Hi,
I hope someone out there can help or advise what I can do to solve a (I assume software) problem.
The car is 2024 XC40 twin motor. I purchased it at 8 months old and it ran beautifully until it went in for its first service at 24 months. Within a week of the service all sorts of gremlins got into the infotainment system, most notably the satnav froze. After a few days I couldn’t change any of the charge settings. At this point I returned the car to the Volvo main agent that had done the service. And there it had remained for three weeks, the garage are telling me they cannot communicate with the car despite completing all the usual tests. Is it fair to say the garage is simply incompetent? The car has only done 9500 miles and is still under the Volvo 3 year warranty. Can I appeal to Volvo UK or even the factory as I’m sure a bright 18 year old with a laptop could get this sorted.
Just got the car back after five weeks in the Volvo Main Agent garage… it now works but I’ve lost all faith in the brand

 

Unfortunately, due the car's complexity and software dependency, IMO it can sometimes be like asking the impossible of a mechanic to fix one's car. It isn't their fault. They are trained, for the most part, to rely on computer error codes and, if the software tells them to replace something, reload software and/or install a software patch, that is what they'll do. When a problem occurs defying this "repair" procedure, so-called "experts" in Volvo must be notified and asked for a cure. At times, these so-called "experts" may not have a remedy either, due to the uniqueness of the problem, which is often now due to faulty software requiring a fix. IMO, all of this stems from Volvo not performing proper testing and their approach of continuing to tack on a myriad of new "features" from various providers and stitch them together like the good doctor made Frankenstein. I think all luxury and near-luxury car brands suffer from this, but Volvo takes it to an extreme level, relying on its customers to be the beta testers for newly introduced models.

PS: I'm a first-time Volvo buyer, now owning a factory ordered 2020 V90 Inscription T6 AWD estate wagon. By the time I waited to buy my V, I had hoped that Volvo had ironed out the problems from the earlier SPA model years. Now, after owning my V for going on 6 years, it has been mechanically flawless. Regarding software issues, I'll get the rare message telling me that BLIS isn't working. After shutting off the car and restarting, the message disappears and BLIS returns. I've had the dealer check this BLIS issue 4 times, with my car held at the dealer once for 5 days. Supposedly they "fixed" it with software updates, but we are talking about Volvo software ......

Good luck with your future car purchases, but I'd caution you. IMO, there may be a good chance that if you were to purchase a BMW, Benz or Audi in the future, you might have a similar experience. Gone are the days of almost bullet-proof Volvos, BMWs or Benzs of the 1970s and 1980s.