My elderly mother brought a used 2006 Volvo SR60, in 2008. Later she discovered that the radiator light/coolant would blink on in the car. The Coolant was low. She took the car to To Mckevitt Volvo here in the Bay Area. The car was under warranty. McKevitt replaced the radiator
Apparently she kept having problems with the coolant system in the car. She took the car to another car repair place (Ackerman) and they detected a tiny crack in the radiator, but they said it wasn’t enough of a leak to cause the leak. Then they suggested replacing the thermostat of the car. Apparently, this is a real costly procedure costing hundreds of dollars. She opted not to do this…
Recently she took the car back to McKevitt Volvo, still because of the coolant problems, the car is no longer under warranty, Mckevitt held the car for a couple of days, after an inspection for leaks, they told her they could not find any leak, although they cleaned up the car, and didn’t charge her for their services.
So now she’s paying on a newer model car, , that leaks coolant, but no one knows where…
Does she still have any recourse, what should she do? She’s an older person in her 60’s so she needs her car and doesn’t need a blown head gasket. I suggested, trying one of those “over_the_counter_” radiator, coolant system seal, to stop any leak, are these safe to use?
Although Some Information Contradicts itself ( " . . . older person in her 60’s . . . " ), I’ll Give This A Start.
As you are probably thinking, when Mom kept having problems she should have gone back to McKevitt, the dealer, and not Ackerman, the repair place. But that’s water over the dam now.
The Volvo’s out of warranty now and Mom didn’t return promptly to the dealer when the problem continued and I’d say she’s pretty much at the mercy of McKevitt and perhaps Volvo. The fact that McKevitt was willing to have a free look is positive. Have you talked to the dealer about Mom’s problem or is there any chance you could go there ?
In certain situations dealers or manufacturers can defer some of the cost of repairs using “goodwill.” I don’t believe they are obligated to help in this case, but they could decide to do so.
Put yourself in their place. Your customer goes someplace else to have your work remedied and then comes back to you after the car is out of warranty. The dealer being reimbursed by the Volvo Corp. for warranty work is the problem.
I don’t think I’d put anything in the cooling system to try and stop the leak, especially if you’re trying to obtain help. Also, I’d still want to know where the coolant is going before trying that.
We need to know specifically what has been done to diagnose the coolant consumption/leak problem. Do you know if the cooling system was pressure tested over time ? Mom might have to return and offer to pay the dealer to do this if necessary.
Has there ever been a visible coolant leak, drips, puddles ? It’s possible that the coolant is being consumed internally if no leaks are ever visible.
Under contract to repair the original volvo has no compensation on the new car. If the newer car purchased has “coolant” leaks and under warranty that is the only recourse.
If bought on credit? She can always use the “lemon” law. Volvo’s are supposed to have high recognition for quality and service. She could, or you, explain the issues to the local area STATE service manager. (not the shop manager)…
AND THREATEN IN LAST CASE IF YOU DON’T FIX THE DAMN LEAK YOU’LL BE DUMPING THE CAR ON THE LOT AND SAY “KEEP IT”. CANCEL ALL PAYMENTS TO ANYTHING FOR THIS LEMON AND SHOP FOR A CAR THAT HAS SOME GUARANTEES. HEAD ACHE GONE.
AND DEMAND ANY PAYMENTS BACK OR YOU GO TO CLAIMS COURT.
I’m Not Sure What Binkman Is Trying To Say ( “Under contract to repair the original volvo has no compensation on the new car.” [?] ) However, I’m Pretty Sure Mom Doesn’t Want To Go To War Over This. I Think She’d Lose.
My take -
Lemon law ? This was a used car (apparently purchased from other than a Volvo dealer) and had manufacturer’s warranty left on it. The car was repaired under warranty at a Volvo dealer and either wasn’t repaired properly or developed another problem . . . Who’s to say at this point because the repairing dealer was not given opportunity to straighten things out while the vehicle was still under warranty.
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and I believe that Mom needs to use some very sweet honey, not vinegar, if she wants to try for any help at all. I don’t see a lemon issue here and stopping to make payments would lead to some real heartache, in my opinion.
I agree with CSA. Volvo isn’t obligated to do anything for her at this point. Your mom pretty did not handle this problem in the best way, if I’m understanding the situation correctly. If she had the radiator replaced under warranty, and the problem still persisted and if the car was still under warranty, then why did she take the car to another shop. Taking the car back to the dealership would’ve been the sensible thing to do as they did the original repair and the car is still under warranty anyway. But nevertheless she took the car to another shop and then decided not have the repair done anyway.
Next she takes back car back to the dealership and even though it’s no longer under warranty they give it a once over anyway for free. You can see if Volvo would be willing to look at it again and split the repair costs, I think that’s your most realistic scenario right now.
Out of warranty Volvos are not cheap to repair, your mom should be okay with the idea of spending about a grand or two a year to keep this car on the road. High end cars have correspondingly high end running costs. I wouldn’t use those over the counter products. Maybe on something like a 1979 Aspen that you’re trying to coax another two weeks out of, but not a newer Volvo.
I don’t think Blinkman knows what he’s talking about. There is no lemon law for used cars, threatening the dealership won’t get you very far, and simply stopping payments on the car can get your credit ruined (or worse) in short order. Furthermore used cars has been very much a sellers market since the Cash for Clunkers program ended. In many cases one or two year old models are selling for almost as much as brand new cars.
), I’ll Give This A Start.