This post is being submitted for two reasons: One as a warning and, two as a request for others in my situation to respond with their experience/advice. I am a mother of two and purchased a Volvo "demo"
2001 V70 T5 Wagon in August of 2001. The car had approximately 6, 700 miles on it when I purchased it. This was my first experience with a Volvo. One of the selling points during the transaction was the 7,500 mile recommended oil change intervals for Volvos. It was actually pitched as a money saving perk. Before the first oil service on the vehicle was scheduled I doubled checked the owner's manual to verify the 7,500 mile oil change interval. Indeed, the recommended oil change interval for my car is 7,500 miles.Everything was going along fine, I'd been following the 7,500 mile oil change intervals, and I loved my car. Until...approx. June of 2003 when I took the car in for service at the local dealership for some warranty work and a standard oil change. The car was at approx. 47,500 miles and I wanted to have it checked out thoroughly before the warranty ran out at 50,000 miles. During this service, they replaced the throttle body and did a normal oil change. In addition, my receipt showed a detail for a turbo fluid leak and seal replacement (the cost was covered under warranty). The dealership service department didn't tell me that I needed to be concerned with these repairs on the turbo and I didn't think much of it at that time. However, 3 months later, when my vehicle approached approx. 52, 300 miles, I was leaving the office for lunch when I noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the tailpipe. My car was just out of warranty so I immediately drove to the closest Certified Volvo repair shop which is approx 1 mile from my office. The owner of the shop came out to take a look at my car and said, "Well, you're not gonna like this, but it's your turbo." to which I said "Is that expensive?" and he replied unfortunately, yes." I called the local dealership from the independent Volvo repair shop to find out if they could help me by contacting Volvo to see if they would cover it because I had just had it in for service and it was just over the warranty limit. They (the dealership) responded by saying that if it was out of warranty they were certain that Vovlo would not cover it and I would be responsible for the repairs.
Reluctantly, I paid for the necessary repairs which totaled approx. $1,000 to replace the turbo including labor. I explained to the independent Vovlo repair shop that I'd been following the 7,500 mile interval for oil changes. They immediately told me that they do not recommend this to their customers and advised that I begin changing the oil at 3,000 mile intervals. I took their advice and began doing business with them from that day on. I have had two more oil changes performed by them and during each of these visits they noticed that there was a build up of oil in and around my "oil parts"(for lack of a better term).
On New Year's Day (2004) my husband and I noticed oil on our driveway that seemed to be coming from the Volvo. We checked the oil (although it wasn't due for service) and found that indeed it had oil but it was registering just below the operating level on the dipstick. It was a holiday so we had to wait until the following morning to call the Vovlo shop to schedule an appointment. My car was now at approx.
61,000 miles. The result of our appointment the following day was gruesome. The mechanic confirmed that I had an oil leak and recommended replacing the rear and front oil cams along with the timing belt which was drenched with oil (although the timing belt normally would not be changed until 105,000 miles). I authorized the new repairs which were estimated to run $1200. We left the car for the repair work to be completed. I received a call from the repair shop on Monday morning which caused us further stress.The mechanic who was performing the needed repairs found a large amount of "sludge" and build up in and around the area he was working in. In addition, upon examining the engine he found even more sludge. At this point, the mechanic didn't feel comfortable with only replacing the rear and front cam seals and timing belt. This local shop has a great reputation and I believe they really look out for their customers. With that in mind, I asked what they would recommend and they came up with two scenarios for me to choose from. 1) I could replace the engine with a used engine (which they highly recommended as being the best solution for this terrible sludge problem), however the price would have been approx. $6700 with labor. or 2) they could try to clean the engine and its surrounding parts by ordering some special tools from Volvo. The total price for these repairs including the seal cams and timing belt would be $1700. My husband and I really wanted to go for it and replace the engine, however, the $6700 price tag prevented our doing so. Especially, because we had just invested in the new turbo just 3 months prior. We opted for the second choice and had the engine cleaned to the best of their ability.
I now have my car back and am pursuing my legal options with regard to being reimbursed for the repairs which I feel are not my fault and and replacement or settlement fees for this car. Thankfully, I have all of my documented oil changes and repair work receipts. It is the opinion of my mechanic and several others in the shop that the car is basically ruined. I can't tell you how frustrated we are with this situation. I can only say that I wish that the dealership or Volvo had advised that I change my oil every 3,000 miles, especially, because my car has a turbo. I would like to receive responses/opinions to this message from anyone with knowledge or experience with any similar case or mechanical repairs. Thank you in advance for your input.