Volvo S60

californimus

My new S60T is really nice to drive. I have had the 5000 miles verification done but I go to my regular garage. I have known the mechanics there for some years.

Problem: the message center in the dash board shows "time for service" message and they have no idea how to get rid of the message. I have searched the web and looked in the book but have yet to find the magic trick ! Does anyone know how to clear the message permanently ?

JR

libertycat

matluoma

Anyone have a good recommendation on a LATCH style car seat. I'mm looking for front facing, easy on the leather, and preferrably one that matches 2003 Graphite interior?

Also is there LATCH in all 3 positions in the rear seat - or - just in the outboard positions. I noticed rear anchors at all 3 spots, just didn't see if there are Lower Anchors @ all 3.

Thanks
Mat

nickp48

Has anyone gotten a 2004 S60 for under MSRP yet? I went to a dealership last weekend, and they refused to go below MSRP. I'm wondering how long it will take before they will be willing to deal.

qbrozen

As far as I know, this can not be eliminated "permanently." Plus, you will most likely need to take it to the dealership to get it reset. There are some years with reset procedures that you can perform, but I don't know what year yours is. On my 98 S70, I'm S.O.L. and need to have the dealership reset it. Yet the '99 does have a reset procedure.

californimus

My S60T is a 2003 model. I find this very painful. Every time I start the car, the message for maintenace shows up and I have to delete it. I have email Volvo customer support but have yet to receice an answer.

If I cannot reset it.... I will write to the company. This is a Bad design !

rollie

californimus, I hope you realize that everytime your car has scheduled maintenance at a Volvo dealership it is connected to a mainframe in Sweden and software upgrades and patches specfic to your VIN # are downloaded. If your regular garage doesn't have the VADIS interface you might end up paying a lot more for your independent service than you would at a dealership.

I did read last night about an indy Volvo garage with VADIS so perhaps it is becoming more affordable? Either way, find out if your indy shop has the proper interface (I doubt they do as they were even able to turn off the service interval reminder which I think can be done with a couple of different tools I've seen at the dealerships.)

It's a shame that we have to be so tethered to the dealerships these days with the number of computers in these cars. I look forward to the day where a standard emerges for these Closed Area Networks making it more affordable to go to any indy shop for basic maintenance and repairs.

-rollie
rdollie@att.net

'99 S80 T6 (for sale)
'01 V70 T5 (lease return shortly)
'04 XC90 T6 (as soon as I can find it)
'04 S60R (as soon as I can find it assuming I don't wait to see what the 'Volvo Sports Car' will be)

subyaudidude

Try this:
1) Turn ignition key to position I
2) Press and hold the trip odometer reset button and wait for the odometer to reset to zero
3) Without letting go of the reset button, turn the key to position II and then wait for the odometer to show the mileage it was at previously
4) Once the odometer has returned to the previous mileage, release the reset button
5) Turn key to off position and then start car.

subyaudidude

We have two Britax car seats - the Marathon and the Roundabout. The Marathon is LATCH and can be both forward or rear facing. I would highly recommend either of these Britax seats.

As for which seating positions are LATCH - only the outboard seats. The middle seating position does not have any LATCH anchors. What you are probably noticing are the two inner anchors from the two outer positions.

shockfu

heard dealers are giving 2000-3000 dollar discounts on last years models.

mikebinok

On July 4 I purchased a 2003 S60 2.4T that had been used as a demonstrator. It had less than 5100 miles on it and came with leather seats, moonroof, and the climate package. MSRP was US$34,205, I bought it for US$27,400. I may not have got the absolute best price, but certainly there are some deals out there. Thought that might be of interest to someone else negotiating for a car.

Mike B. in OKlahoma

mikebinok

I declined an extended warranty for my S60 (described in the previous message), but will have an opportunity to change my mind when I pick up my car Monday. I'm interested in any input about how desireable the warranty is, especially versus third-party ones.

My car will spend most of its parking time in an enclosed garage, and I walk to work, so it will get about 6,000 miles per year, mostly highway. The dealer was asking (nonprecise quotes from memory here) about $1800 for a seven year warranty with a $50 deductible, and about $1200 for a seven year warranty with $200 deductible. The car was used as a demonstrator starting about five months ago, so that will come off of any warranty. Any input is appreciated.

Mike B. in OKlahoma

volvomax

Most S60's are built in Ghent Belgium
The S80 and XC90 are built at Torslanda outside Gothenburg
The C70 is built at Uddevalla Sweden
The S40's are built at Born, Netherlands.
The 2005 S/V 40's will be built at Ghent.

The 11th digit in your VIN tells you the cars origin.
1 = Torslanda
2 = Ghent
F = Born
J = Uddevalla

avolvofan

Mike, the extended warranty sold by Volvo is still underwritten by a third party insurance company. So, even if you went with the Volvo extended warranty, it would not be a true "factory" extended warranty such as what GM offers with the GM Protection Plan.

The real decision point for any extended warranty purchase decision is how much protection do you want from repairs that occur outside of the original factory warranty (4 years/50,000 miles). Some plans exclude "wear-and-tear" items; others cover wear and tear that is not specifically excluded. Generally speaking, 6,000 miles per year is not excessive wear and the likelyhood of a significant repair occurring before 7 years have lapsed is low. However, there are repairs that could occur which if covered by an extended warranty policy, would pay for the entire cost of the policy. An example would be a leak in the air conditioning evaporator that is inside the car - the repair involves removing the entire dash, which is a non-trivial amount of labor.

The bottom line answer to whether or not to buy extended warranty coverage is the extent to which you would be tolerant of an unexpected repair occurring after the original factory warranty has lapsed. Hope this helps.

suavechavo

Don't know if it is actually true, but a Volvo dealer here is advertising their 03 s60s for $7K off and their 02s for $9K or $10K off MSRP, so I guess the s60's not to hot here. I saw a base model @ their store and it was stickered ~$27K and change, so that would be a great deal, seeing as how I'm fairly limited to how much I could spend.

By the way, not really being a huge Volvo fan, although my Dad sure was, that s60R ROCKS! And the price is amazing for what you get, 300hp and AWD starting ~$37K, WOW.

avolvofan

Are there really '02 model year Volvos for sale in Dallas? Do you remember any specifics of what was available?

mikey1atl

Well, I meet with Volvo in the morning and the dealership. I had friends in the car on July 4th who own 3 series Bimmers and they concur that the cars tranny is jerky, the a/c's motor is noisy, the wheel does lean to one side when you start from a stop and they noticed the brakes seem to grunt at EVERY stop at slower speeds. I had not noticed that before. Also, the foglight the replaced just last week after only 5000 miles is now out again. It was going off and on before, but out for good now after they replaced the harness and bulb.

What I am hoping for, and forgive me Volvo loyalists. I am hoping that they get me out of this car and this brand completely. I doubt if that will happen, but I will never be happy with this car and with all the problems most likely not happy with the brand, sorry!

I will let you all know what happens!

zeldawriter

Hello, I'm new to this board, but I just wanted to share my Volvo buying experience. I have looked at many cars online over the past few years, and had finally narrowed my choices down to the Camry LE and S60. I really loved the Camry, had no complaints about it at all, except that it was hard to get to the seat controls in the front, and I found it extremely difficult to find one in the state of OK with all the options I wanted. (plus the dash was a bit cheesy.) The kicker was when I told the salesman I was pre-approved for financing. All of a sudden there were 3 vultures on me at once pushing me to go with dealer financing. I left that dealership and went to the Volvo/Mercedes dealership in OKC. The salesman not only let me drive the S60 alone, but he didn't push at all when it came to financing. This was a used 2002 S60 2.4 and I got it for under 25K. Has the climate and premium packages on it too. There were a few minor things I brought to the attention of the salesman, and they fixed them promptly. I would have been happy with the Camry, and yes I spent a little more than I planned to, but the way I was treated made all the difference. I did have an independent Volvo mechanic look it over before I made an offer. Dealership was very cooperative with giving me all books and records too. Now what remains to be seen is how I am treated when I have any issues with the car down the road. I did get a 6 yr/100k warranty on it, which means I have about 81K left on it. And it was a Volvo warranty, not 3rd party. So overall yes I'm very happy with my experience. I could have saved about 4K by buying a new Camry, but I don't spend my money where I'm not treated right.

suavechavo

I didn't actually see any 02 models on the lot, but they have a bunch of cars in the back lot, so I'm sure they might have a few. They are probably cars w/ manual trannys or non popular colors or base models or something like that. I would be willing to get a 02 for 10K off, as long as they warranty it as a new car. They also have s40s and s80s advertized w/ hugh discounts, according to their website.

avolvofan

If the car has not been placed in service yet, then the warranty period (4 years/50,000 miles) starts from the date you buy it (place it in service). Just my opinion, but if you can find a 2002 model year car that is equipped the way you want it, $10K off 2002 MSRP is a pretty good deal.

mikebinok

Hello, Zeldawriter--
I had almost the same experience as you--Was looking at Camry LEs, and could not find one equipped like I wanted. I wanted certain equipment (mainly side airbags) and the dealers either gave up when I wasn't interested in their instock cars, or tried to sell me at MSRP a 2003 car transferred from another dealer. Made the Volvo look a lot more affordable, especially when I heard about the incentives on 2003 cars. I also went to the Volvo dealership in OKC (on Thursday) and missed the two holdover 2003s they had on their website--Will (I believe that was his name) told me about the two 2002 certified cars they'd be getting in Saturday morning, but I ended up finding and buying a 2003 demonstrator in Tulsa this Friday. Just picked it up today. I'd agree that at both the OKlahoma Volvo dealerships I visited, I was treated well overall. Though while driving home to OKC, when the midday glare died down, I realized that they hadn't cleaned the windows on my demo Volvo! Oh well, I can take care of that this weekend....

For anyone who is on the edge, based on my experience, I certainly would look very hard at the 2002 or 2003 cars now. Good deals out there.

Mike B. in OKlahoma

mikey1atl

Well, met with the Volvo tech. today. They are telling me that my issues with the transmission jerking between 1 & 2, and 2 & 3 are normal for my car. The a/c compressor grunting and clattering when engaged could be worse. My steering issue is something related to torch steer, though I have told them that is on SLOW acceleration, not when the turbo is jumped on! Anyway, there excuse this morning is that cars and like people and no two operate the same. My answer to that is what am I supposed to do as a consumer, go out and test drive every S60 2.4T on the lot to find the one that runs just right!! (sorta like Goldi Locks and those bears) They are going to do something with the a/c, but they said only if I assure them that my expectation will not be that it will be as quiet as the other 2003 I drove this morning not exhibiting the clattering and growling.

The story is, unless I get some satisfation with this product as my next step is the GM of the Dyer and Dyer (dealer) , a rep. of Sonic Automotive (the owner)and then on to Volvo Corp., I would NEVER recommend an S60 or a Volvo for that matter. I have had numerous cars, but never had one with such disregard to the customer, just telling me that a car is a machine and get over it!!

rollie

I think you are going about this the wrong way. Your problem is with the dealership, not the car or manufacturer it seems. If I were you I would RUN AT WARP SPEED to another dealer and never step foot in Dyer and Dyer again. You've obviously uncovered either a callous or incompetent dealer. Take your business elsewhere. Call a place or two and explain your issue with your car and your desire to transfer your service business to a more customer oriented dealership. I bet when you arrive you'll be pleasantly surprised by the difference (it may only be a Hawthorn effect if your second dealer is a clod as well though) - just make sure you remove any dealership specific badges / license plate frames first.

Good luck.

-rollie
rdollie@att.net

chef228

Well I bought the above car and picked it up last Monday. Yesterday, the driver's front window failed. First it would only go down part way then it came off of the track and I had to drive with it partly open and askew. I immediately brought it to the dealer and they told me the motor was defective and that it would be replaced. Today, the steering wheel radio controls stopped working. Both issues are to be taken care of tomorrow. Two problems in one week of ownership. Are these just minor problems or bad signs? How concerned should I be?

mikey1atl

Rollie, I would have thought it was just a dealer issue except that today it wasn't the dealer telling me that cars (Volvos) are like people and no two of them are the same. Some our louder than others, etc. Told me in regard to my complaints that is they way they are and I should just realize that they are only machines. This was coming from the Volvo Tech Rep. which the Customer Service agent at Volvo corp. told me is the "last word" on this issue. I asked him if he was telling me that this Tech makes the decision that I as a consumer should rather than getting my concerns addressed, should go out and use every method possible to bad mouth Dyer and Dyer and Volvo for the next 3.5 years left on my lease? If he was telling me that this one man, makes that decision? He told me that was not what he said, but since this Tech makes policy for Volvo NA, then I should expect nothing to change unless he says it should. He also told me the only way to get my concerns addressed to my satisfaction is, (get this) to write the PRESIDENT of Volvo NA, that is the only person left that might be able to make me happy as a consumer. No, not a dealer issue, but to me seems to be a company that truly has lost touch to customer service and satisfaction. Even if they only faked working on my car, then thats what they should have done rather than telling me to basically "get over it"!!

My advice, is to think long and hard before you buy a Volvo. If Corp. makes such statements and tells a customer the only way to get a situation fixed is to write the President of the company, something is very wrong! There are way too many great cars out there to put up with this bull!

mikey1atl

Run for the hills, becuase if you experience gets worse it will have to go to corp. and if history repeats itself you will be told to "get over it", its a machine, expect problems!!!

ptrekker

>>This was coming from the Volvo Tech Rep. which the Customer Service agent at Volvo corp. told me is the "last word" on this issue.

Where I come from, we address the person who has the last word as "Your Honor."

avolvofan

You always have the option of litigation as ptrekker aludes to with the reference to "Your Honor". However, based on what you have relayed as your experience to date, I doubt that someone with the title of "Your Honor" will be motivated to order a complete refund of your purchase price.

What is missing is a good faith effort to work to resolve the problems that you have encountered. There has been a certain amount of spleen venting, but not much work toward resolution of problems. For example, how many times has the car been to any dealer for resolution of the various problems? As rollie points out, have you tried going to another dealer to attempt a resolution?

You are going to need such a paper trail (as opposed to heresay - which is where you are presently at) before anyone with the title of Your Honor is going to seriously consider ordering a refund of your purchase price. While my comments are NOT to be construed as ANY form of legal advice, I would make sure that all communication to get resolution of your problems from here forward is in writing. If you get a telephone call, follow it up with a written summary of what you understood the caller to be saying. (If it is not in writing, it didn't happen.) You will be amazed at the degree to which attention gets focused on resolution of your problems when the letter writing campaign gets started.

Also, I would think twice (or more) about bad mouthing Volvo. Ford Motor Company can afford more legal fees than you can. The line between expressing frustration and slander/libel is somewhat grey - stick to resolution of your problems, you are on stronger legal footing there. Again, NONE of my comments are to be construed as legal advice of ANY sort.

ptrekker

 Saying that grunts and jerks are normal and that cars are only machines are pathetic statements. Don't let them scare you into submission. Definitely try another dealer and if no satisfaction/ability to correct the problem, why not contact a lawyer who specializes in lemon law cases? I know zippo about lemon law, but maybe someone who practices in that area can steer you in the right direction.

Don't let avolvofan's layperson [mis]understanding of defamation scare you off. Em is obviously not a lawyer. (Hearsay, not Heresay) If you are worried about ford suing you for defamation, take a look in a legal dictionary for the definition of defamation.

qbrozen

Well, so far, I would say you just got unlucky with a couple of things. If they keep turning up, then I'd be worried. But, for now, 2 minor issues is really not much to fret over.