16th Apr 2014, 19:05
Be aware that many 2012 T5 models seem to be plagued with transmission issues that Volvo dealers are unable/unwilling to fix. I've read of several owners that ended returning the vehicle after after too many trips to the garage. Check out Volvo forums on this issue. So far, the 2013 models seem to have sorted this.
18th Apr 2015, 04:09
You can buy used Volvos for pennies on the dollar. Good news if you're looking to buy used, but depreciation costs make Volvos incredibly expensive vehicles for the first owner.
Looking for a good used car for my daughter, I found I can buy used S60's all day long for thousands less than a similar age Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. The problem is that parts and service for out of warranty Volvos cost a king's ransom, which is a key reason why folks walk away after the first customer-paid service bill.
19th Apr 2015, 23:05
I agree that these Volvos aren't the cheapest cars parts wise once out of warranty. However, my S60 hasn't gone wrong so I've not needed any parts other than wear and tear items in the last 100k miles, so I think it's actually cheap motoring.
On top of that, I have the peace of mind of driving a very comfortable car, which has top scores in its class for safety, and not everyone else has one. I get regular compliments on the way it looks.
Due to initial depreciation, buy second hand and you have a bargain. My previous Ford products were rubbish in comparison, and this Volvo is no more expensive to run, as the Fords needed so many more parts replacing within the same mileage.
It's different and I like that... I'm not ready for my pipe and slippers yet, so won't be driving any Honda Accord or the like, as they are just far too bland and boring. This won't be my last Volvo.
19th Apr 2015, 23:09
The answer is NOT TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE MAIN DEALER AFTER WARRANTY! These are fantastic value cars, and once out of warranty, take them to a specialist instead and they will be cheap to service. If you want expensive, try Audi or BMW!
20th Apr 2015, 19:42
"Expensive" is all relative to which country you are in. If you wanted a European car outside Europe, you need to know, ask around, or observe what's going on locally. I have had Audis and now have a BMW here in New Zealand, and as long as you have (as you have pointed out) a good independent mechanic, maintenance is OK. Parts for conventional German cars are priced well in NZ vs. say Volvo or SAAB, or any French car, or Jag/Range Rover. I replaced a coil for my 316TI and the cost, depending on where you get it, was something like NZ$76-103, whereas that of a Mazda3 or Lancer Cedia costs $300 a piece. About 15 years ago, I noticed that in Australia, SAAB or Volvo would be preferable to anything German, because they were all over the place, while Audi was a rarity and BMW was downright expensive to repair.
10th May 2015, 19:34
I agree. Only buy a used Volvo if you can service it at a local, non Volvo dealer garage. Volvo is making huge profits on used cars repairs; a replacement key is hundreds of dollars!
19th Oct 2015, 08:53
Good point, I couldn't agree more. I own a Volvo V40 2012. Very silent, good handling and good looking interior. D2 is very economic too. However, the car has only three years and had already 5 electronic failures. Two defects were mentioned during warranty, but were considered as a software failure and are not repaired. There was also the security module that didn't hold its settings, but that one was replaced under warranty. And 2 electronic failures (one with an immobiliser) were repaired under 50% coulance. If not, the total amount for the two last repairs was going to cost me 2000 euros or 2500 USD. So yes, I suppose they are cheaper new, but they cost a lot to maintain in good shape.
19th Oct 2015, 21:19
Unfortunately all manufacturers suffer the same fact. Volvos are still cheaper to fix out of warranty than Audi, Mercedes and BMW, as they're on par with VW. And don't go thinking these won't go wrong, because they will too. I don't want to drive a car I don't like just in case it may go wrong one day and cost a bit to fix. I drive a car I do like (a Volvo) and will run that risk.
20th Oct 2015, 19:09
Out of warranty fix costs depend on which area or country you're in. I'm in New Zealand, when 20 years ago, owning a European car of almost any sort (except garden variety Fords) was very expensive, even for mere maintenance. Fast forward 20 years, as we're getting used Japanese-market European cars of all sorts, it's become commonplace and the local mechanics have clued up to everything from the gearboxes to the electrics, to the ABS, and there are more parts importers now.
European cars of yore cost a lot to fix because of their features (say, the fuel filter of a fuel injected car certainly costs more than one for a carb engine), but since Japanese cars have been legislated/equipped to the level (airbags, ABS, EFI, variable valve timing, etc), then you see the true price of the parts. The coils for a Mitsubishi or Mazda now costs about NZ$300 each, while those for a BMW somehow are only $110 - at the dealer!
26th Jan 2016, 20:53
There was a major issue with the T5 2012 models, and possibly with all recent T5 models. There seems to be an issue either with the most recent PCV system clogging up (not to be confused with the older PCV system) causing the engine to consume amounts of oil, to lose compression and to trigger misfiring. It ends with the engine needing to be replaced.
Have a read on various forums about this issue, Volvo will not cover anything past the warranty.
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=392355#p392355
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?227512-2012-T5-S60-Oil-Guzzler-and-No-Warning
http://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-s60-v60-10/burning-oil-81241/
18th Jun 2016, 03:07
If you have issues with S60/V70 from 2010 on with the transmission banging hard into gear at random moments, a software reinstall might be a fix
2nd Nov 2016, 23:00
The main problem with Volvo isn't the quality of cars. To some extent, not even the shocking cost to have these cars repaired at the main dealer, considering many Volvo dealers don't diagnose properly the first time and make you spend $1000-$2000 without fixing the issue. The main problem is the Volvo head management team who have an attitude of making the owner pay even for known defects and known faulty designs. They WILL let you down, Google up about the thousands of XC90 T6 owners who had to pay up to $7000 to have the transmission replaced every 60000 miles when it was well documented the transmission was an engineering error from Volvo. It definitely is the main Volvo management who sells faulty cars and doesn't want to hear about covering the repair.
3rd Nov 2016, 16:27
To be fair, Volvo did pay for many transmissions to be fixed. But they can't warrant them forever. Not all Volvos have issues and not all of them will break down. Just look at Lexus who had a similar problem with gearboxes on early RXs... massive issues with them too and didn't repair. All car companies are businesses and none will pay for more than they have too. Anyway, most people keep bringing up problems from over a decade ago based on a platform that isn't even used anymore. Newer Volvos are on a new platform, and yes, some will have problems but a majority do not.
4th Feb 2017, 13:06
This is not true. Volvo didn't pay for the T6 transmissions and lied to all customers and made them pay huge amounts. They were typically telling customers right from the door "there was never any problem with the T6 transmissions, and if these break down at 60000 miles, it's because it's a wear item". There were customers who had to fight for months and go up to the headquarters to complain. Finally, there was a class action for this issue in the US. So you see how much Volvo is denying and blaming the owners when there is a widespread engineering problem.
Read here to see what attitude Volvo has when there is an expensive repair:
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/9739/volvo/xc90/volvo-xc90-t6-transmission
8th Jan 2014, 15:58
My family had a Volvo S60 T5 after driving Lincoln Town cars for twenty-something years. The Volvo was a horrible disappointment, and looked, drove and felt no more luxurious than our Ford Fusion. After two years we went back to Lincoln, and will stay with the solid and luxurious Lincolns for the rest of our lives.