Its always been this way in dealerships, even my local Indy does this for the family cars. The reasoning is that they use MOT to tell tyem what they need to repair rather than working it out for themselves and possibly doing what might be nugatory work.

A service doesn't really cover MOT items (other than brakes and tyres) and I regrettably have to agree this is the most efficient way to go about it.

[GrahamHR]

I'm not sure.

My last Volvo, a 2004 V70 D5 was traded in against a Mondeo ST220 estate in early 2007 as it was becoming unreliable due to electrical issues ( the dealer that serviced it wondered if it had ever been under water as there was extensive corrosion of the electrical connections in the wiring harness; not since I bought it from them as a pre-registered car !).

Scroll on to 2016. A new V60 Polestar, registered in January 2016
Low battery charge messages.
New battery required.
Service required messages
Car unlocked message when it was locked ( I was up a hill 3 miles away when I saw the message).
Auto function on all windows lost for no apparent reason ( easily rectified of course)
(Electrical) Steering lock would not disengage.
Window open messages when they are clearly closed.

The electrics seem a bit dubious and their reliability can only get worse I fear.