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Volvo S80

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Comments

  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    True - a whole bunch of baloney. Nothing that you have described may cause the fire.
    What is that "catastrophic engine failure" that cause the fire? Broken fuel/oil line?

    I have my 2004 S80 @111000 miles and going very strong. Interior is clean and solid as new, no rattles.
    So, I would like to spread a word that Volvo builds very good cars. And I do thank Ford for bringing more financial stability to the great company and allowing the development of different vehicles - XC90, C30, for instance, that would not be feasible for Volvo alone.

    P.S. It was enough for my wife to run over some "left-over" construction defects in our drive-way alley @ about 40-50 MPH to shut both front struts dead. The reason was that the interior insulation is such and the overall "bump absorbsion" performance of S80 is so good, that she did not feel that she was inflicting damage to the front suspension.
  • heywood1heywood1 Member Posts: 851
    I bought a used 2000 S80 T-6 with 16K miles in late 2004, and just got in under the wire for the extended warranty-- just in case. Now I'm about to turn 50K with no issues other than ordinary TSB's. So far, the $2,000 I spent on the extended warranty from Volvo has been wasted cash. Not everyone has had your experience.
  • arnold14arnold14 Member Posts: 22
    I am thinking about getting this car within the year. How has the reliability and performance been?
  • spridelspridel Member Posts: 2
    Well, I have somehow managed to find 2 people that have had great success with their Volvo's. I know several people that have had nothing but troubles. It doe not seem to matter if it is the S80, S60, or V70.....I am sorry to be so negative, but Volvo decided not to take care of me when I had a major issue. This is the only action I can take is to use word of mouth. They blamed it on lack of service even though all services were done at the dealer where I bought it from and at the correct intervals. It was mentioned what the catastrophic engine failure was? I threw a connecting rod through the side of the engine block while doing 70 mph on the highway with the cruise set. There were no signs of oil starvation...it appears the 2 bolts came out connecting the rod to the crankshaft and the hole in the engine led to an oil fire. So it does not get much worse than that. I really did like my car when it was running...but for now it has been replaced by a Toyota.
  • cbeck1cbeck1 Member Posts: 1
    Since Oct. 2005 my S80 has required more than $5,300 in repairs/maintenance. Had to replace transmission at 27,000 miles, replace an engine mount at 30,000 in addition to an oil leak repair which came to over $1,700. Had to replace front disk brake pads at 25,000 miles. It has become a Ford - no surprise!! Fix Or Repair Daily. Ford did the Swedes no favor in this merger. My FIRST Volvo and my LAST. Cannot afford to maintain this car. Would have been better off with a Honda!
    Volvo can call it a safe car only because it's in the shop more than on the road. Do Not Buy A Volvo
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    Somehow, I seriously doubt the accuracy of this info.

    The transmission replacement @27,000 miles should be free, unless there was an extremely serious reason to void the warranty, in which case, I would not blame it on Volvo.

    Same with the engine mounts - there was a recall for the sub-frame bushings, and the replacement should be done at no cost, unless, once again, there was a serious reason to void warranty.

    Non-warranty oil leak repair for over $1700??? Sounds wrong again.

    It seems to me that Edmunds attracts a lot of Volvo-bashers (e.g. "trolls"). I read other boards too, and do not see such amount of opened anti-Volvo propaganda anywhere else...

    I wonder why....
  • arnold14arnold14 Member Posts: 22
    Had the 4 year warranty just run out? Ford doesn't have anything to do with the manufacturing of Volvos. They just own the company. Volvo had a bad reputation for reliability before the Ford merger. The 2004 S80 is recommended by Consumer Reports for the first time. Has anyone had problems with it?
  • tollhaustollhaus Member Posts: 10
    I own a 2001 S80 2.9 with around 68,000 miles on it. I need to take it in for service (last routine service done at 61,xxx).
    How can I tell what needs to be done at this service (I guess the 67,500 mile check) and does a dealership have to do it?
    I bought my car in Germany (but it has American specifications) and the Service Manual I have uses KM instead of Miles and essentially uses every 10,000 miles for the checks. At "70,000 miles" it tells me I need to complete the following:
    * Oil/filter change
    *Coolant, level check
    *Battery, acid level check
    *Power steering, check oil level
    *brake fluid, check level
    *brake pads, check
    *parking brake, check
    *gearbox/rear axle, check seals
    *Front/rear suspension, check
    *brake and fuel lines, check
    *cabin air filter, check/change
    *Fuel filter, replacement

    Most of these seem like they can be "checked" at my local quick oil change place, right?

    In Germany I was routinely paying $150 and up for these routine services and I don't want to pay a Volvo dealer just because they are a Volvo dealer.

    I live near Dothan, AL and there don't seem to be any independent mechanics that work on "them foreign cars."

    Thanks for any help you can offer.
  • tulsahogtulsahog Member Posts: 64
    Have had dealer perform all oil and filter changes. Have only 19, 600 mi on 2003 model S80. I declined the 15000 mi service at last oil change. According to the maintenance schedule, looks like they only check things like coolant level, battery water, wiper blades, tires, etc. I check these items more frequently. I did not see any apparent warranty-critical items like transmission fluid level?

    They wrote: !!customer declined 15k service!! on service writeup. Looks like intimidation.
  • doctordickdoctordick Member Posts: 36
    Just for the record: I have a 2004 S80 T6 picked up at factory. Have 26K plus miles. Transmission needed computer download once and I get oil changed every 5K miles (use only sythetic) as I do with all our vehicles. Have 4C suspension--wow what a fine ride on mountain roads!

    Really no problems. Love the car! Its my second S80 T6; the first was a '99 but I missed all the transmission problems. It needed three air mass systems and at 100K needed some expensive repairs ($2500) but I gave it to my daughter and those repairs were cheap insurance.

    We are on our 8th Volvo. My wife has a '04 V70; she would like it to be as big as her 960 wagon, but that's not going to be. She feels safe and some bugs but no big problems.

    Thought someone would like to know they're not all big problems!
  • dolphindolphin Member Posts: 71
    I can agree with you 100%...I have NEVER had a vehicle that was such a hunk of JUNK as my 99 S80 T6. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: Have had to replace the ABS master control system, the fan for the AC, the compressor, and the power-steering reservoir. Auto-dimming rearview mirror blew a seal and costs $530+ to replace, (luckily it still reflects so no-go there), I have had to replace a broken headlight at $300+, AND the dealership could not figure out why the car would not start and they had the car for OVER ONE MONTH!!! Volvo did not allow the computers need to repair the car to independent auto shops, so you were forced to utilize their INCOMPETENT mechanics at their dealership. Well boys & girls, they could not fix their own cars. RUN FAR, FAR AWAY!!

    This car was a money pit. All I can tell you is RUN AWAY, DO NOT buy this car...

    Bought a 2005 VW Passat TDI Wagon, and what a joy it is not to have to repair your car every month! :D
  • driv3ndriv3n Member Posts: 2
    I'm driving a 2003 S80 T6 and just got a warning message on the dash saying "bulb failure position indicator." Computer won't let me erase it and there is no ref to it in the car manual. Anyone know what it refers to and if driver can change the bulb? Thanks from Seoul!
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    One of the light bulbs (red position light, the one that is NOT a brake, one on a bottom) in the rear combination went off. The owners manual have a description on how to change the light bulbs and their description, so you can buy a replacement ahead of a change.
  • driv3ndriv3n Member Posts: 2
    thanks, i'll get on it today!
  • westeemwesteem Member Posts: 49
    Does anyone have an easy way to clean the brake dust off the front wheels and/or to apply something to the wheels to make it easier to remove the dust? I have a 2005 S80 with the fancy wheel option (lots of holes to clean).
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Just about any wheel cleaner will work.
    The trick is to clean the wheels every week so the dust doesn't build up.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Two solutions:

    1. I use an air compressor to blow the brake dust. It's much easier than washing the wheels. This only works on light brake dust.

    2. I never tried this, but many people said ceramic brake pads can eliminate the dust.
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    Don't!!!
    Ceramic pads save pads and eliminate dust at the expense of rotors and braking distance.

    The soft pads are used on purpose...
  • heywood1heywood1 Member Posts: 851
    If you think a Passat is going to put your maintenance headache to rest, you're smoking crack. Here's some advice: Buy the extended warranty on the Passat NOW!!!
  • firenut53firenut53 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Volvo S80 and the following message "bulb failure, position light" appeared in the text box warning me of a problem. I also have no way of determing which bulb it is. My owners manual does not address this message. I have searched for a repair manual but to no avail. Could someone assit me in the procedure for determining the correct bulb and/or locating a repair manual. The owners manual does address the names and changing the bulbs. any assistance is appreciated.
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    This is one of four bulbs in the rear combination. There are two bulbs on a bottom of each combination. Take a look, and locate the one, which has only one bulb lit.

    These bulbs are referred as tail bulbs 4/5 in the owners manual and it is on page 94 in my manual, under Replacing Bulbs/Tail lights.
  • scarrscarr Member Posts: 2
    Stay away from 99
  • scarrscarr Member Posts: 2
    My 99 S80 does it at least twice a month!!
  • bartonhillbartonhill Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 T-6 that has the built in ATT phone (never activated) and the On-Star safety system. After the first year, I did not renew OnStar as it is too expensive, and I can use a cell phone in case of emergency.
    I can't get the message light to de-activate when I start the car, except by manually reading the message every time that I must renew my OnStar account. Is there any way of permanently de-activating this message?
    (Dealer says it would cost hundreds as they would also have to remove the built in telephone apparatus)

    Thanks for any help!
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Unfortunately, your dealer is correct. The only way to kill the message is 1. physically remove the phone unit. 2. after "1" is done, new software via VIDAS needs to be loaded to tell the car that the phone is no longer available.

    My suggestion is to keep the phone and you can still dial 911 with it even without activation.
  • jb_10009jb_10009 Member Posts: 4
    They failed to fix my car and returned it with new problems. Instead of any refund at all, they offered a "deep discount" on new repairs that were still $1000 higher than any other mechanic to make up for the problem. Really awful owner. Charming, but horribly unfair. Just dishonest in my book. How can they look themselves in the mirror? If you want your car returned in worse condition than you brought it in, this place is for you! Warning: don't complain, or your car will be returned badly damaged. And don't ever bring it back for them to look at, they just make it worse. They have records for how many repairs they do. How do you think that happens??? Even the guy who loves them has needed them 10 times in one year for one car. How does that make them great mechanics? If that is how you want to spend all your time and budget, this place is for you! Woo Hoo!! They actually send their mechanics to a school to learn how to jack up repair costs according to a weblink from their website that has now been disconnected! I have informed them that I would share the honest facts and invited them to deny this or provide an explanation.
  • jb_10009jb_10009 Member Posts: 4
    They failed to fix my car and returned it with new problems. Instead of any refund at all, they offered a "deep discount" on new repairs that were still $1000 higher than any other mechanic to make up for the problem. Really awful owner. Charming, but horribly unfair. Just dishonest in my book. How can they look themselves in the mirror? If you want your car returned in worse condition than you brought it in, this place is for you! Warning: don't complain, or your car will be returned badly damaged. And don't ever bring it back for them to look at, they just make it worse. They have records for how many repairs they do. How do you think that happens??? Even the guy who loves them has needed them 10 times in one year for one car. How does that make them great mechanics? If that is how you want to spend all your time and budget, this place is for you! Woo Hoo!! They actually send their mechanics to a school to learn how to jack up repair costs according to a weblink from their website that has now been disconnected! I have informed them that I would share the honest facts and invited them to deny this or provide an explanation.
  • newcarrookienewcarrookie Member Posts: 1
    Hey folks:

    I'm considering buying a 2.5T S80 with about 25K miles - obviously still under warranty, so that mitigates reliability concerns for a few years. I have a tendency to keep cars for 7+ years - will this thing make it (probably an even mix of highway/city driving)? From everything I've read, the S80 has improved dramatically since the 99-01 years is the 2005 2.5 a keeper? Also, this car doesn't have the incredible Dolby stereo. Is the regular stereo still pretty good? Would speaker upgrades help? Is that even possible? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
  • hminhmin Member Posts: 8
    Based on my 6 months (7244 miles) experience with 2006 Volvo S80 2.5T AWD, I highly recommend it.

    Runs great and very stable ride at high speed (>80 mph), so much difference from Honda Accord I used to have.

    I encountered one glitch at the very beginning (93 miles): check engine light on, which was easily fixed by software update.

    Fuel efficiency is better than published numbers (20/27), I easily achieved 29 mpg on a 465 miles highway trip this July.

    The up-to-date average number is 24.8 mpg.
    I commute everyday (6.5 miles one way) with lots of steep up/down hills and lights.

    Standard speaker is already good enough, no need for upgrade.
  • westeemwesteem Member Posts: 49
    Does anyone remember what they paid for their 2005 S80 T6 (new)? Mine has the upgraded stereo with no navigation. Just wondering if I could get a better deal on my next purchase.
  • bdambrosiobdambrosio Member Posts: 3
    I have had many problems with my 2001 S80's climate control. It was replaced once, and had all the motors replaced for the baffles. I now have a constant clicking noise coming from within the climate control. It occurs every 10 seconds. It usually happens when the outside temperature is around 70. Has anyone else had this problem? The dealer (Volvo Service) cannot seem to fix this issue. :confuse:
  • waustin2waustin2 Member Posts: 15
    The rear driver side door will not unlock with remote, or driver door unlock. I can hear a 'thunk' sound, like it is trying to unlock but nothing happens. However, once manually unlocked the door will lock with the remote or driver door lock. Dealer recommends replacing solenoid ($350.00+), says the labor involved in removing the door panel and diagnosing problem would cost just as much. Any advice?
  • bizprofccbizprofcc Member Posts: 6
    I am considering a used 2000 S80 2.6 with 100,000 miles. The owner has had the 90,000 mile service done as well as 2 new front struts and the timing belt replaced. I am familiar with Volvos as we own the following '96 960, '04 S80, '05 S60 2.5T, and until my daughter drove it into a utility pole on Friday, a '98 S70. While I am very satisfied with my '04 S80, I am leery of the first few years. The car will be driven by my two daughters about 10,000 miles a year for the next 5 years. I would appreciate any and all opinions about this.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    As with any older car, it is a good idea to make sure the maintenance is up to date, which seems to be the case here.
    It is also a good idea to have the car inspected by a trained Volvo technician.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    A reporter with a national newspaper is hoping to talk with consumers who have received or are giving a luxury car as a gift for Christmas. Please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Friday, December 8, 2006 with your daytime contact info.

    Thanks,

    Chintan Talati
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds Inc.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    If I were you, I wouldn't get a 2000 S80 for my family. It took Volvo 4-5 years to get the S80 barely to average reliability. Also, do a search, I remember there was a airbag design flaw with the early S80. I may be wrong, I don't believe there was a recall on the airbag problem. You should be able to find some info from government crash test website.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    There was nothing wrong w/ the airbag.
    IIHS complained that the gasses from the bag could singe the hands of the driver, so the bag vents were re-designed.
  • ericseahericseah Member Posts: 1
    Hi Everybody

    I had a bad experience last nite when my 1.5 yr old S80 died suddenly in the middle of a drive. This afternoon, I just had a call from Volvo workshop and they told me that this is due to the fuel quage indicator not working - the tank was empty despite it showing half tank. I wonder is anybody had the same experience.

    Eric
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Yikes, that's scary! Is fixing the gauge all that will need to be done, or was anything damaged?
  • voxboyvoxboy Member Posts: 30
    I haven't been happy with the rear/side visibility of the S60s I've been testing. Are the S80s only marginally better?
  • chasatorchasator Member Posts: 6
    I have the same complaint about my S70. I recommend that you test drive the S80 to find out. Otherwise, you will need to go with one of the XC70, XC90, or V70 suv/wagons which are great driving vehicles with good visibility.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    if there was nothing wrong, it wouldn't need to be fixed. if it needed to be redesigned, there was something wrong.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    There are design changes made all the time.
    It doesn't mean there was anything wrong.
    The S80 bag was essentially the same as the bag on the 850 and S70.
    It served for years without ANY complaint or issue.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    The main reason for the redesign is due to sensor problems. The bags deploy in very minor frontal hit. I don't remember the numbers, but the bags will pop at something like 5 or 10 mph frontal bump.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Wrong!
    The bags only deployed if the seat belt was undone.
    The g-load on the sensor was such that the system thought the collison speed was higher than it was, since the driver was unbelted the bag was deployed at low force to keep the driver from eating the steering wheel.
    This was only an issue during the useless IIHS bumper test.
  • billodbillod Member Posts: 31
    I recently bought a 2003 S80 T6 with 40K miles. All systems checked out okay. However, I noticed that the brake pedal travel is quite long and mushy feeling. The brake fluid is up to the top and the pads are in good shape. Any thoughts on why the brake pedal feel is mushy feeling? Thanks, Bill
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    sure, that's a useless test.

    sounds like a kid who failed algebra test and told the teacher that algebra is useless. get real.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Yes it is useless.
    It has nothing to do with safety.
    It just tells the Ins co how much they have to pay to replace a bumper.
    Euro cars always do poorly on this bogus test because the European regs require a soft nosed car in order to pass the pedestrian hitting test.
    Please do some research before you spout off.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Do either you or kiiwii have any suggestions for billod, "Volvo S80" #2052, 22 Dec 2006 5:48 pm?
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Maybe the system needs to be bled.
    Is the pedal mushy all the time, or only sometimes?
    If it is mushy all the time, take a look at the brake booster.
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