1/17/2004 UPDATED***Volvo, Drive Safely... When You CAN Drive It! ICBIBTPOJ W/O
Written: May 09 '03 (Updated Jan 17 '04)
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Pros: Roomy, Comfortable, Lots of TOYS
Cons: Back to dealer 9 times, still not right! Won't ever be right I FIRMLY believe.
The Bottom Line: Absolutely avoid this product line!
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| Schlamozzel's Full Review: 2002 Volvo XC |
Hello all,
This is for the I Can't Believe I Bought This Piece of JUNK write off.
As a SLUMLORD I drive a pick up truck. (The 1999 Ford Ranger "Epinion") However, Mrs. Schlamozzel gets to travel more to and from work. A very nasty accident left her with permanent nerve damage and scars from 3 rounds of surgery. We decided to get one of the "safest" things to drive. Volvo Cross Country XC70 2003 MODEL YEAR
NOTE: I HAVE CONTACTED / REQUESTED EPINIONS CREATE A PLACE FOR THE 2003 MODEL TWICE. THEY HAVE NOT. IF THEY DO I WILL GLADLY MOVE THIS POST TO IT. PLEASE DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST ME.
The Car Toys
This vehicle has 4 doors, a "swing up" cargo area door, leather interior, CD player, Tape player, AM / FM stereo, Telescoping height adjustable steering wheel, cruise control, Moon Roof, power windows, power door locks, heated seats, 2 zone temperature control, "Ozone Friendly" air conditioner, a "passive" turbo charged, 5 cylinder engine, has all wheel drive with a "smart" drive train, roof mounted luggage rack that can hold up to 70 lbs. (US weight measure), a "message center" that computes distance to "empty", assesses temperature outside, alerts you to "freezing" conditions and other assorted goodies as well.
Driving Experience
This vehicle has handled the New England winter very well. It goes over snowy roads, slush conditions and all the messy "gunk" excellent. It turns fairly tightly. It has very responsive steering and is very comfortable to go over bumpy roads in. The car is incredibly quiet running.
A Little Technical Thing Here
This vehicle is controlled by 5 on board computers. There is no cable that goes from the gas pedal to an accelerator. It is all "reostats", "software", "sensors", and other fadoozies.
This is where the problems began.
The Agony and The Agony
"Mrs. Schlamozzel" purchased this car with roughly 40 miles on the odometer. Of which, about 18 was ours from taking test drives. She wired the entire $37,000.00 purchase price to the dealership, signed the papers and everybody was happy. Until about 400 miles later "Mrs. Schlamozzel" had started noticing something funny happening with the car's driving. It was like a transmission slipping. Not always, but every so often something wouldn't feel "right". She knows her car! So back to the dealership she went. Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire, Route 12 in East Swansey N.H.
They gave "Mrs. Schlamozzel" another new 2003 vehicle to drive. It was another Volvo Cross Country XC70 2003 MODEL YEAR. This car worked ok while hers was in the repair shop.
"Nothing outside of ordinary operation can be found", came the report.
At roughly 1300 miles the car was back in the shop. The problem was exactly the same. It felt as though the transmission was slipping, not engaging from a full stop. This time she was given a Volvo 2003 all wheel drive sedan to drive. This one worked fantastic. Not one problem at all. She had this for almost 3 days.
Again, "Nothing outside of ordinary operation can be found", came the report.
On a Sunday Morning in late February, with roughly 3450 miles on the odometer the car goes "WHAM"! We were tooling up the road at about 50 mph. A "WARNING" light comes on and the message center read "Transmission Service Mandatory". We stopped immediately and called a tow truck.
When the tow truck driver called us back, I did not even tell him anything other than what the vehicle was before he blurted out, "You have transmission problems with that car. Is that right?" I asked him how he knew that. "Oh I've towed 5 other cars of that exact same model and year with the same problem. I'll bet you've got about 5,000 miles on it now, huh."
"No sir. Just 3400!" I quipped back. "I hope you'll be here soon, because it's 6 degrees out."
This time "Schlamozzel" took the floor. This time "Mrs. Schlamozzel" got some answers. "Oh, well there has been a "software" problem that just came to our attention..." was the story. "We've downloaded everything and it's all fixed. We are so sorry..." blah blah blah.
The car has been back 3 times since then. It STILL "hesitates" from a full stop occasionally. The last time back, last Friday, 2 "DOLTS" from Volvo were there to "address our concerns". These jerks never saw the underside of a car with a wrench in their "manicured" hands. They "test drove" the vehicle. They couldn't find anything more than "normal operation". We ALL went out for a ride. Within 3 minutes I was able to produce "abnormal operation" for them. TWICE! The first time it happened, this "jackass" looked at me and said, "Oh, I didn't feel anything". Out of shear frustration I just looked at him as if to say (but didn't), "Are you out of your mind?"
After another 15 minutes of driving around, back to the shop we went. They were going to take more test drives and called someone named "Klauss". "Nothing other than normal operation" was again the answer. To wit I responded, "Then I guess the 5 other Volvo vehicles my wife has driven must all be faulty. Because none of them did this!
The car is still in our possession. We are now seeking replacement under the "Lemon Laws".
This $37,000.00 paper weight is driving us crazy. It is no wonder! Because FORD MOTOR COMPANY OWNS VOLVO
I do hope this is enough information to help you, the reader AVOID AT ALL COSTS PURCHASING A VOLVO CROSS COUNTRY
***UPDATED 7/9/2003***
"Mrs. Schlamozzel" has placed several telephone calls to Volvo of America, in New Jersey regarding this matter. She has repeatedly outlined the nature of the ongoing problem with the "shifting / non engagment" of the transmission from a stopped position. It has been far too long for this sort of UNSAFE condition to continue. Her goal in this effort has been to have the car replaced under "Lemon Law" provisions.
About one week ago "Mrs. Schlamozzel" received a telephone call from the Service Manager at Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire. They now report that there have been several other vehicles of this specific make and model Volvo XC 70 2003 Edition experiencing EXACTLY the same problems as my wife has been reporting. It was scheduled to be looked at today (7/9/2003) by their department along with some high falluting muckety-muck from Volvo.
I just received a telephone call from them. There is a problem within the transmission. Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire is ordering a brand new transmission for her automobile. It is not known exactly how long it will take to obtain a new one. However we have been assured it will be replaced.
I will continue to update as the situation progresses.
##**&&& ##**&&& ##**&&& 8/12/2003 UPDATE
"Mrs. Schlamozzel's automobile has been back to Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire. They have REPLACED the entire transmission. This, along with a "lube, oil and filter" and "simple alignment" took 3 days to complete.
The car now has been driven approximately 500 miles. It has not given any indication of the afforementioned transmission problem. Apparently the replacement was the only way to resolve this UNSAFE condition.
Had Mr. Mike Bresnehan, Service Department Manager of Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire listened to Schlamozzel 3 months ago and taken apart the transmission, rather than relying on "computers" this situation would DEFINATELY have been resolved back then! Apparently the problem was such that any first day technical school student would have seen it, if only the transmission was "taken down".
You know, there is something to be said for good old fashoned manual labor. Perhaps Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire should have it said to them!
********NEW UPDATE 10/23/2003********
Hello again,
It was too good to be true. I truly wanted to believe this automobile would be sound. But alas, THE PROBLEM IS BACK AND IS WORSE THAN BEFORE! So once again "Mrs. Schlamozzel" has contacted Mr. Mike Bresnehan, Service Department Manager of Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire. The car went back yet again for this very same UNSAFE operating condition. Now the story is that there is yet another computer download from Volvo. But, since the transmission has been changed in the vehicle, now the Volvo "dunce patrol" has to come out and have another round of "meetings" with the shop staff and BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH...
It is plainly apparent to me that Mr. Mike Bresnehan, Service Department Manager of Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire and the entire Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire business is expressly trying to do ANYTHING but what is expressly required by them under the law. Push has now come to shove folks. At this time I am searching for an attorney to handle the next step. I will again update as soon as more information is available.
DECEMBER 8 2003 UPDATE
AGAINST my pleas and strongly worded advice, Mrs. Schlamozzel decided to give Mr. Mike Bresnehan, Service Department Manager of Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire another shot at correcting the uncorrectable. How they convinced her that the latest "fix" for the problem would actually fix the problem I'll never know. But alas, there was some new set of valves, tubes, cookabatsu gornaks or whatever you want to call it. "Mrs. Schlamozzel" was to have her car as an "experiment".
I thought to myself, "Fan-bloody-tastic! we've paid $37,000.00 for a car that doesn't function properly and creates an UNSAFE driving situation. Now we are to be some engineering custard fist's $37,000.00 lab rat."
So in to the shop went the Volvo Cross Country XC70 2003 MODEL YEAR once again. They claim to have installed all the "gornaks" and still more new software. Now the vehicle is supposed to operate right as rain. Mr. Mike Bresnehan, Service Department Manager of Toyota / Volvo of Keene New Hampshire even drove the car to our home himself.
IT STILL PRODUCES EXACTLY THE SAME UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. THIS "FIX" DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So, Mrs. Schlamozzel has again contacted Volvo of North America to get the car replaced. Believe it or not, after all the problems, all the down time, all the repeated visits by these Volvo drooling idiot, never turned a wrench in their life, oh, well lets try something else "regional reps, the good people at Volvo of North America told my wife that we will have to pay for 34,475 miles on the odometer, even though we reported this problem with less than 500 miles on the car and FIRST requested the dealership replace the vehicle with less than 2,000 miles on the car! To wit, "Mrs. Schlamozzel" said, "Oh no no no no no we aren't dear."
IF YOU HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS, PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL @ ADMIN@WINCHENDONFREEPRESS.ORG SHOULD ENOUGH PERSONS COME FORWARD I WILL BE GLAD TO INITIATE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA, AND IT'S PARENT COMPANY.
I will again update as more information becomes available.
***###***UPDATE 1/17/2004***###***
Victory At Long Last
After the last 12 months of this "automotive customer service debauchery", Mrs. Schlamozzel has a new car. Here is how it all happened...
1) Schlamozzel got involved.
I could no longer bear this hellish nightmare. Being someone's $37,000.00 guinnea pig was not my idea of fun.
2) Schlamozzel got Volvo of Sweden involved.
So after doing some research online at www.volvo.com I crafted the following letter: (*NOTE: First this was FAXED to Volvo in Sweden addressed to the correct person at those offices)
William Clay Ford III, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ford Motor Company
December 18, 2003
Re: Consumer complaint
Vehicle Identification Number YV###############
Chairman Ford,
I have sent this letter by FAX to Volvo in Sweden. They in turn have referred me back to the United States. I now ascend my appeal to your office.
The degree of my frustration and disgust with your Volvo subsidiary has become seemingly impossible to overcome. For nearly 12 months my wife’s automobile has not been repaired to our satisfaction. The car’s continued transmission problems are both UNSAFE and a violation of our good faith as consumers.
Our first report to the dealership of this problem came with only 500 miles on the car. After less than 4,000 miles of travel with the car the situation had degraded. So far, that we requested the vehicle be replaced. But the dealership assured us the problems could be resolved. This situation has festered on through 10 repeated visits in 11 months. In that time frame the automobile’s transmission was modified, its software was updated, then the entire unit was replaced. Then more software updates were done and valves were installed to it. But still the problem with this vehicle persists.
Under the provisions of the “lemon laws”, this automobile should have been replaced after 5 unsuccessful repair attempts. However, the auto dealership has persisted in prolonging this hellish nightmare. It is a horror that has cost us precious time, our sense of safety and security, as well as a portion of our very sanity. I find absolutely none of this to be consistent with the tenets contained in the “Volvo Group Code of Conduct”.
Yes, it is true that my wife and me are not employees of Volvo. Indeed it is also true that we are not vendors, suppliers or partners of Volvo. I will disclose that I am a shareholder of Ford Motors. That should be of little interest to you. However what should be of considerable interest to you is that we are the consumers of your product.
We have been in contact with the Volvo U.S. office in New Jersey. A woman by the name of ***** at 1 800 458 1552 extension #---- has been handling the case. We have been told that our car has been scheduled to be “looked at” by a Volvo Regional Representative on January 5, 2004. This time frame is excessive. It is unacceptable that we must now wait until after the New Year holiday to bring this matter to a resolution.
We brought this vehicle to the dealership 3 days before the date of this letter. We informed the repair department expressly that we wanted no further repair attempts made. We directly informed them we wanted the car to be replaced. But nothing was done to summon the regional representative. This continued torment is intolerable. The situation is absurd. This flagrant lack of human decency is a disgusting abomination of any business practice known to me. The only thing I find more abhorrent is that your “customer care” representatives can not comprehend my recent exhibition of disdain.
I appeal to your honor as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of this Corporation. For God’s sake will you please do something to get this car replaced immediately. It has taken nearly 12 months. Twelve agonizing months have elapsed with this situation. Please do not force us to languish in this revolting, paradoxical situation any longer. You may contact us at our home telephone *** *** **** between the hours of 7:00 A.M to 9:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.
Most sincerely,
(Schlamozzel)
Well, I got as far as Chairman Ford's executive secretary. She put me in touch with an Executive Vice President of Customer Service.
3) Schlamozzel got Ford Motor Company in Dearborne Michigan involved.
4) Dearborne Michigan called Volvo of America in New Jersey.
5) New Jersey was ordered to call "Mrs. Schlamozzel" and inform her the car was being replaced.
6) After New Jersey called her, Regional representation from Maine called.
After speaking with Mrs. Schlamozzel, Maine spoke with Mr. Schlamozzel stating, "We understand that your wife is not happy with the vehicle. Volvo is committed to total customer satisfaction so we are arranging for the replacement of your wife's vehicle. We don't want you to call Sweden any more sir."
Mrs. Schlamozzel now drives a 2004 Volvo XC70. Its mileage at time of delivery was around 120. There were no charge backs for the 36,000 miles on the old 2003 Volvo XC70. The Volvo regional rep made several concessions to be certain "Mrs. Schlamozzel" was treated fairly. Customer satisfaction is paramount with a company like Volvo. They want people to be happy when they "Drive Safely".
After this ordeal, this "Schlamozzel" is due for a vacation.
Cheers,
Schlamozzel
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 37000.
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: XC70 Cross Country
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Schlamozzel
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Member: Jeff B
Location: Elsewhere
Reviews written: 156
Trusted by: 96 members
About Me:
Hi there Ron C you internet-stalking, woman-beating whale dung! Have your friends come read THIS!
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