Both headlights were burnt out by 10,000 miles.
Needed a front brake job @ 12,000 miles.
Rear seat belt stuck and we had to cut my child out of it.. (dealer replaced gratis).
Then the battery died @ about 20,000 miles... (dealer replaced gratis).
New tires @ 25,000 miles.
Current situation..@ 37,000 miles.. The hood is tied shut with rope until the next service appointment. It is stuck between safety latches...can't open or close..don't fret.. oil is OK - and I'm being stingy with washer fluid until the appointment. I opened the hood to replace yet another headlight bulb.. bad move in hindsight I foolishly thought I could actually close the hood after swapping it out..
The red paint has started to fade.. can see the outline of the shipping plastic they peeled off it 3 years ago. Showing her age (ummm...3) but still a good looking wagon.
Well.. she's not perfect...but neither am I. This wagon is driven in rush hour traffic to and fro the office for most of it's humble existence, 24 miles each way.. ( (so it's a hard life for both of us) )
Everything that went wrong with it was either covered under warranty or excessive wear and tear.. The dealer is responsive and reasonable.
The car is comfortable. The seats are more comfortable than our Benz seats.
The integrated booster seats for kids are a great feature.
I love how quick the wagon is - off the line and around the bend it leaves every mini SUV owner in the dust. And it gets good fuel mileage.
So..I'll gladly turn it in to the dealer when the lease is up in a few months.. I rode her hard and put her in the barn wet.. but I'll swing through the showroom and have a look around.
Volvo wagons are hard habit to break..I've had three in my 16 years of driving and three Volvo sedans as well.
Having read the North American reviews for the 2000 S- and V40, I can relate to some of the negatives, but have to wonder about others.
Yes, my 2000 V40 has been through it's share of brakes in the past 5 years and almost 90K miles, but since most of my original 40K driving or so was virtually all city driving - from the lakefront in Chicago to my old office in the Western Suburbs - all on surface streets and stop and go traffic - I can cut Volvo some slack on that.
I did have some problems with the headlights in the first year or so - but my dealer addressed the problem quickly (and for nothing!) once the service advisory was sent out, and I have had no problems since.
I also have to say that I have never had a better, more professional or courteous dealer experience than I have with the V40 - and I have used two different dealers since buying this car - because I moved from the city up to the Northern suburbs and needed to switch for convenience. I drop the car off for service, am given a very nice loaner for the day, add some gas to the tank on my way back, and pick up my repaired, freshly washed and cleaned car at the end of the day.
Brake issues aside - I have to say that I love this car! I currently drive 43+ miles each way to work every day (mostly toll-way, now) and cannot imagine trying to to the same in any other car. We also have a Nissan, and, while it has far fewer miles on it than the Volvo, we always take the Volvo for road trips.
Service is expensive, but the car feels as tight, solid and responsive as it did when I drove it out of the showroom.
After 5 years, I am looking forward to at least another 5 with this car, and we are considering replacing the Nissan in favor of another Volvo.
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