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Comments
The car has 7500 miles now, and is as solid and sound as the day I bought it.
I only had one minor warranty issue I reported at the 7500 service. The CD player would make a faint clicking noise while playing some, but not all, CD's. The dealer replaced it, no questions asked.
Remember my 00 T6?
It died on Monday night. Car's shot, totalled, about tolose the Carfax guarantee...etc...
Its Mom's driver... She was going down Knickerbocker Rd in Tenafly, NJ... Young girl blew a stop sign at 40-50mph per Police estimate, nailed her in the Right Front fender... Knocked her head-on into oncoming 40+Mph traffic.
She's bumped and bruised but fine.
We're already planning her next S80. Check engine lights and headlamp bulbs? Who cares... Minor BS Stuff. The car saved her life.
Bill
2. Unless I am going crazy, I remember my S80 blinking all the turn signal lights when I locked the car with the remote. Doesn't do that any more. I was rear ended (minor) and the car was in the shop for a few days, and when it came back, no blinking to acknowledge locking. Any thoughts?
Lock the car with the remote.
Open the trunk with the remote.
Lift the trunk lid, then close it. The lights should flash to confirm the alarm has reset. Check to see if the alarm LED on top of the instrument panel is flashing.
It works that way on my car. If closing the trunk does not reset your alarm (no blink, no LED flash), the trunk latch switch is probably mis-adjusted, damaged, or disconnected. If no blink, but LED does flash, it may just mean that the alarm has compensated for the trunk being left open (it thinks), and is protecting the other points of entry. In the latter case, I would expect a delay before the LED begins to flash.
Sorry to hear about your wife's accident (Post 853). The good news of her walking away with minor scrapes and bruises is a refreshing reminder of why most of us bought Volvo to begin with - SAFETY!
Is this the Black T6 we see on the Owner Pics board, sans Arrakis? Maybe you should post an "after" picture, with the same description of the accident as above.
That would be a powerful message.
Yup, the same one. I can forward a file and a viewer forthe file of the wrecked car if anyone wants to see...
Bill
Specifically--and I realize the car has some mileage on it--it feels like an older car. The suspension doesn't feel "tight", i.e. after hitting bumps, the suspension recovery time seems slow. I don't expect this car to ride like it just drove off the showroom floor, but with new tires installed and only 34k miles, I would think it would still feel tight.
Any similar experiences or thoughts? Thanks.
Regarding the engine distruction problem caused by the pipe hitting a curb being driven into the asscessory belt: The Volvo mechanic has told me that on new models the pipe has been eliminated and a plug installed where it had attached to the box. Also stated it is not a Volvo problem!!
Griffman
Long story short, I took the courtesy to call the guy at Volvo of Richardson and left him a voice mail explaining I appreiciated his time but I got a much better deal at Pt.West.
Well the next day he called me back absolutely cussing me out calling every name in the book etc, Well I ended taking my complaint all the way to Volvol N.America since the managers at richardson basically said they didn't beilieve, it.I will never ever deal with volvo of richardson again.
I am about to by my wife a new s-80 and it will be between volvo of dallas and pT.west both are way better than volvo of richardson.
pr
Southlake
I am curious about the Ft. Worth dealer, but it is soooo faaaar, in fact, isn't it a long distance call from Dallas? :-)
I will go back to Point West for now, but NEVER to Volvo of Richardson. Volvo Corporate and Ford blew me off and V.of Richardson only reacted after I called, wrote and yelled for a couple of weeks.
BTW, I am really enjoying the car!
I called the Volvo dealership this morning and asked why my 2002 Volvo S80 did not have the black bumper and side door guards. The very helpful saleslady replied that the half year models were manufactured without them for aesthetic reasons. But they had the same guards but were the same color as the car. This is true, I do have the strips and they are the same color as the car - ash gold.
So, question answered. I guess we learn something new everyday about the Volvo! But thanks for your response, sampate.
I had always wanted a Volvo, because of safety, and because I thought that the car would be an "investment"...lasting me 200,000 miles or more with meticulous maintenance.
I have been dissappointed by the problems I have had, which echo those of others on this board. I may have bought mine used, but am I wrong to believe that a VOLVO which had an original sticker price of $43,000 should be a solid car without headaches?
I have had numberous headlight and tail-light burnouts, electrical problems such as doorlock failure, gas line problems, and clunking transmission. Now there is a recall on the engine fan which overheats and damages electrical wiring...which may explain some of those problems.
Luckily, my extended warranty has taken care of the cost to repair most of these problems. However, I am concerned about expensive repair bills when my warranty runs out. Every repair has been $800-1000. I have only had to pay $100 deductible, which is bad enough. My Volvo dealer has been unable to find a problem in my transmission in the 2 days that they had my car...when I left the dealership the car's transmission clunked into 2nd and 3rd gear about 5 miles away. I find that to be very frustrating.
I have learned an expensive lesson. Thoroughly research the car you are to buy, and NEVER, NEVER buy a model the first year it comes out...wait a couple of years for the bugs to be worked out. I am now looking into other cars with a 5 star safety rating, and a proven reliability track record....like Honda. I will compromise for something a bit more boring that won't nickle and dime me to death with repairs.
I have a 1999 S80 T6, and have had the engine fan replaced. Other that, I've had no problems over the last 4 years. Yes, 4 years. Had one of the first ones delivered. And, I've USED the car. Have gone cross counry, shuttled 4 kids, raced and won over a BMW 530i. A joy to drive, a great ride, my winter driver, still turns heads with incredulous people turning their heads "That can't be a Volvo!".
For a family sedan that seats 5 comfortably but can blow the doors off a BMW, at a price certainly more reasonable than a lot of cars in it's class, with the legendary safety of the Volvo as attested to by one of the posts, the Volvo S80 IMHO is unbeatable.
Would I buy another? In a heartbeat. Would I recommend it? Wholeheartedly and without reservation.
Far better choices? Read your own source. Based on the CR report itself, the Volvo S80 2.9, the least of the S80 line, beat out the MB C320, the Lexus ES300, Lincoln LS V6, Audi A4 Quattro, Acura 3.2 TL, Infiniti I35, Chrysler 300M. One of three that beat the S80 was the BMW 330i, a car whose forte is performance but got it's doors blown by yours truly(actually a 530I). They could not recommend it simply because of the unfortunate way they judge reliability.
I highly recommend it, for all the same reasons CR still rated the S80 2.9 ahead of the others mentioned above, but also for the personal reasons I mentioned in the prior post.
Problems: Had the notorious clunk--bushing replaced at about 7K, no problem since. I have a slight tear in the top rear corner of my driver door seal, will be fixed shortly. My son was able to do something to a rear door lock by snatching it open as I was unlocking the car. All corrected under warranty. I consider these to be minor annoyances, 1 was self-inflicted.
Likes: Seats, ride, stereo, headlights, interior ergonomics.
Dislikes: Light functionality -- stupid feature to have DRL's functionally same as "On" except can't select brights--I had them turned off, still drive w/ lights on much of the time. Don't like no bell when parking lights left on. Remote--short range and 2-step (w/ noticeable delay) unlock--had it reprogrammed for 1 step unlock.
Could be better: Engine power, 2.9 very smooth but could stand more low end throttle response. I don't feel its particularly underpowered, just have to get on the throttle harder than most cars to get same response. Road noise should be a bit more muffled. Could be mostly tires, seems like about the right amount of engine noise.
Bottom line: Great car, no reliability issues for me so far, fun to drive, best features and layout of any car I've sat in. Tested Acura CL type S, didn't think the performance was that much better. Definitely wouldn't give up the S80's features for it. I thought when I purchased (Overseas delivery) it was overall a terrific value, I still do, don't know what car I would replace it with for near the price.
steering is excellent,ride is solid and noise levels are very low. The seats were comfortable for the first 2hrs. but it started to become difficult to sit still for the next hour. Iwas glad to get out.(On returning the car, my wife picked me up in her new Taurus and her seats were a relief.)After lunch and on the return trip it was the same story. Power was not bad for a 2.9 and braking was good. Alot of squeaks for a car with only 7000 miles. Poor quality control I think. Typical of Ford products. Overall I liked the car but I probably won't buy one if I have to get out every 2 hrs. I think the seats are too small for a person of my size (6'and 185lbs) My problem is I don't know what to look at next. I need a front wheel driven auto.
Bottom line: for a $40K car, the S80 (esp the '99) has had far too many reliability issues.
Since my 1st posting on 4-14-02 I have talked to someone at the Volvo dealership where I bought my '99 S80...Mooer's Volvo in Richmond, Virginia. They suggested that I speak with the service manager, with whom I have an appointment tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.
The Mooer's dealership has an excellent reputation for customer service...so we shall see what happens. I am going to give them an opportunity to fix my transmission and other problems.
I am angry about the problems I've had with the car. However, I have too much invested in my car to walk away without a fight. I want a new transmission among other things. I have decided to go up the chain of command until I get something resolved. I will inform you of my progress...or lack thereof.
I have steered a couple co-workers away from the 99/00 model years due to the problems reported on this site, but have heard mostly good feedback on this site and have had a very good experience with my 01. I expect you will have the same experience with the 02.
Also, pros and cons on buying new S80 now, or waiting till later in the year?
Good luck with your new Audi! I have 20K more miles on my warranty, and as I get closer to the end, I may decide to dump mine as well.
My dealership is going to update the software controlling my transmission to see if that fixes my problem. They said that it would cost only $48. I said...I don't think so! I asked them to explain to me again why it is my responsibility to pay for a software "update"...why the heck wasn't the proper software loaded to begin with??? It is a matter of principle...THEY will reload the software free of charge, or I will escalate to the owner of the dealership. I am a good customer who is getting seriously turned off.
I will update with my transmission performance post software update.
BTW, is it normal to feel the car shifting into gear when you first start to accelerate? I always feel the transmission shifting at this point in my 2002 S80 2.9.
Thanks for your input.
hope the reliability issues arent so bad this year, love the car.
My dealership is Mooer's Volvo in Richmond, Virginia. They gave me a loaner car, even offered to pick up my car and bring the loaner to my home. They updated the software on my transmission free of charge...after some haggling. My car was washed when I went to pick it up. Overall, their customer service was excellent.
Then on the way home...the vibration in the transmission happened again...now they think that they have expended all possiblities...so it looks like a new transmission for my 1999 S80.
The car has blown almost every bulb in front and back. No problems for a while, though because the dealer claims GE has made a more robust bulb.
Thinking of trading it simply due to the embarrassment of taking people in a $40k car that sounds like a 72 Ford.
oak4...good luck with the Lexus!
in for something else...
The factory Michelin MXMs on my '99 S80 2.9 just
flatted out ( right on schedule, at 34K, just like
the owner's manual says ), so I took the car in to my dealer's tire center for replacements.
I've long been dissatisfied with the S-80's road noise and vibration isolation, particularly over textured roads ( our '01 Passat is vastly quieter ). I've suspected that the factory tires were partially to blame, so I asked the clerk for tires that had lower noise levels and ride comfort.
He put me into some private label Yokohama Avid H-4/V-4 equivalents, called National Ovations. The difference was quite startling. Noise levels, while not significantly different on a noise level meter, were significantly muted and less harsh. Ride comfort was improved. Steering effort was lighter and the irritating S-80 torque steer far diminished. I could not detect any degradation in handling or braking, either wet or dry. A 50K warranty . And all for $480 installed. Replacement Michelins would have run near $700.
I should mention that I don't flog my S80 like a BMW driver would, but I don't just drive it to the store & back for Metamucil, either.
I talked with my service reps about the differences, and they said that the factory put on the Michelins for two reasons: Name, and to make sure that the tires stick really well to improve the handling numbers for the enthusiast mags. The Pilots are really too much tire for the intended use of the S80, which is comfortable executive transport.
So, if there's anyone out there with as many miles on their S80 as I do on mine, look around
carefully for better tire replacements. You'll be pleasantly suprised.
BTW - I really can't complain that much about my '99. There have been a couple of problems with it, but in general it has been trouble free. It was one of the LAST '99s, so had a lot of the rolling improvements made for the '00 model year. Looks like I'll have to keep it for a while, given the horrible aftermarket. But that's OK. Euro delivery took the sting out
big time.
On the other hand, when it comes time for a new car, I won't be getting another Volvo. After driving our Passat for a year, it's clear that the top of the mass-market car brands offers more bang for the buck. And that if you really want a luxury car, the traditional names are head and shoulders above the luxowannabes.
SS
I bought them through tirerack.com and had them mounted at a Costco. Tirerack has a nice section on driver comparisons for many different types of tires.
My lease rxpires later this year, and I plan on keeping the car. Best damn seats of any care I've ever driven. The car has been basically trouble-free.
Volvo?
My $560 investment has been very rewarding. The car has never had a better ride. The new tires are sooo much quieter than the Michelins were. Conversations throughout the cabin are easily audible even at interstate speeds. Going +1 oversize has given the car much better cornering. It is almost like having a new car the difference is so noticeable.
I also want to recommend the K&N air filter. The difference in acceleration has been noticeable since replacing the OEM filter.
Between the new tires and the K&N air filter, it's almost like having a T6. Just kidding...but it definitely is an improvement over the original equipment.