I needed to post a general warning to those Volvo owners that may service their vehicles with Dalzell Volvo in Dedham, MA. My wife brought her XC90 in for an oil change and to check the tire pressure, as the warning light was continuing to go off. We asked them to check a few other things as we had the opportunity to do so. They of course came back with "it needs this and it needs that"; well now it needs an allignment. And a quick one at that. The technicians tinkered and offset the wheels so bad that when driving it next door in the Legacy parking lot, we could almost do a full circle without touching the wheel. It could litteraly park itself to the left. We immediately took the car back and of course they had hightailed it out of there for the weekend. They closed at 1 pm on Saturday and do not come in on Sunday. The car was left in an undrivable dangerous condition. Monday morning at 7:30, I called to have them fix their mistake and if they couldn't in a timely manner, I would need a loaner to get to work. They staight out said they would not be responsible; that they couldn't have done anything to offset the allignment and "will not be fixing the problem; if you wanted to bring it in we can take a look, but there will be cost."
I have a three year old and a pregnant wife that uses this car. We went with Volvo for their safety record. Unfortunately the car is too dangerous for her to drive and I will have to take out my wallet to fix the problem asap. (I cannot wait for Dalzell Volvo to take responsibility)
Be aware that when you leave Dalzell, you may be leaving with more cost than expected, whether you like it or not.

 

It seems that the dealer definitely screwed up the wheel alignment. If the car was driving fine before they touched your car (go straight with your hands off of the steering wheel, and no uneven tread wear), then they are responsible. However, if you had given them a "go" when they said the car needed wheel alignment, the situation is a bit tough. I would write to BBB(not sure how effective it is, though), or, to Volvo's HQ in Sweden (Volvo North America is not customer friendly).

If your XC90 was sold between 2003-2006, there was a following recall:


2003 Volvo XC90 Recall ID from NHTSA: 06V155000
Auto Recall Date: 05/05/2006
Vehicle Component: STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
Estimated Vehicles Affected: 126743
2003 VOLVO XC90 Defect Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES,THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT CAN DEFORM AT HIGH LOADS CAUSING A LOSS OF THE CLAMPING FORCE AND THE NUT MAY LOOSEN, WHICH MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT.
Defect Consequence:
THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE THAT THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS WITH IMPROVED OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 23, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
Notes: VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC., R157

I hope things settle out for you & your family.


JPN