Wheels/Tyres: - Advice needed Please - Volvo UK

sfiente · Aug 24th, 2007, 15:14

Hi,

I am after some advice, after writing to Volvo UK they have offered nothing.

I purchased my Volvo XC90 New in July 2005, in August that year I returned the car as it kept drifting to 1 side. I was advised that the tracking was correct and this was due to the camber of the road. I laughed and said, you are joking, however they insisted this was the reason. Anyway I have put up with this for nearly 2 years. 4 months ago I read a post on here about tyres wearing and the 4 wheel alignment. I took my car to an Independant specialist who straight away diagnosed the fault, which my main dealership could not. The 4 wheel alignment was out, this was rectified however as it had been out since it was purchased, the tyres had started to wear unevenly. On the outside of the tyres the tread was on the limit, however 3/4 of the tyre was fine, they have plenty of life left.

A bit annoyed as you can imagine, I took the car back to the dealership from who I purchased the car from, who advised that "It's not part of the PDi to check the 4 wheel alignment". They do not even have the facility there, however for £70.00 they would check this for me. I informed them that it had been done at my expense, plus the fact that I now had to replace 4 tyres earlier than needed due to the alignment not being correct and the initial fault not being diagnosed by them.

I have sent a few emails to Volvo who stand by the dealership and there own morals of the 4 wheel alignment. It is a maintenace procedure, so it is up to me to have this checked at my own expense. My argument is that it was never correct, the fault was never diagnosed when I took the car to them and now I have to pay out for the 4 wheel alignment and 4 new tyres due to them wearing mainly on the outside edge.

I am so frustrated, I paid 38k for the car and that's the service I get from Volvo.

What are your opinions, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Scott

RoyMacDonald · Aug 24th, 2007, 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfiente

Hi,

I am after some advice, after writing to Volvo UK they have offered nothing.

I purchased my Volvo XC90 New in July 2005, in August that year I returned the car as it kept drifting to 1 side. I was advised that the tracking was correct and this was due to the camber of the road. I laughed and said, you are joking, however they insisted this was the reason. Anyway I have put up with this for nearly 2 years. 4 months ago I read a post on here about tyres wearing and the 4 wheel alignment. I took my car to an Independant specialist who straight away diagnosed the fault, which my main dealership could not. The 4 wheel alignment was out, this was rectified however as it had been out since it was purchased, the tyres had started to wear unevenly. On the outside of the tyres the tread was on the limit, however 3/4 of the tyre was fine, they have plenty of life left.

A bit annoyed as you can imagine, I took the car back to the dealership from who I purchased the car from, who advised that "It's not part of the PDi to check the 4 wheel alignment". They do not even have the facility there, however for £70.00 they would check this for me. I informed them that it had been done at my expense, plus the fact that I now had to replace 4 tyres earlier than needed due to the alignment not being correct and the initial fault not being diagnosed by them.

I have sent a few emails to Volvo who stand by the dealership and there own morals of the 4 wheel alignment. It is a maintenace procedure, so it is up to me to have this checked at my own expense. My argument is that it was never correct, the fault was never diagnosed when I took the car to them and now I have to pay out for the 4 wheel alignment and 4 new tyres due to them wearing mainly on the outside edge.

I am so frustrated, I paid 38k for the car and that's the service I get from Volvo.

What are your opinions, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Scott

It would seem to me you have a viable case for the small claims court in that they didn't check the 4 wheel alignment and Volvo guarantee the alignment for 3 months from the date of purchase. So take the dealer to the Small Claims Court for all your costs including the tyres and your time in sorting out etc. Guess you'll need to find someone else to service your car though.

Who's the dealer by the way, I'd like to avoid them. PM me if you don't want to put it on the forum.

niloc · Aug 24th, 2007, 16:45

I agree - the vehicle was supplied as a new vehicle. Any problems with the vehicle would be termed as a "manufacturing fault". The symptoms were reported to the supplying dealer well within the timeframe allowed, it should be covered under warranty. OK, so the dealer has no way of checking the alignment on the premises, or an accurate method of diagnosing from the symptoms described, but it was diagnosed by a third party garage and the results reported back to the dealer. You could play the "supplied with a faulty vehicle resulting in reduced braking/cornering efficiency and excessive/premature tyre wear" card. Don't back down, but it may be in your interest to seek legal advice. I trust that when you first went to the dealer with the problem it was noted in the service record.

TexasDave · Aug 24th, 2007, 18:42

Unfortunately I think it is going to be very difficult to prove that the fault was there from the beginning. By accepting the situation for 2 years I think you will have given up any claim you may have had. I'm not saying that this is fair, but I am not sure a court would find in your favour. Volvo could reasonably claim that the alignment went out after the vehicle left the dealership and will stick to their original claim that it was due to road camber.

The thing to do in such situations is to ensure that you accompany a service engineer on a test drive and get their acceptance that there is a problem. You have to be relentless and insist that the problem is solved and if it isn't, hand the car back and ask for your money back. that is a tricky and tiresome route to take (I know...) but is really the only way to nail dealers down.

I'm afraid that I think you are going to have to swallow this and move on...

RoyMacDonald · Aug 24th, 2007, 22:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasDave

Unfortunately I think it is going to be very difficult to prove that the fault was there from the beginning. By accepting the situation for 2 years I think you will have given up any claim you may have had. I'm not saying that this is fair, but I am not sure a court would find in your favour. Volvo could reasonably claim that the alignment went out after the vehicle left the dealership and will stick to their original claim that it was due to road camber.

The thing to do in such situations is to ensure that you accompany a service engineer on a test drive and get their acceptance that there is a problem. You have to be relentless and insist that the problem is solved and if it isn't, hand the car back and ask for your money back. that is a tricky and tiresome route to take (I know...) but is really the only way to nail dealers down.

I'm afraid that I think you are going to have to swallow this and move on...

Consumer protection laws a bit different here TexasDave. You can make a claim up to 5 years after the event (I think,might be 6) and the onus is on the retailer to supply goods fit for purpose which means at least 12 months in the eyes of the law. Also the Small Claims Court is specifically for this type of claim. It cost small money to make a claim (£10 last time I made one) and the Court is set up to make it easy for you to represent yourself. The retailer would have to give a cast iron reason why they didn't check the 4 wheel alignment and saying they didn't have the equipment wouldn't be regarded as a reasonable excuse in my opinion. After all they said the car was OK when they hadn't checked it properly, given that incorrect alignment is known to cause this type of problem.

What arangement the Dealer and Volvo come to is down to them and irrelevant as far as Scotts case is concerned in Court.

TexasDave · Aug 27th, 2007, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyMacDonald

Consumer protection laws a bit different here TexasDave.

I am British and only came here a year ago, so I was speaking with British law in mind! I am still of the opinion that the 2 year gap with no further complaint will be significant... as well as the fact that it will be difficult to prove what was said two years ago if it was not in writing.

RoyMacDonald · Aug 28th, 2007, 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasDave

I am British and only came here a year ago, so I was speaking with British law in mind! I am still of the opinion that the 2 year gap with no further complaint will be significant... as well as the fact that it will be difficult to prove what was said two years ago if it was not in writing.

There would obviously be a reduction for use over the two years. I'd expect about a third of the cost of a set of fitted tyres + the cost of alignment. Say £250. It never ceases to amaze me that Dealers can be so penny pinching. Give that the spent spent £38,000 with them, why not just offer a free service in compensation, which would cost them peanuts. The lack of paperwork probably cuts both ways and isn't normally a problem in the Small Claims Court. After all it doesn't cost a lot and if you feel stronly enough it's very satisfactory to be able to take some action.

sfiente · Aug 30th, 2007, 11:44

Hi,

Many thanks for your reply's, I think that I will try and take this further. I was suprised with Volvo UK, they were dreadful. They did not seem to care and did not respond to all of my emails.

..........Update............

I just called the dealership and asked who there ombudsman was, they put me on to the Operations Manager (Simon). I spoke to Simon who has agreed to look in to the situation on my behalf. He said he only started there 4 months ago and that he was not aware of any issues that customers had with them so wanted to try and sort this out between us, rather than go to the ombudsman. I agreed to leave it with him aslong as he called me back by the end of the week.

I will update you on what happends.

Thanks again
Scott

sfiente · Aug 30th, 2007, 21:14

Well the operations manager from the dealership Toll Bar Coventry called back. He stated that if the 4 wheel alignment was out, the cars tyres would not have lasted 24,000 miles. To be honest they needed changing a long time ago, however I wanted to show how they have worn and as the exact replacements are £140.00 each, I wanted my moneys worth.

I will send a letter to my dealership to inform that I will issue court procedings. I never expected them to compensate me on a new set of tyres, however I did expect an offer to contribute towards a new set or atleast for the 4 wheel alignment. They seem a little stupid as the car is due for a service, so it would favour them to assist here and keep my custom?

Multiplex · Aug 31st, 2007, 19:58

The problem with XC90 drivers is they all seem to be two bob millionaires.

They like to drive around in their nice flash SUV but wont fork out the money for a couple of tyres!

Aug 24th, 2007, 15:14	#1
sfiente Junior Member Last Online: Mar 17th, 2020 06:20 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rugby, Warwickshire	Advice needed Please - Volvo UK Hi, I am after some advice, after writing to Volvo UK they have offered nothing. I purchased my Volvo XC90 New in July 2005, in August that year I returned the car as it kept drifting to 1 side. I was advised that the tracking was correct and this was due to the camber of the road. I laughed and said, you are joking, however they insisted this was the reason. Anyway I have put up with this for nearly 2 years. 4 months ago I read a post on here about tyres wearing and the 4 wheel alignment. I took my car to an Independant specialist who straight away diagnosed the fault, which my main dealership could not. The 4 wheel alignment was out, this was rectified however as it had been out since it was purchased, the tyres had started to wear unevenly. On the outside of the tyres the tread was on the limit, however 3/4 of the tyre was fine, they have plenty of life left. A bit annoyed as you can imagine, I took the car back to the dealership from who I purchased the car from, who advised that "It's not part of the PDi to check the 4 wheel alignment". They do not even have the facility there, however for £70.00 they would check this for me. I informed them that it had been done at my expense, plus the fact that I now had to replace 4 tyres earlier than needed due to the alignment not being correct and the initial fault not being diagnosed by them. I have sent a few emails to Volvo who stand by the dealership and there own morals of the 4 wheel alignment. It is a maintenace procedure, so it is up to me to have this checked at my own expense. My argument is that it was never correct, the fault was never diagnosed when I took the car to them and now I have to pay out for the 4 wheel alignment and 4 new tyres due to them wearing mainly on the outside edge. I am so frustrated, I paid 38k for the car and that's the service I get from Volvo. What are your opinions, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Scott Last edited by sfiente; Aug 24th, 2007 at 15:17.

Aug 24th, 2007, 16:45	#3
niloc SWV Benefactor Last Online: Jan 30th, 2013 13:44 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Newport, South Wales	I agree - the vehicle was supplied as a new vehicle. Any problems with the vehicle would be termed as a "manufacturing fault". The symptoms were reported to the supplying dealer well within the timeframe allowed, it should be covered under warranty. OK, so the dealer has no way of checking the alignment on the premises, or an accurate method of diagnosing from the symptoms described, but it was diagnosed by a third party garage and the results reported back to the dealer. You could play the "supplied with a faulty vehicle resulting in reduced braking/cornering efficiency and excessive/premature tyre wear" card. Don't back down, but it may be in your interest to seek legal advice. I trust that when you first went to the dealer with the problem it was noted in the service record. __________________ Refitting is the reverse of removal???.....Yeah, right!

Aug 30th, 2007, 11:44	#8
sfiente Junior Member Last Online: Mar 17th, 2020 06:20 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rugby, Warwickshire	Hi, Many thanks for your reply's, I think that I will try and take this further. I was suprised with Volvo UK, they were dreadful. They did not seem to care and did not respond to all of my emails. ..........Update............ I just called the dealership and asked who there ombudsman was, they put me on to the Operations Manager (Simon). I spoke to Simon who has agreed to look in to the situation on my behalf. He said he only started there 4 months ago and that he was not aware of any issues that customers had with them so wanted to try and sort this out between us, rather than go to the ombudsman. I agreed to leave it with him aslong as he called me back by the end of the week. I will update you on what happends. Thanks again Scott Last edited by sfiente; Aug 30th, 2007 at 12:23.

Aug 24th, 2007, 18:42	#4
TexasDave New Member Last Online: Mar 28th, 2008 16:47 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houston	Unfortunately I think it is going to be very difficult to prove that the fault was there from the beginning. By accepting the situation for 2 years I think you will have given up any claim you may have had. I'm not saying that this is fair, but I am not sure a court would find in your favour. Volvo could reasonably claim that the alignment went out after the vehicle left the dealership and will stick to their original claim that it was due to road camber. The thing to do in such situations is to ensure that you accompany a service engineer on a test drive and get their acceptance that there is a problem. You have to be relentless and insist that the problem is solved and if it isn't, hand the car back and ask for your money back. that is a tricky and tiresome route to take (I know...) but is really the only way to nail dealers down. I'm afraid that I think you are going to have to swallow this and move on...

Aug 30th, 2007, 21:14	#9
sfiente Junior Member Last Online: Mar 17th, 2020 06:20 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rugby, Warwickshire	Well the operations manager from the dealership Toll Bar Coventry called back. He stated that if the 4 wheel alignment was out, the cars tyres would not have lasted 24,000 miles. To be honest they needed changing a long time ago, however I wanted to show how they have worn and as the exact replacements are £140.00 each, I wanted my moneys worth. I will send a letter to my dealership to inform that I will issue court procedings. I never expected them to compensate me on a new set of tyres, however I did expect an offer to contribute towards a new set or atleast for the 4 wheel alignment. They seem a little stupid as the car is due for a service, so it would favour them to assist here and keep my custom?

Aug 31st, 2007, 19:58	#10
Multiplex Senior Member Last Online: Jan 29th, 2019 22:42 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: North West	The problem with XC90 drivers is they all seem to be two bob millionaires. They like to drive around in their nice flash SUV but wont fork out the money for a couple of tyres!

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