Long story short, my then 6 days old XC40 was crashed by a guy I gave a lift to from Chipping Norton near Oxford when he swung the steering rightwards from the passanger seat and the car slammed into a street light pole.

It was at low speed, 30km/h, so no structural damage, just external body panels, impact absorbing plastic and activated airbags. No safety system of the car did anything to avoid collission, even though there was no one on the road. The police blamed me and a complaint about that is still 'ongoing'

Unfortunate as the accident part of the story is, I was expecting Volvo assistance would be all over it and have it fixed within a week at some parts cost plus a bit extra for labour. It was a brand new car purchased with service included, Volvo assistance, extra paintworkand cabin seats guarantee, insurance gap cover etc.

7 months later now, and 5 or 6 dealership enquiries, directly and via Volvo UK, I have had only one offer for 8000GBP that got specified as 'could cost much more' and not a word afterwards.

Any of the members here UK based and clued up on how these cars get repaired? I struggle to believe a 42000£ brand new Volvo car is expected to be a throwaway item, yet Volvo repair centers treat it as such whilst Volvo Ltd of the UK keep lromising help but nothing happens?