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Thanks to all for the continued support we are giving each other. I will also be contacting the law firm who may be putting togehter the class action.....
VeroT6
Lisa
Mike
The rep also said that since I was not a "Volvo Customer" (bought the car used from third party) had not ever been in a dealership for service (I am not the original owner & it appears to me that at first reason since I bought the car that I have had, I am "in for service" right now).
That I was probably not a good candidate for any "Good Will" from Volvo. The service manager told me himself that this is what Volvo Rep told him, the service manager do say on his own that he felt 90% sure that they would help in some way but I would need to commit to paying for the additional diagnostics. I refused.
He explained that i really had only two choices, pay or pick up my car & have someone else repair it with no chance of any Volvo $upport!
So hypothetically at the end of the day $800 spent & I still would'nt know if they would help me. My fear is I agree to the extra $$, they break it down & say "yep your going to need a transmission" & "that will cost $6,000 but Volvo will split it with you".
Now I would be out close to $4,000 & have another "factory transmission" . . . . . .
My local Sweedish mechanic has a newly rebuilt - improved trany in a crate at his shop with 2yr. unlimited mile warranty waiting to put it in for $5,000 he will also take care of the rear main seal while he's got it out (says around 100k miles it needs to be done anyway)
I am now close to three weeks with out a car & not close to having a warm fuzzy about Volvo's help. How loud do I need to get & in whose direction to I need to be yelling? The dealer is just in the middle but Volvo N.A. says nothing happening unless I play their game.
I am almost ready to throw in the towel
2004 VOLVO XC90
1. Since day 1, the transmission on my 2004 Volvo-XC90 has been acting weird, it doesn't engage trough gear as quickly as it should. On May 25th 2009, the transmission completely went out leaving me in the middle of the intersection with cars behind me traveling 35 miles and almost caused an accident. The car has been sitting since then.
2. The transmission has never operated properly since I purchased the car in April of 2009.
3. I do not have an extended warranty and so the car waiting now for repair.
The shop and every other one I called knew exactly what the problem was.
They said that the transmission in this model and year was a faulty GM transmission and have seen many in for this type of service.
I did some research on the Internet and found that many owners have experienced the same problem, the exact problem.
I bought my car with 112,000 miles on it and some of the complaints I found on the Internet reported were as low as 20,000 miles.
I bought it from AutoWest Acura in San Jose, I ask them for help with that matter, (4 times) they were evasive and refused to help, or to get to any arrangement.
The "transmission service urgent" light came on. Took the car to the dealer and they said I need a new transmission. There seems to be a large number of these same complaints for this same car from Volvo.
ORIGINAL MESSAGE & REPLY BELOW
Good morning Mr. Green,
"I understand you are possibly forming a case to file a suit against Volvo North America regarding the many defective transmissions in the XC90. T6.
I'm currently battling with Volvo to repair/replace mine. My situation is exactly like that of all the others who have posted on the forum www.edmonds.com
Would having my transmission fixed on my own preclude me from being eligible to participate in a class action suit should there be one?
I have been documenting all things as I go along.
Please advise & also tell me what the next steps would or could be from you in a law suit of this nature."
Respectfully requesting your guidance,
Dave Morby
Vero Beach, FL
RESPONSE
"We would consider filing suit on behalf of someone whose transmission failed during warranty. I don't know if that includes your or not. In any event, paying for the repairs yourself would not preclude you from participating in a class action. You would want the shop to preserve any evidence, though."
Robert Green
I'm very curious as the area rep, local service manager & Volvo N.A. say that until I have to prove (pay $$$ for all the diagnostics) that its a defective transmission before they will even consider if I qualify as a "good will" candidate. No offering of anything at this point.
I'm starting to feel like a broken record, round & round & round again......
verot6
I bought mine used from a wholesaler in March 2008 with 59k miles on it. From what my wholesaler told me there was no record of a transmission failure prior to them purchasing it at auction. They are the ones who took the car to the Volvo dealer for me, I wasn't involved. So, whether the good will was for them or me, I'm not sure. When the transmission went, I was out of my 60 day used car warranty and had like 71k miles on it at the time it was replaced. But I did file complaints with:
1. Attorney General for the state
2. Consumer Protection
3. Volvo contact us on line
4. NTSB
And spoke to an attorney. The car was gone six weeks, but I didn't pay anything. But I did let my wholesale place know I was going to make a stink with Volvo, and I even worked at a volvo dealership locally when I was a teenager. I doubt that made a difference. My wholesaler had done a transmission fluid flush/change in December 2008, and within a month I had problems. They recommended I do a transmission upgrade which I told them was just plain bull -I know cars better than that. They said they would see what they could do with Gengras Volvo in CT and the rest is history......
Lisa
We purchased an 05' xc90, used-with warranty, from a dealer in CO. Currently has 63k miles. We now are in Northern ND, 16 hrs away from the dealership we purchased it from, 8 hrs from the closest dealership in Minneapolis. This should be fun. ~sigh~
I will follow some of the advice here and let you know how things progress.
BuffDriver1
Do you have any contact info for Mr. Green?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Thanks.
If you get a bad tranny diagnosis, inform the service manager that you are aware of the problems with this tranny and that you want him to call Volvo and ask for help.
ALSO...tell them how much you love the car and other than the POS GM crappy tranny, you would get another. Also say this if the Volvo rep calls you...rare but they do on occasion.
Contrary to what they may say, Volvo IS aware of the problem and they will replace the radiator and cooling lines also to get the metal shavings out of the system. This is why there were faster failures with the first replacements.
There are TWO major failure points....one being the tranny just bites it, the other is the cooler leaks radiator fluid (glycol) into the tranny and kills it.
You may want to consider NOT touching the tranny!! Volvo recommends NOT doing anything to that tranny whatsoever! If you take it in for a bad tranny, and they find you have had the fluid changed or flushed, they may not help you out! There have been cases where trannys failed shortly after a "flush". A flush will stirr up all the crud from the bottom of the pan and it will get into the parts and fail faster! (their theory) Mine had NEVER been touched!
If changing the fluid helps, or running synthetic in it, I would think Volvo would have caught on by now so they don't have to keep changing them for free! These tranny's are not failing due to normal wear and tear, they are CRAP and just go all at once! When mine gets back in the garage, I will keep it for a year or two and trade it in on a new V8 XC90! More power, no turbos, no GM CRAP parts!
T6....Car good.....tranny CRAP!
The service mgr also told me that aftermarket service companies that sell extended warranty's will NOT use Volvo's replacement units, but their own rebuilds with unlimited lifetime warranty!! Unfortunately, they will not pay to have the cooling system replaced, so all the crud gets siphoned back into the new tranny! Their loss! I also read somewhere that a major tranny rebuilding company has changed some rebuild paramaters on these that supposedly fixes the problem.
I'm wondering....what GM car uses this tranny and does it have a high failure rate also? Some blame the T6's power on the failure, but the T6 doesn't have that much torque, so I don't buy that. Could be I'm just used to my other two cars, both pushing 400hp and close to 500 ftlb of torque!! That will break stuff!
It's that the low torque for the engine being a turbo, that this GM tranny can't hold up against it. I heard these tranny's were used in thousand of GM cars and rarely had failures, but none of them were turbo's -that I heard from my shop. Then again, some of the stuff they are telling all of us could be b.s.-we don't really know. We have to take their word on some things until they tell us or we find out other ways.
Interesting comment about the tranny flush. I have an 05 T6 had the fluid replaced in December 08, tranny started letting go late Jan 09 and then finally in Feb 09-But I worked at a Volvo dealer in my late teens/early twenties and that is routine service for the 60k-so why they are telling you not too is a mystery.
Great info...lets keep each other in the loop!!!!
Lisa
www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/xc90 where you will find a post on car survey dated Feb. 27, 09. that has Mr. Green's info.
I now have my car at the local shop getting my new transmission installed. I have seen the new tranny & the casing is stamped "Volvo" so I have faith its the real McCoy. The aftermarket rebuild company has identified the weakness & corrected them (hopefully).
I decided to pull my car from the dealership for several reasons. The service manager was playing dumb about the T6 problem & insisted I would have to pay for all diagnostics to prove the tranny was bad (they already new it was bad from the first diagnostics- $240 but wanted to proceed with a secondary test - pulling the pan & cutting the filter - $560)
I actually spoke with the Volvo Regional Manager ("the decision maker" according to Volvo corporate) who pushed the same about the diagnostics. He would not commit to anything until I was willing to come out of pocket $800 total (which I understand the dealer collects because they put out for the labor costs & corporate has'nt got anything to say about that)
The Service Manager & the Regional Rep. also had their stories crossed - The SM told the Reg. Rep that they wanted to "Flush & replace the filter" & added that they were going to charge me $25 a qt. for the new fluid & that was why the cost was so high....
Also the Reg. Rep went on to BS me that they have had cases like this where they flushed, replaced the filter & a solinoid or two & the transmission worked fine.
Bottom line for me was that it seemed no matter how hard I pushed (I filed all the complaints with all the right people) It was still going to cost me $800 up front. I had already paid $101 for diagnosis from another shop, gotten a second opinion for free from yet another shop (the one where my car is now) & then a third from a Volvo dealership plus many hours of my time. All confirming the same. But Volvo corporate was still in no way giving me any signs of hope.
It appears that the regional reps. try to be very subjective to your Volvo Commitment & base their decision on that (your allegiance to Volvo) & then & only then will you find out if you are one of the lucky ones to receive what they deem as "good will" towards a new transmission.
I am fed up with Volvo period. I hope there are many others out there that feel the same. I would like to know how many of us out there were TURNED AWAY by Volvo? How many "out of warranty" were replaced by Volvo @ No Charge? How many have taken it to their own shop for repairs? How many are willing to contact Mr. Green (class action attorney)
Enough is enough. Volvo should send out a mass recall of all XC90 T6's transmissions. Those of us who did'nt get a "Free" transmission & have out of pocket expenses should be reimbursed.
:mad:
The process is have your car checked by a volvo dealer and then write corporate they will contact your dealer and then call you back. The whole process took 4 weeks to have a new transmission with a 1 year warranty.
Allen
By the way thanks Lisa it worked out good for me!!!!!
Congrats, great job!!!!
Lisa
Mike
VeroT6
www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/xc90 where you will find a post on car survey dated Feb. 27, 09. that has Mr. Green's info.
sorry. here is the full link to that info for Mr. Green
Mike
On the page above you will see a place for existing volvo customers. That will lead you to the link.
You might also want to contact the NTSB. Their is a form on their web site and your state's attorney general. I did all of the above.
good luck.
try this link again. Just click on it & scroll down to Feb. 27th. Mr. Green's contact information is all there. If it doesnt work for you. E-mail me. You can do that by clicking on my Edmunds.com profile. My e-mail is public.
http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/xc90/r69842/comments/page-11/
Please note that people routinely ignore questions accompanied by a request to take the discussion offline. Doing so would deprive others of valuable information and tends to defeat the purpose of a Forum. Our members prefer to share information openly.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Thanks
Lisa
While they were in there they did rear engine oil seal, flushed the angle gear & other gear box out (appearently this car has 3 gear boxes???) put in new fluid, one new left front drive shaft (cuased by damage from transmission fluid leaking in upper control arm...? did'nt fully understand that one..) tune up etc, etc...
Cant wait after initial "break in" period going to take a trip & let it rip. Thas what this Twin Turbo 6 cycl. was designed to do. Volvo just failed in putting the right transmission with this power plant.
I love the car, stle & ride but still going to pursue the defect somehow with everyone's support. What can we start to do in the way of getting the Class Action Suit with Mr. Green started?
Has anyone else contacted him yet? Lisa I dont see that your e-mail is public yet? All those interested in pursuing the class action against Volvo who on on the forum should make your e-mails public in your Edmunds profile so we can share more information that may be prohibited on this page.
Steve, wouldn't you agree?
I emailed Mr. Green's office last week but have not seen a reply.
For example:-
1) Parts that failed?
2) Parts that were badly damaged or worn?
3) Parts which showed signs of wear?
4) Parts which should be replaced?
5) Parts which were 'beefed up'?
6) etc
It would be useful for us as reference.
Bernard
I did make my email public. I had contacted Mr. Green, and I believe due to prior posts that he is looking to start with folks who had their transmission fail during the original warranty before proceeding with the rest of us. But that is strictly off of rote recall.
I know the link was posted early for him-I would try him again and see what happens-if you would just let us all know. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a tad worried with a new tranny and only a year warranty-doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Lisa
laws65@sbcglobal.net
Anyway the good news is the "original" transmission from my T6 is already on its way to the rebuild shop. They are going to send me reports & all the broken parts when they tear it down to rebuild it.
I have asked for complete documentation on what they put into the "beefed up" rebuild.
As soon as I have that info I will share with all. Needless to say I am a little down about the delay. I was really looking forward to stomping on the pedal & listining to those turbo's wind up..... (I hate to admit this but being a car forum.... it is about cars, performance etc... 140 mph on I-95 was as smooth as glass with some pedal left. The cost of the ticket is what prevented me from pushing it further) Isn't that what European Cars are all about? No soccer mom here (although my wife is) LOL
I will contact Mr. Green again myself & I urge all others to do the same. I will also let him know that we will have evidence soon from a tranny that had only 74,800 mie when it let go.
Thanks,
VeroT6 :shades:
Good luck
Lisa
Although I experienced nothing but pure denial from the dealership & the factory your warranty should carry you!
Read more on this forum & be sure to keep the class action attorney Mr. Green in the back of your mind......
Happy Fathers Day to any & all of you lucky T6 dads!
I tool it to Volvo on May 22nd, when the "Transmission Service Urgent" light appeared. It had just under 60,000 miles. That's over a month that I have been without my car.
I've had Volvo wagons since 1990. My previous Volvo, V70 turbo wagon, had 190,000 miles on it and had been a wonderful car. I told the person who bought it that they should call me when it passed 300,000 miles. NEVER had a problem!
I have loved the XC 90 - until May 22nd! Now, am wondering what to do now that the transmission has been replaced. Should I keep it or sell it?
By the way, when the dealer quoted $5,000 to replace the transmission and I balked, they came back with a "Volvo will cover 3/4 of the cost of replacement". This, I okayed.
I don't know what to do with the XC 90 myself. I debated selling it and listed it on Craigslist and only had one email with an offer way under what i owe on it. I heard from Atty Greene's secrectary today that there isn't a class action under way either. I feel like I'm in a pinball game that won't end and I keep getting my head hit!
At least with a new transmission, to look on the bright side, you should have a one year parts and labor warranty......
The rest of us are in the same boat as you....
Lisa
As far as my case goes the original tranny from my 03' T6 has been rebuilt with improvements. Should be back in the car by first of next week. The rebuild shop is going to send as many of the broken parts back to my mechanic so I will hopefully have some evidence of what & how for Mr. Green hopefully when he decides to take on this case.
Has anyone out there been keeping track of the numbers? how many cars, what year mfr., what mileage when it happened (1st time 2nd time & in some cases maybe 3rd.).
If so it would be interesting to see the consistencies.
I'm afraid volvo will kick in very little (if anything) based on my mileage. Dealer cost for the re-built is $4500, local shop (has done T6's before) capped my rebuild at $2600 and will offer a 24mo/24,000 mi warranty. I would have to tow to the dealer and pay a $120 evaluation fee.
What would you do?