2005 Volvo XC 90 V8 AWD, 11,000 miles...

So on our first road trip in the Volvo... We're driving down I-25 in New Mexico and the thing just loses power. We coast to the side of the road (in a cellular deadspot mind you) and wait. Car won't start again. We call roadside assistance, they are sending a tow truck and an emergency vehicle. It's 110 outside and my 5 month old daughter ended up with heat stroke because it took 90 minutes for ANYONE to get there. They tow it to Albuquerque. Turns out to be some sort of timing belt issue and the WHOLE engine had to be replaced. Well, they've had the damn thing for over a week, replaced the engine, spent $2,000 to ship it back to Denver and pay for our rental for a week. They might as well have given us a brand new one at this rate, and frankly I'm pretty angry they didn't.

1. Has anyone else had a similar type problem?
2. Has anyone had a replacement engine? Problems with those?
3. Has anyone had problems with warranties being honored on replacements?

I am downright worried to have it back. Especially after finding out about stalling issues and whatnot too. My child was actually in danger because of this and that's why I replaced our old Honda before she was born!!! I am heavily leaning towards the Lexus 400h hybrid at this point. Looking to have some faith restored in the Volvo (Hell, even in the awful service department people I deal with here in Denver), or to reconfirm that I should go for the Lexus.

Thanks!

This post has been edited by Auckland: Jun 9 2006, 04:01 AM

Hi there & :00000732: .

Real sorry to hear about your awful experience - sincerely hope your daughter is fully recovered now. Your frustration is completely understandable.

I'm not an XC90 expert I am afraid, but hope that my general Volvo & car experiences might help in your deliberations.

Main dealer brand new replacement engines are usually absolutely fine, just check that all ancillary systems such as climate control, power steering etc. are 100% operative, that the engine temperature & other gauges, dials & warning lights act as they should and that all oil/fluid levels are exactly where they should be.

Cold comfort at the moment, but the value of your car probably just increased.....

If I were you & if you haven't already been given it, then I'd be asking for written confirmation from Volvo that they are warranting the new engine from the date it was installed, not from the purchase date of the car - you never know, they might agree without a fight! Volvo are usually pretty good at honouring warranties but yes, I have experienced one annoying delay before they have confirmed that the warranty does cover the part in question (they thought I'd had the ECU "chipped" before it failed, but I hadn't - added around 3 days to the job).

There isn't a manufacturer or car model in the world - even non-mass produced hand-built marques - that doesn't have a small % component failure rate. Regrettably, you got the one that failed and yes, if they are going to fail, they never do it at a convenient time or place.

Here in UK, despite what the adverts say, 90 minutes for a recovery truck is not that unusual - 20 years ago I actually waited over 6 hours one New Year's Eve, despite having my wife & baby son in the car. It sounds as though you may have been a long way from anywhere when it happened, thus lengthening the time it took to reach you.

The cell 'phone flat spot thing stinks, but again you can't blame that on the car - as I said above, it never happens at a convenient time or place. Even in winter in UK, I always carry bottled water and sunblock in my emergency kit in the trunk, then I know it's there if we ever do need it. No, I wasn't a boy scout!

If I had the choice between the Lexus & the XC90 then on balance I'd go for the Volvo, based purely on the incredible amount of time & money Volvo spent on making it pretty much the safest vehicle on the road to be in when the chips are down. I do a high annual mileage & I've suffered several times at the hands of other drivers. An old Volvo 340 saved my wife's life when a 3.5 ton truck hit her head-on. The motor engineer from the insurance company inspected the wreckage in minute detail the next day & confirmed that she'd have died in many other cars & got away maybe with only losing her legs in a few others. The fact she walked away from the wreck with sore neck muscles & very emotionally shaken says it all for me & personally, I now won't buy her anything but a Volvo. Safety standards are improving, but Volvo always seems to lead the way.

Whatever decision you do eventually make, I wish you & your family happy & safe motoring from now on & hope you can quickly put this nasty episode behind you.

BB
:beer:

Yeah, dude. Really sorry to hear about your problem. I understand about the heat-stroke thing ans both my kids have asthma and heat is one of those triggers which could easily make them go out of breath.

I carry 2 5-litre packs of filtered water in the cargo-bay, and I tell you, they are VERY useful, especially at times you expect them to be less.

In anycase, I would suggest you refer the matter to Sweden, and get them to explain to you, what actually happened... that have warranted the need to change the whole engine.

Again, sorry to hear of your troubles...

We have the car back now and all seems to be working fine. Daughter is fine, it's just one thing that made it hard to deal with. I appreciate the input, we are making sure that the warranty will be from the date of installation not from the date of purchase. Good suggestion. We wish it hadn't happened, but Volvo did very well at resolving the matter. Thanks again for the input.

You're welcome - really glad to hear that your daughter is fully recovered.

BB
:grouphug:

Manufacturer warranty is from the in service date and mileage for 5 year/50,000miles period. Extending the warranty beyond that term is certainly not standard procedure for auto manufacturers or most any other item. This engine was most likely replaced as the V-8 model is a new design and the engineers would like to take a look at it and determine the failure. Many times manufactures do not allow teardown and repair of brand new drivetrain designs. I doubt you will have much trouble with the new engine if at all.

That's understood Starfish, but if I were in this position then I'd be insisting that Volvo warrant the replacement engine from the date of collection of the repaired vehicle, not from the original in-service date and "mileage" (the original engine had covered 11,000 miles).

Having put our friend & his family through such an ordeal along with the resultant inconvenience, anxiety & uncertainty they experienced, frankly it is the least Volvo could do.

BMW agreed exactly this when my younger brother's BMW 525i needed a new engine - the new engine came with a full BMW warranty from the date he collected the repaired car, not from the date he originally took delivery of the car when new.

I'm a great believer that if you don't ask, then you don't get...

BB
:)