28th Dec 2004, 05:58

I concur with the original comments in the email report. My throttle linkages have required replacement, my turbo charge blew at just on 80,000 kilometers and now my transmission slips gears between changes. There is no diagnostic report or indicator and I am told to replace the entire transmission, $5800, because there is supposedly nothing wrong with it that can be found.

The front strut mounting plates have also had to be replaced on the car. If you don't replace them, the suspension becomes very noisy and bangs all the time. Ultimately, the struts will come through the bonnet if nothing is done.

At one stage, the front seat heater started to smoulder and almost set the front seat on fire. Thankfully, and giving credit where it is due, Volvo fixed this problem.

I have a 240 series with 400,000 k's on the clock and a second hand transmission with an unknown past with at least 250,000 k's that goes like it is one day old.

How can it be that a car with a full service history, 23 years newer, is less reliable and monumentally more expensive to maintain than a 1977 model?

I had thought that "Volvo For Life" meant what it said ! In 1977 it clearly did. In 2000, I await an answer ?

I have requested a response from Volvo Australia as to the transmission problem.

I am less than pleased with the current reliability problems.