15th Jun 2015, 22:05
Why do cars sold in America have to have such frequent oil changes? Here in the UK, the minimum is every 10,000 miles. A lot of manufacturers suggest 20k intervals. Is the oil of cheaper/inferior quality in the USA?
ALL modern cars seem to have their problems though. I have never had a rear view mirror go wrong in ANY of the Volvos I have owned (XC90, 4x S60s and V70). However, have had them fail in a Mercedes. I think your dealer may be ripping you off somewhat, as I have never heard of having to reprogram the software for a new seat or rear view mirror?
I wouldn't say my Volvos have all been faultless, but they have all been 100% reliable - I even sold one 2005 car with just under 300k miles and still going strong. Our XC has done 148k with no problems. I too thought about going Japanese, but they are all just soul destroying to drive - it's ALL about the reliability and ONLY that. Boring! Obviously I am in the UK and the American cars we get should have gone out of production about 10 years ago. Who knew car companies to be SO cheap at building cars!
Sorry to hear you're not sticking with Volvo. They have won me over - but all cars are personal choices and EVERYONE is different.
4th Aug 2016, 12:03
Would just like to add, when replacing suspension parts, make absolutely sure the mechanic is using either parts made by the original supplier to Volvo, or parts directly from the Volvo dealer. Original suppliers for Volvo are either Sachs, Bosch, INA or Lemforder for most suspension parts. Monroe struts also seem to be of acceptable quality and give a smoother ride, but longevity is yet to be proved.
The reason for this is that most other parts makers, such as Febi and Meyle (HD or not) sell parts that won't last past one year. Most Volvo forums mention these brands for such poor durability and it's not accidental: all owners have experienced this, it is not only a few parts that have been faulty.
Most sites that sell Volvo parts have both the cheap Febi stuff, and the good quality Lemforder stuff, for example.
Speaking of the timing belt, good brands are Continental for the belt, INA for the pulleys. Some people also reported good experience with Gates kits, while others had issues with them.
On all 2000+ Volvo models, the water pump does not need to be replaced with the first timing belt. Yes, this sounds surprising, and most indie garages that don't do Volvo regularly, will replace the water pump with the first belt. However, all Volvo dealers will never replace the pump on the first belt, only on the second timing belt around 200K miles. If the water pump has to be replaced, it is very important to only use either an original Volvo pump or Aisin as most other aftermarket ones have multiple reports of very early failure.
On the S60, V70 and XC70 engines, replacing the timing belt is rather easy, with the crank pulley not being required to be removed. Check various forums online if you are looking for a DIY; many owners have done it themselves.
15th Jun 2015, 19:39
Re: the clouding headlamp polycarbonate lenses, from what I've read, it's UV that does it. Here in NZ, so many Japanese used imports have yellowed lenses. Besides the sun, you need to use "UV-cut" bulbs, not the normal halogens (if it's on halogen bulbs), that might help. I have a 2001 BMW 316TI with the plastic headlamp lenses, and they are very clear, and I park on the street during the daytime when I'm at work, so it's exposed to the sun (and UV is very strong in NZ).