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Volvo S80

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Comments

  • listenandlearnlistenandlearn Member Posts: 1
    Considering a purchase of new 2004 s80 t6 very soon. Looking to get other owners experience or expert knowledge on reliability issues. Have seen 99-01 negative comments. Assume getting understanding of more recent (02-03-04)repair / failure risks on t-6 would be valuable. SO, are the current t-6's much improved on reliability ie electrical etc. ? Should one buy the extended factory warranty? I expect to keep the car 7 to 10 years and drive 150,000 miles. Southern U.S. location. Thanks!
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    My business partner has an 01 S-80 T-6 with 50,000 miles on it so far. His problems with it have been very minor. The A/C had issues the first year, but not since, and is very efficient. He has had the burning out lamp issue, but that was resolved with a TSB on a new wiring harness. Since then, nothing really. Just runs great, and it's one of the few cars he is keeping beyond the warranty period. We live in the Southwest - it's hot here. He loves the car, and he's not a person who is easy on a car. His maintenance schedule is spotty, and he hits a lot of curbs and stuff.
  • yydaveyydave Member Posts: 6
    A friend of mine paid $34000 for an S80 with MSRP of about $41700 a couple weeks ago. Was that a good price, or he could have done better?
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    You must be a current Volvo Finance customer to recieve that incentive.

    lev is correct, the S80 trans will shift into neutral if the car is stopped. Once sufficent pressure is applied to the gas pedal and the car is convinced that you mean to move forwrd it will re-engage the tranny.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    We have a 1995 960 and paid off few years ago (bought it new). Are we still qualified for the Volvo loyalty discount? Thanks.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    No, because your Volvo Finance contract was closed more than one year ago.
    The money isn't owner loyalty, its Volvo Finance loyalty.
    Also, you must re-lease or refinance w/ Volvo Finance to recieve the money.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    I see I see. Thank you, Volvomax.
  • davantdavant Member Posts: 294
    Dave,

    Is this friend really you but afraid you paid too much, LOL? No matter, I think it was a good price. We bought our '04 S-80, MSRP of $43,660 for $35,250 so don't fret. It took blood & tears (the dealers, not mine) to make it happen. Lets see who else makes us both blush.

    I got the 7 year 100K mile zero deductible Volvo warranty. I did so not because I think it'll fall apart, but even small repairs can run up to grand so I expect to break even or come out ahead even though the warranty approaches 10 percent of purchase price.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Hi Davant, would you share the price on the S80 warranty? Is it negotiable? The dealer sold us "Warranty Gold" when we bought our 960 back in '95. The cost was around 15k. During the last two years of warranty period, over 25k of fix was done on the car =P
  • davantdavant Member Posts: 294
    Kiiwii (I think your 'i' key needs lube),

    I don't have the paperwork handy as we just moved but I believe the price of our zero deduct, 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty was $3,400 (USD), like I said, about 10 percent of purchase price. In Florida and in fact most states, the prices are well regulated and non-negotiable. The price dealers charge here must be registered with the FL insurance commissioner.

    I originally bought an aftermarket warranty from JM&A, a very reputable southeast US company. The next day I was in to order rubber mats (which we love) and got introduced to the service manager. He pulled me aside after the fifty-cent tour and recommended the Volvo Plan hands down. He said Volvo will pay all labor charges for a covered repair where third party companies may only pay a portion or set hourly rate. The example he gave was for a brake accumulator resulting in a $200 expense for one customer, zero for the one with a Volvo plan. He'd seen this repeated and honestly I feel he had nothing to gain personally by telling me this. Later, when paying the $1,200 more for the Volvo plan, the finance manager said they don't make as high a profit margin on the Volvo plans as they do third party ones justifying why they push them... simply more profit. A neighboring dealer had several aftermarket plans including JM&A but touted the Volvo plan as tops. I have faith I bought a well built vehicle but still don't feel I gambled on the warranty. I've had similar good experiences with a GM warranty on a Cadillac that paid for itself three times over so I recommend the manufacturers warranty over all others if you take the E-Warr plunge. Hope this long-winded reply helps you and others.
  • big_oilbig_oil Member Posts: 2
    I am looking at putting in an XM Commander radio into my 1999 S80 sedan. Does anyone have any experience having this done? Where did you mount the display unit and how easy was it to hook into the back of the existing radio?
    Any comments are welcome.

    Neil
  • yydaveyydave Member Posts: 6
    Davant,

    You are right. :) And I guess you got a slightly better deal. :)
  • yydaveyydave Member Posts: 6
    Normally the four sensors would line up across the rear bumper like this:

    -O-----O-----O-----O-

    My 2004 S80 doesn't come with factory-installed parking aid but my dealer was willing to add it for $350. He must have messed up the installation because mine ended up with two rows looking like this:

    -----O------------O-----
    -----O------------O-----

    It not only looks ugly, but it is also not as sensitive near the rear corners because the sensors are further away from the corners as compared to factory installation.

    To make me whole, the dealer will have to replace the bumper and reinstall. If he wouldn't go along, what's my recourse? Thanks.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Davant, I agree with you. If I'm getting another new car, I would go with the factory ext warranty. In the past few years, I have heard many stories about aftermarket warranty companies going out of business. Other than that, the claim process is always a pain in the [non-permissible content removed]. Factory warranty is a bit pricy, but it saves you tons of trouble.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    It's hard to believe the dealer made such mistake. They probably hired some high school punk to install the parking sensors. If I were you, I would ask the service advisor first. If he/she insist the installation is correct, ask him/her to prove with the installation instruction.
  • mcozmcoz Member Posts: 5
    I've owned Volvos since 1990. First bought a 1987 740GLE with 118,000 miles on it , kept it for 8 years , put 230,000 miles on it and never had a problem. Traded it in for a 1992 940 Turbo with 87,000 miles on it. Had the same good experience. Put 147,000 miles on it and haven't had any problems. Now with the car being 12 years old, we wanted a newer Volvo. Banking on the good service and reliability of our past Volvos, we purchased a 2001 S80 T6. This is not the same kind of Volvo as our previous ones. Had the car for a month , and though it moves and looks great, we had a few minor problems. One being condensation in the head lamps. Another being a loose exterior window molding. Bad AM radio reception is another and lastly, we have a whining noise in the geartronic trans upon starting off in drive. Though we love Volvos and this car, at this point, I am wondering if I should of held onto our 1992 940 Turbo or search for a newer S90 instead of purchasing this S80 T6 and paying it off for the next 5 years. The question is, do you think these new Volvos will hold up as well as the older Volvos. Our S80 is a Certified Volvo, meaning we have the extended coverage for 6 years or 100,000 miles , but we usually keep the cars for well over 6 years and 100,000 miles. What do you think?
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    can't be hooked directly to factory radio.
    You'll have to run it through an FM modulator.
    Any competent stereo installer should be able to handle it.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    My partner has driven an S80T6 since new in 01. Problems have been minimal. Personally, I think the new generation of Volvos are 10 times better than the old ones except for the FWD
  • 2volvofamily2volvofamily Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 2004 T6 about 4 months ago, and have noticed a downturn in it’s shift quality between 1st and 2nd (in full auto). Normal driving conditions are fine, but when at a light and trying to get out in front of another car to pass, this becomes noticeable. When the car shifts from 1st to 2nd at over 3000 RPM there is a significant hesitation, almost to the point of feeling like a stall.

    I have been to the dealership where they performed a software upgrade. This did nothing or perhaps even made it worse. Is this a normal driving characteristic of the T6? Has anyone else experienced this? I am still working to have this resolved.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    I don't have a T6 (yet), but my other car that has semi-automatic shifting had the same problem when it was new. I took it to the dealer and they told me it's because the computer needs to "learn" the driver's driving style. I don't know if the dealer was correct, but the "stall" symptom went away after few months of ownership.

    From the previous posts, I learned T6 has GM transmission. It should be one of the most reliable transmission in the market today.
  • rollierollie Member Posts: 337
    It sounds like you are dealing with an adaptive transmission. If you consistently drive like a granny or consistently drive like you stole it you would never know the car has an adaptive logic transmission. The problem you face comes about when you suddenly decide to drive differently than you have for many prior miles.

    If you drive in an economical fashion and decide you suddenly need some power there are things you can do to help yourself. If conditions warrant (i.e., it's dry) you can turn off DSTC/STC which robs off the line power. You can also use the Geartronic and shift for yourself up through the first couple of gears - again it will be a bit balky until you've done it a few times.

    Volvo's adapative tranny logic works overall but if you have multiple drivers with different driving habits or you decide to change current driving habit significantly you can find yourself in the uncomfortable area where the transmission is changing shift points to accomodate your driving style. Prior Volvos (e.g., 850/S70) and more recent Volvos (S60R GT) used to have a 'Sport' button by the shifter so you could manually decide when you wanted to drive a little more aggressively (used to have an 'Economy' and 'Winter' mode as well in some cars.)

    For fun, take your T6 out for some spirited driving (brisk accleration from the red lights) for several miles and you'll feel the car getting faster and faster. Unfortunately it's not a solution to your problem unless you don't mind getting 12 mpg! I think you'll just have to decide upon a driving style that works for you and be aware of your options vis-a-vis DSTC/STC and Geartronic (and learning how to modulate the accelerator for optimal launch - just pushing it all the way down as fast as possible is not the fastest way to move the T6.)

    Good luck.

    -rollie
    rdollie@att.net
    1994 850 Turbo (gone and missed)
    1998 S70 T5 (not much to miss)
    1999 S80 T6 (gone and missed)
    2001 V70 T5 (hers, gone but not missed by the XC90 lover)
    2003 XC90 T6 (hers)
    2004 S60R MT (his)
  • larryp3larryp3 Member Posts: 20
    This is a known problem with a software fix coming soon. Make sure your dealer knows. See big discussion on VVspy under this topic.

    Problem with 2002.5
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Stopped by several dealers in the past few weeks found all dealers have less than 3 T6s. They all have tons of 2.5Ts. Is Volvo trying to phase out T6 after 2.9?
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    It just doesn't sell well. Volvo is putting their special emphasis on the 2.5T.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The T6 is pricey, but what a great car. It's the only Volvo I would be interested in.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Test drove the S80 last week. What a SWEET ride it is! It's smooth and quiet. One thing I found interesting is the leather seat. The leather is kindda like the skin of a basketball. The sales person told me the rough leather is more durable. I hope it's not some cost cutting trick that FORD is playing.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The Swedes are still very much in control of Volvo. Ford just manages from afar, collects the rent, funds the marketing, etc. Although I have started to notice some parts sharing, but it's the Volvo parts showing up in my Fords I've noticed!
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    Could it also be a precursor to the introducing V8 for the higher end model?
  • firstforkjimfirstforkjim Member Posts: 4
    Not. Leather is embossed with the pattern you see/feel. This occurs after leather is split into layers ("top grain" separted from "splits"--which become suede), sanded to remove visible surface imperfections such as scratches from wire fence barbs, tanned and dyed. Consequently, automotive leather is a highly processed material. This is true of all but the most rare automobiles, including most M-B and BMW models. Color of leather is matched to color of vinyl used on seat sides, backs, etc. rather than vice versa. None of this takes away from comfort or attractive appearance of leather interiors.
  • baritone27513baritone27513 Member Posts: 5
    Whether it affects durability or not, I agree that the leather used in the S80 and XC90 is among the nicest around. I was also looking at Lexus, and the seats were surprisingly one of the things I liked better in the Volvos. Not that Lexus doesn't have nice seats -- they certainly do. But to me, the Volvo's were actually more comfortable.
  • anclaranclar Member Posts: 4
    I am currently shopping for an S80 T6 in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Does anyone have any experience (good, bad, or indifferent) with any of the four Volvo dealers in town? In particular, how do the service departments stack up. Any input appreciated.

    Thanks,
    AnClar
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    AnClar, Volvo of Dallas is pretty good. I had my Volvo serviced there several times. The SA's are very professional. They know what they are talking about, and they take time to explain you the details. Also, they have free loaner cars available.

    Point West is not bad either. The shop is not as new as Volvo of Dallas.

    DO NOT go to Volvo of Richardson. Both the sales and service departments are THE worst I have ever seen in any car dealer. Took my Volvo to their shop once, the SA gave me "the look" when I refused one of the services he suggested.
  • kiiwiikiiwii Member Posts: 318
    Lev_berkovich, you have a good point. I have read that Volvo may drop a Yamaha V8 into the S80.

    I may be wrong on this. The old Taurus SHO had a Yamaha V8, and it had quite some design flaws.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    It was awfully popular though, and an awesome performer.....I don't think this would be a bad thing. Yamaha makes a V8?
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    The V8 is for the 2005 XC90.
    The current S80 WILL NOT get this motor.
    The 2007 S80 will.
  • anclaranclar Member Posts: 4
    I appreciate the feedback, Kiiwii. You've pretty much confirmed my impressions about these dealers. I liked Point West and Volvo Of Dallas. I got the "high pressure slickie" treatment at Volvo of Richardson. I get the impression that they are a high-volume move 'em in, move 'em out operation with not a whole lot of regard for their customers.

    Thanks much,
    AnClar
  • mcozmcoz Member Posts: 5
    Can anyone tell me if the newer volvo's(S80) will have the same quality and reputation as the older(740-940) volvo's? We always put 200,000 miles on our older models and were wondering if the newer style will give us the same reliability and service. . Thanks
  • volvonwvolvonw Member Posts: 1
    S80willie,
    Was reading in the old posts that you had a cracked headlight cover on your 2000 s80. Were you able to fix this yourself or did you end up having it serviced at a repair shop. Same thing happened to me this weekend.
    Thanks
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    The new Volvo s80 (I have 2000 S80 2.9) displays the highest degree of quality in every area - materials, workmanship, body assembly, etc.
    I would think that the quality in that respect has increased over the years.

    Also the new cars are much more stylish (IMHO) and are much better performers, compare to the 740 - 940.

    I found the Volvo's reliability is satisfactory as well, but I would say that the best Japanese brands have definitely, higher degree of the short term reliability.

    The long term reliability is something that has to be proven, yet. Remember, the new platform was in production for 5 years only.

    My personal experience make be believe that it's going to be good.

    My 4 year old car has 75K miles on it, but looks and feels just like new. I would not doubt that I can keep it for 200K miles, and that is exactly what I am planning to do.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    My partner has 50,000 miles on his S-80 T-6 with no serious problems. He did crack a headlight lens, and it was $500 to get it fixed.
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    I want to put this $500 in perspective.
    My wife drives 1998 Mazda MPV All sport. It has dealer installed "custom" fog lights.
    The lens on one of them is broken, and I was quoted $300 (parts and labor) to replace these fog lights, as we could not find just the replacement lens.

    So, my wife is still driving with the broken fog light.
  • anclaranclar Member Posts: 4
    I just closed a deal for an '04 S80 T6. Nautic Blue/Taupe with climate pkg, upgraded stereo, bixenons, and 4C chassis. Car is being ordered from Sweden, expected arrival is June. MSRP $49,005. My price before TTL $41,505. $7500 off MSRP, I think I did OK. Did I? Great car at a good price. Now the waiting begins!

    Cheers,
    AnClar
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    You did pretty good on the deal. You should love the car.
  • waustin2waustin2 Member Posts: 15
    2000 S80 2.9 - I drove the car for about 1 hour in highway traffic. When I got out of the car i noticed the cooling fan was running. This is normal, for about 6 minutes or so, to cool down the engine. After more than 3 hours I came back to a dead battery. The cooling fan was still running, although very faint. When trying to jump the battery the cooling fan came on immediately, at full blast. The engine was not warm at this point. We had to disconnect the fan in order to get a sufficient enough charge to turn over the motor. The car ran fine all the way home, but I disconnected the fan after parking for the night.

    I've seen other posts on the subject, but none where the fan actually drained the battery. Could this be a thermostat problem or is the fan shot?
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    I have exactly the same problem, and a dealer has replaced the fan.
    It was done under the warranty.
  • waustin2waustin2 Member Posts: 15
    I'll take it in tomorrow morning to get it checked out. Does anyone know if the cooling fans are faulty? After I finish this post I'll try to find past service bulletins on the subject, I recall reading a few in regards to the cooling fans. Also, could a blown fuse or a sensor malfunction cause the fan to blow forever? I don't want the dealer to just replace the fan and not address the true problem. Unfortunately, I've had a few bad experiences with lazy dealer mechanics who fixed the symptoms but left me with the problems to address with subsequent visits (and additional labor charges).
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    In my case it was other way around. I have brought the car in because of the drained battery, to replace one, but a dealer did the thorough (I hope) check and has determined that it was the faulty fan, so instead of paid battery replacement I've got free (under the warranty) fan replacement.

    Nevertheless, six month later I had to replaced the battery too, just before the fourth anniversary.
  • mcozmcoz Member Posts: 5
  • lev_berkovichlev_berkovich Member Posts: 858
    ????
  • waustin2waustin2 Member Posts: 15
    Here's a follow-up to my issue..took the car to the dealer, the diagnosis was an internal fault in the coolant fan. The cooling fan was replaced under warranty. They seemed to be familiar with the problem and had cooling fans in stock. From what I've read these fans seem to go at around 45,000 miles (my car has 48,000).
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