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Comments
with 130K+ miles now... still runs great.
Bought the '99 S80 with all the hopes in the world
that it would be as reliable. To date, this is
what I have experienced:
-Various bulbs blow all of the time at
least every two months I am at the
dealership getting new ones.
-Bushing replaced (per notification).
-THE BIG ONE. I am high mileage driver
54K miles as of this date, recently
had to go in for valves knocking
severely. At first my service rep
advised I put synthetic motor oil
in to see if it would stop knocking.
Didn't feel comfortable with that answer,
they did the 52K mile check-up and found
a gasket around the hydraulic lifters
allowing air to get in with no oil
getting to the lifters! They also
found a leak around the axle o-ring
gasket. All was repaired for around
$2000.00, Volvo picked up all but $600.00
because I was so close to my warranty
just having expired.
I am now afraid to keep my S80. Once an engine
has been opened up all bets are off in my
opinion and the next big repair is on me due to
no warranty.
Has anyone else experienced any major problems?
I am trading for a Lexus or ???? Any suggestions?
A Former Volvo Loyalist
I, too, concur with rollie. I am currently leasing my S80 2.9 for 39 months at $499 a month, with about $1500-$2000 down (I believe). I was able to get some credit for having a good credit report, and a few other dealer rebates.
One question, though, that I would like to ask everyone is a problem that my car will be going into the shop for this Friday. This is the 4th time for this problem, and there seems to be no end. Basically, the door locks refuse to unlock while I am driving when I use the door lock button. Pressing the button several times only "locks" them further. The sound it makes is that of it locking, or tyring to lock it, again. If I use the door unlock button on the key fob, the doors unlock while I am inside the car. Then, the problem is gone. But, it is gone for only a few minutes. In addition, the doors will lock/unlock randomly while driving, etc. The dealer I go to, Boston Volvo Village, has only one solution: re-download the door lock software.
I am thinking of raising a stink about this with VCNA. It is getting to be ridiculous. Please let me know if you have had this problem, or how to go about raising an issue with VCNA.
Michael
I am having both done the week after next and will post a follow up. The steering column "fix" makes me a little nervous, as the problem on my car is very intermittent and slight, and the fix is apparently new (and a first for this dealer). I have had the recall done, and the -ring replaced, but no other problems with the car. I think it's a great car and enjoy it each and every time I get in it.
Is this the same thing that other people have noticed with the steering column problem?
My 2000 S80 has 34K miles and I love the car. It is a joy to drive and is clearly the best of the many autos I have purchased. No car is perfect and I get frustrated in reading some of the posts. I have found that developing a good relationship with the service department at your dealership is key to getting through these new car failures. If you act like a jerk and get overbearing it's all over. Far better to maintain a reasoned and balanced approach. I have yet to purchase perfection in any car I have owned. My goal for this car is at least 200K miles.
On another point, I see a lot of posts about going through bulbs often. I have replaced 2 headlight bulbs but am convinced that it is due to the fact that I have the headlight switch set to turn the lights on whenever the car is running. Seems natural to me that one may have to replace bulbs more often with all of those ON and OFF cycles which the bulbs see. This is a small price to pay for the added safety of running with your headlamps on at all times.
Also, is the front end noise when accelerating that others are experiencing more of a "squeek" (like a rusty hinge) coming from the steering column?
Does anyone know of any dash kits that replace the standard synthetic with a more natural looking wood?
Thanks
You can reply to either this message center, or directly to me at johansson@aol.com
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Well, I am in the process of returning/refunding my S80. WHAT I NEED IS PEOPLE'S SUPPORT BY TELLING ME THEIR NAMES/ EMAIL ADDDRESS/ PHONE NUMBER,(..ETC) WHO HAS BEEN ABLE TO RETURN THEIR CAR. I want to do the same. As much feedback would be appriciated.
PLEASE HELP............ASAP
Thanks
Jackson/fastline486 (email at bobert486@hotmail.com )
1) There is a very distinct click/clunk coming from the gear box whenever I come to a full stop. It seems to be related to the safety device on the Volvo requiring the brake pedal to be fully depressed in order to put the car in gear. If you keep your hand on the gear shift lever, you can feel something shift when you come to a stop. The dealer mentioned something about a solenoid, but this is not normal and is rather annoying.
2) The car has developed the clicking/creaking sound in the steering wheel when accelerating. Is there a service bulletin for the service manager to read about the problem with the spline?
I also continue to have intermittent problems with the moisture in the headlights, but they have to see it to believe it.
I would also add that my experience with Volvo service departments so far have been the same as with Ford or Buick. They are untruthful. But what was I to expect, honesty? Their core value is safety, not telling the truth. It's definetly another example of caveat emptor. I know some will say, "Find another service department." But that's a cop out. Values flow from the top of an organization, and obviously VONA is more concerned about profits. Ford has an incentive to get American customers to purchase American cars, so we should expect to see a deterioration in the reliability and customer sastisfaction in the Volvo line.
snjmike1, is it possible you are hearing the ABS self test? This occurs at about 12 miles per hour the first time you hit 12 miles per hour after you start the car. It sounds almost like a scrubbing noise coming out from under the car. Once you've heard it you won't hear again until you start the car again and break the 12 mph barrier. This could be it but you should also hear it if you start up and do into drive without using reverse.
Good luck.
-rdo
rdollie@home.com
After I explained that I will walk the front of the dealership until all the money is refounded, I had my cheque in less than 24 hours. No atterney fees, no court, etc. The cost of the poster $10.00.
John F.
I too had the unlock problem you mentioned. The problem was intermittent and it took six visits and several replacement parts to correct the problem. It was finally fixed last month by replacing the left rear lock mechanism. Good Luck!
When crossing map areas, which I would often do in my travels, does the map CD switch automatically or must it be switched in some manner? Can the system be read easily during the day? Does it zoom automatically at turns? Is the steering column knob system easy to use? It was impossible to see this system in action, so few cars with it, but I liked the one in the Lexus RX300 I test drove before deciding on the S80 but it is a DVD based system which contains the entire US on a single map. Do those of you with the nav option like it?
Q: does the map CD switch automatically or must it be switched in some manner?
A: it switches automatically
Q: Can the system be read easily during the day?
A: I have a MY 2000 S80 T6 - the answer I'm afraid is no... you have to look very carefully in sunlight conditions to see the display (and you will tend to rely more on voice commands when you are navigating to an unknown location).
Q: Does it zoom automatically at turns?
A: No.
Q: Is the steering column knob system easy to use?
A: Yes, very. I also bought the remote unit so the passenger can program it when we need to change nav points while driving (highly recommended option - maybe standard by now).
Q: It was impossible to see this system in action, so few cars with it, but I liked the one in the Lexus RX300 I test drove before deciding on the S80 but it is a DVD based system which contains the entire US on a single map. Do those of you with the nav option like it?
A: I like it, but the Lexus unit was better I think. I like yourself decided on the merits of the car (S80 T6 in my case) over a GS-300 Lexus. But the NAV system I think was slightly better than the Volvo one. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my decision to get the nav system but it can definitely be improved upon...
Otherwise, scroll back through the dozens of posts and you'll likely find others with the same problems.
Thanks for any advise.
Scott
scottcov@home.com
There have been no problems with the S80 and it now has 27,000 miles on it. Only thing is the stereo had to be replaced (cd player skipped badly), the recall done, headlight bulbs replaced (they burnt out), and the "clunking" in the front end repaired (which started after recall done). These are all minor problems and were fixed without any hassle or headaches. All were done at regular service intervals anyway so it wasn't like the car was making an extra trip.
Good Luck!
Thanks
Scott
Does this mean that Ford after buying Volvo is now stuffing their crappy transmissions in the T6?
Has anyone ever had this problem? Is this usual? I will be starting it up at least twice a week, but I'm concerned that the battery is being drained somehow.
Overall everything about the car appears to be excellent. I've seen all the service records and nothing major (or repeatedly minor) shows up as a red flag. The service records indicate a somewhat compulsive owner who changed the engine oil every 3K. I've taken the car to my local (very experienced) mechanic for a check-over and except for a worn right front inner tie rod end everything is in good shape.
Several questions that the mechanic warned me of are buzzing in my mind.
First, he suggested timing belt changes at 50-60K when the Volvo recommended interval is 105K. This is a "Zero Clearance" engine so a failure can be fairly expensive. So does anyone have enough miles on their vehicles to be able to add some experience to the equation. Should I do this on GP just to protect myself or is it overkill and unwarranted?
Second, he also recommended changing the transmission fluid at 35K intervals. I don't think this even shows up on the service charts at all and I don't think he is trying to generate business for himself. His experience with other "TipTronic" style transmissions is where this comes from.
Third, it has the Nav system and we've found that it is consistently off by .2 miles no matter what direction we travel. For example it tells us to turn .2 mile after the turnoff has been reached. Is this something that can be corrected with a software upgrade or is a new CD required? Can it be fixed at all?
i'm ready to head back for the fifth or sixth
time (i've lost count) to fix the left rear
door lock on my 2001 s80 2.9. my problem is a
bit different: the lock will not function.
they've replaced the lock mechanism twice. the
last visit resulted in a replacement of the
rear electronics module, which fixed the problem
for about 2 weeks. this afternoon, the lock failed
again. this is becoming very frustrating.
if anyone has some advice, i'm all ears!
mike
I called two dealers here and they quote me $140 for the load bar and $120 for a rack that holds one bike. I guess I have to get the load bar from Volvo cos it fits on my S80 but do I have to get Volvo's rack as well? Are there any 3rd party racks that are more economical but just as good and convenient?
Also, is it easy to install and remove the load bar myself?
Thanks a lot!
Thanks very much!
Thanks in advance