Other XC90 Problem: XC90 D5 Geartronic - Hesitation/delay in pulling away...

[4wheeldriver]

Do a google search for the SMMT AB. Thats the Scottish version of it anyway. Its the motor trade association. It seems to be going better just now but the last time I had a gearbox software download it lasted a couple of months and went back to being dog rough again. Still havent seen hide nor hair of tis report I was supposed to get and Clarks just handed over the keys yesterday and said have a nice day. Funny though. All the other bits that were either broken, loose or generally not working that they couldnt fault are now all fine.............

[Marcus Y]

Interesting thread, thought i'd offer my opinion. I own a 2004 V70 geartronic, which suffers the "lag" problem. I have to say it is the most stressful car I have ever driven and without doubt extremely dangerous. Stop, starting around town is an absolute nightmare but the most dangerous time is pulling off a side road on to somewhere like the A1 or anywhere that has a 70mph national speed limit. Unless you make allowances for the lag imagine how much closer a car travelling towards you at 70+ mph is when you loose between 1-2 seconds pulling off. I spoke to my local dealer before and they admit it is a problem but they had no remedy.
I emailed Volvo UK but never received a reply.
They are perhaps adopting the politicians way of doing things "bury your head in the sand" until such times as it starts to affect public opinion of them.
What really amazes me is for a manufacturer who's brand has been built up through its commitment for safety, they consider this an acceptable product.
As someone who has always had Volvo's and purchased Volvo's for a sales force, I would never entertain buying a Volvo again, it is simply the most stressful and dangerous car I have driven. Their standards seemed to have lapsed drastically over the last few years, which is probably why our local longstanding "stand alone" main dealer closed recently and it was merged with another of their vehicle franshises in the same town.
I can quite accept a product fault, provided its recognised and resolved, especially when it comes to matters of safety, but not to offer an answer/remedy to a real safety issue is totally unacceptable in my opinion.
Regards
Marcus

[Blowpipe]

If it's any help, there's a very similar thread on the Discovery 3 forum. Members report a dangerous level of delay when pulling away. Just makes me wonder if it's a common problem for some heavy diesel engined vehicles...

[Ron_XC90]

A few weeks ago I had a new shape V70 D5 geartronic as courtesy car and know now what people mean with hesitation when pressing the accelerator.

This definately is scary at times and cannot be right. this type of delay is dangerous!!
I'm glad my xc90 doesn't have this problem...

[AB-UK]

Blowpipe,
As I have posted previously - no hesitation on the 3.0D Grand Cherokee, which is comparable in size and weight to my XC90.

[AB-UK]

Oh - and it's 2 months since I referred this to VOSA, and they passed it onto Volvo.

Nothing heard since, but that's not a surprise, sorry to say. I think it's the Ford ethos!

[GSMGuy]

I too, have reported this to the rather lacsidasical (sp) VOSA and have yet to receive a reply....

Must say the E320 Cdi estates I have been testing lately exhibit lightning throttle response from standstill....

Mike

[GSMGuy]

Meant to say - Apologies for the lengthy delay, famil & work matters get in the way at this time of year for me...

Volvo, in the end, rang me to arrange getting the car into Rybrook, who contacted me the day before wanting to know who was payig for the CC and the inspection bill!

I rang Volvo back, and they said, after assessing the matter, I would be liable for these initial costs!

Needless to say it didn't go in..

I see that some later (185) models are now displaying this trait, some from new..

Although my XC will hopefully be getting replaced shortly, I still think this is a safety issue that needs dealing with...

VOSA, as with 4wheeldriver, have been totally useless.. They woulfd be more interested if my XC was pluming black smoke, so they could fine me!


Hmm, maybe those of us that have finance agreements on the XC90's should be looking to involve the finance company, as the vehicle is clearly not fit for purpose etc... Merchantable Quality claim anyone????

The hesitation is a serious issue, and on numerous occasions has put myself, my car and my family in real danger - I also find the hesitation to be variable, sometimes it is much greater....

I think it's a disgrace, as said, that Volvo's reputation for safety seems to be overidden by cost concerns in rectifying these faults...


Mike

[4wheeldriver]

It should also be noted that VOSA are now self funding and recently I have seen the list of items they can hand you "on the spot" fines for. On the spot meaning "jump in and we'll run you to the cash machine" fines. Its horrendous. 30 quid for a blown bulb straight out your hip pocket at the side of the road is a bit brutal!! A mate was telling me they handed an Irish guy 400 quid in Bellshill last week and ran him to get the money out the bank!! Highway Robbery anyone??

[Miti]

We've had our XC90 for a month now... (53 Plate, MY04, D5 SE, 120k Miles)

Overall VERY happy with the car (Wife ecstatic..) but definitely something vague and "woolly" about it's low speed performance... We've both experienced the "delay" in pulling away (Tee junction onto main road at the end of the feeder into the estate where we live - glad it's not a BUSY trunk road...) I thought, at first, that it was turbo-lag, but it's more like the EMS is quietly considering the requests from the throttle pedal...!!

That's why I bought your DTE box Mike... Fitted it last night... Both "Her Indoors" and I have driven the car (only around the village, but that's where the "problem" shows up most..)

Initial impressions..? Well, we both agree that there has been an improvement... The box is set to "default", so should be 193 bhp at max chat... Starts as normal and no EMS problems indicated (always a good start, eh..?)

Pulling away from a standstill, there's a definite improvement and the car has a much more precise feel to the low speed throttle control... My wife commented that she felt she was getting "more revs" for the same amount of input on the accelerator... (Could be the diver's boot she was wearing though..??) I've tried to recreate the "delay" on pulling away, but the DTE box certainly seems to have "cured" that...

So... If the DTE box has this effect, surely this hesitation problem MUST be down to the programming of the XC's EMS..??

We're going to "trial" the DTE box for a week or so to get a good feel for how it performs and any effects it may have on fuel consumption (we're not car speed-freaks, we both have 2-wheeled toys for that kind of fun..) Then I'll switch back to test whether or not we're kidding ourselves, or if the improvement is "real"...

I'll post up more, as & when...

Hope this helps...

Miti