I've had my 07 S40 T5 AWD for almost a year now, 15,000 miles, and NO problems! (Yet?)

 

Ghost rider? Do you have a sportbike? Great nickname!!
My S40 has been nothing but trouble. I just ordered a 2008 Toyota Camy Hybrid. MY S40 is an 06', which may have been a more trouble prone year. I also believe my car to be a bit of a lemon. However... some things quality wise are evident as well. Thin carpeting, squeaky seat, rubber trim deteriorating around the door (my car is garaged day/night), and multiple repairs. After the last round of repairs, my car now has a scratched door panel, grease stains, a dig in the gearshift, scratched radio display... almost like the repairs were done by a do it yourselfer. I test drove the camry overnight... and MY GOD!!!! It runs circles around my S40, in both materials, build, quality of construction, technolgy, and value. I do believe the T5 may hve a bit better material workmanship... so hopefully you will have a lot better luck. At one year I had hit 20k on my car, so I did drive it a bit more. Other quality issues... the lack of an auto dim rearview mirror, the gas and brake pedal being so close... and to top off the poor dealership performance. By far, the worst car buying experience of my life

 

We have an '05 S40 AWD. Great car but some of the same problems. Software is everything with these and they'll reload, reboot and update the software package for almost any problem. Brakes were originally made with defective pad materials. They'll replace them under warranty for the grinding noise. It doesn't actually grind or cause problems, just makes the noise.

 

Oh yes, right now an 03 Limited Edition R1 (black with red flames). What do you ride?

 

I have a 2001 S40. I have had major problems like my check engine light keeps coming of and on. I was at my
favorite restaurant this past weekend and it started to smoke from the tailpipe for about 2-3 seconds. Of course my teenage son was kind of embarrass. I had my 90,000 miles maintinence done last year, I went 2 months ago
for a oil change and they told me I need brake work done. In 2 years I will be on my job for 25 years, I will be 42 years old and I am going to buy me a Mercedes or Volvo S80. I am going to read the forum to see what is said about the S80's. To be honest, I am having 2nd thoughts about the Volvo. Ever since Ford bought it, I have heard so many problems. My Aunt has a 97 Volvo and she do not have that many problems at all.

 

Hi Vaqueen,

Sorry about having so many problems, it reminds me of the days with my first car ('87 Ford Escort with hideous vapour-lock in the fuel line in hot climate and faulty ignition module).

Check Engine Light seems to come on way too often on European cars, and I personally assume that they all use Bosch's electronic control systems/devices and someone in the Bosch's R&D department may be getting the wrong idea[&:]?

Anyway, could you tell us as much about your cars as possible, should you wish to repair your car? What colour was the smoke? Could you tell us exactly what they did for the 90,000-mile service? When they tell you something needs to be done, make them show you the part and make them explain what's wrong & why the parts need servicing.

If I were you, I would consider a Lexus as an option, especially if you want a car with as less troubles as possible. Even if you have continental bias (I understand, that people are free to like/dislike certain types of tribes/countries, if they have had negative experience with them), it would be worthwhile at least to visit a Lexus dealer and test drive one of their vehicles, as well as having a cup of tea or coffee they offer (I wonder if they still offer that[&:]?).

You may be a super-busy person and may not have the time, but I highly suggest that you buy a book about automobiles (e.g., A Dummies Guide to Automobiles). Just one book that is written easy enough for you to understand would be fine. Read it once or twice, the dealers/shops will have more difficulty taking advantage of you[8D].

Let us know if you want to fix your car to the way it should be, and best of luck shopping for your new vehicle in 2 years. ALWAYS test drive one when you buy a new vehicle.

BTW, if you want to know what's triggering the CEL, have a visit to the nearest AutoZone or any auto parts shop that provides free diagnostic service (called OBD-II service, OBD meaning On-Board Diagnostic. They will connect a hand-held scanner that can communicate with the car's computer and ask for trouble codes/descriptions).

Best of luck,


JPN

 

I have the paper at home concerning my 90,000 miles service. I will take a look at it.
The smoke was a light gray color. I use the high grade gas but this time a used the lower one and thats when I
saw the smoke. Next time I go in for service or anything else, I will heed your suggestion. My son told me that I should look at the Lexus's. My dad drives a Avalon and I never heard him complain about his car. I heard Toyota and Lexus are owned by the same company or something like that. Also a volunteer on my job drives the Lexus ES300 and she loves it. I will test drive the Lexus.
Thank you so much.
Tia

 

Hello Vaqueen,

Light gray smoke indicates more fuel than is necessary is entering the engine, or may also be due to neglected tune-up. For servicing a Volvo, I would only go to the dealer (watch out should you take this route, as some dealers try to sell you unnecessary parts & services) or shops that specialise in Swedish/European cars.

Lexus is a luxury division (subsidiary) of Toyota, and in Japan Lexus cars have Toyota's logos on them (except now they sell some of their vehicles with Lexus logos in Japan too). It is nothing but marketing strategy. Lexus are noted for quietness, refinement, reliability and overall customer satisfaction. European cars are generally noted for the best safety (Volvos are the safest vehicles available to the public, though others are slowly catching up) and performance.

Either way, the best car out there is the one you like.

Cheers,


JPN

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It's a shame because I have a 2003 S40 and it's a fantastic car thats been almost flawless. Maybe they need a couple of years to get all the bugs out like the previous model needed.

 

It is indeed a shame that some Volvo owners ended up with bad luck. The biggest weakness of Volvos, as well as other European cars, is the electrical & electronic control system problems (Check Engine Light & ABS Warning light turning on way too often).

If Volvo can improve reliability on their electrical & electronic systems, they can compete against Lexus with no problem (and Volvos have better safety technology as well).

In order to do this, Volvo either has to pressure Bosch to make better parts, or forget Bosch and use some Japanese manufacturers such as Denso.

Anyway, I would love to see renewed 850 with different name, better quality & durability & performance improvements (multi-link suspension on all four, better A/C, functional ABS, etc... and rear-drive & manual shifter with Porsche synchro of course).


JPN