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Volvo S40

1807 messages,  Last post on Jul 01, 2011 at 7:51 AM

You are in the Volvo S40 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volvo S40, Sedan



Messages Page 49 of 182

#474 of 1807 Volvo S40 = Lemon? by s40girl

Jul 19, 2001 (12:42 pm)

I can't believe that people are saying that the Volvo S40 is a lemon! I just signed on the dotted line two days ago and am picking it up in a month. Am I going to have to kick myself later? I assume people are talking about the 2000 model and not the 2001 one. Hopefully this year's model runs smoothly. I currently drive a 1999 Volvo S70 GLT and its had its share of problems, but not to the extent that was described above.

#475 of 1807 coolmatt by shawn325i

Jul 19, 2001 (6:19 pm)

again, Volvo's are known for being good winter cars!!! How long have they been FWD and or AWD???The fact that you had some difficultey with your Volvo in the snow probably says more about the person's driving in that condition than anything.
 
Besides, I believe the question was rgarding today Volvo's not yesterdays.

#476 of 1807 Re: Volvo S40 = Lemon? by robertag

Jul 20, 2001 (12:22 pm)

Sue,
I'm afraid some of it applies to the 2001. So far, I've had to visit the dealer for a recall, a broken power door lock, rattle, seat back that won't recline, stalling problem, and now my rear brakes are shot after only 16,000km!
Hope you have better luck than I do.
But, on the other hand, it's still a nice car to drive.

#477 of 1807 Occasional lemon or badly designed car?? by volvolemon

Jul 20, 2001 (3:49 pm)

For anyone who feels that an occasional lemon does not necessarily make for a bad car model, go back and read the posts and compare them to other cars/manufacturers. Where else do you see dozens of posts complaining about the same recurring problems? While every manufacturer has the occasional lemon, MOST owners of the S40 have had the same persistent problems which seem to indicate that Volvo (or more accurately volvo/FORD) is no longer making a good, safe product.

#478 of 1807 new volvo by maggien

Jul 22, 2001 (11:23 am)

Sue -
I also just bought a 2001 S40. I was assured by the dealer that they were very dependable cars but am incredibly depressed to read all of these posts.
I got an incredible deal and thats why I purchased it. They told me that when/if I had problems with the car I would get a service loaner. Have other people at least got that when they have problems? Robert? How long are the brakes under warranty? I do stop-go commute every day in LA.
If everyone is having problems then we need to insist that the dealership fix them. is it that they can't find them or are trying to tell everyone that its just them? I had a lemon Saturn with recurring problems and can't deal with it if the Volvo is the same. Life is too full to spend time at the dealers.

#479 of 1807 Loaner/Rental by volvolemon

Jul 22, 2001 (12:17 pm)

I too was told that a loaner car would be available. This was true the first couple of times that I took the car in, but once I started having recurring problems I was not given the loaner. Instead they gave me a voucher for the local rental outlet down the street which would always tell me that the voucher didn't quite cover the cost of a comparable car. The volvo roadside service was also worthless. The last time the car broke down I waited over 4 hours for their "guaranteed 45 minute service" and finally called the auto club.

#480 of 1807 S40 Sport Edition 2001 by ArasG

Jul 22, 2001 (6:40 pm)

Bought my sport edition after looking at Passats (Audi) and several others. I was ready to pick up a S40, when I went to the dealer to pick one, the Sport Edition had arrived. Fell in love immediately.
 
Bough mine at the end of January and now have 8500 flawless miles. A joy to drive, comfortable (even for a 6'3" guy like myself). Have to take it in for an oil change at the dealer (Did the first one myself at 4000 miles). Get compliments everywhere I go and has plenty of Horsepower. (97 octane is currently $1.30 here in Florida)
 
Just got notice of a recall (replace a diode on the fan... big deal !).
 
Glad I made this choice

#481 of 1807 Re: Volvo S40 = Lemon? by s40girl

Jul 23, 2001 (8:52 am)

Thanks Rob for sharing your experience. The more I think about it, the more I want to go back to the dealer and rip up the papers! For a 30K plus car, I'm disappointed to hear it has so many problems. I'm beginning to feel that the problems don't just affect specific cars, but the entire model.
 
Well, a few more weeks and I go to pick it up. I'll let you know if I'm enjoying the ride or kicking myself everyday.

#482 of 1807 Re: new volvo by robertag

Jul 23, 2001 (9:14 am)

Margaret,
I was told by the dealer's service dept. that there is no such thing as warranty on brakes because it's a "wear & tear" item. I have, however, read on other forums that some people have been sucesfull in having Volvo pay for at least part of the repair cost. I have an appointment this Friday so... we'll see.
As far as a loaner goes, I do get one from my local dealer, although it usually takes up to a week's notice. Another dealer closer to Toronto will charge $10/day for a car but also has a free shuttle to and from the subway (which I prefer anyway).

#483 of 1807 2002 S40 by pearlbluesoul

Jul 25, 2001 (9:03 am)

I saw both the S40 and V40 at the local Volvo dealer recently. My first impressions were that these two are some of the nicest cars I've come across in this category. However reading the posts here makes turns me right off the idea of getting one. The NHTSA complaints database has quite a few service bulletins, but not that many consumer complaints -- that could also be because so few of them are sold in North America.
 
Would you think that by the 2002 MY these issues would be worked out? My understanding is that this car has been around since 96 in Europe and I'm surprised to see that there are still so many issues.
 
Would you estimate that the V40 would have the same reliability problems as well?

Messages Page 49 of 182

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