Volvo ownership and maintenance

I have been reading this group for about a week and I can't help but wonder:
Why do I get the impression that most of the people in this group really can't
afford to drive a Volvo and are always looking for the cheapest, most Mickey
Mouse way to make repairs? If you can't maintain an old or new Volvo
properly, don't buy one! Find a beater Chevy Cavalier instead. It will look
more at home next to your double-wide, you might be able to afford repairs,
and, in the likely event that you can't afford repairs, there are plenty of
parts in the junk yard--or even in front of your neighbor's house,
conveniently perched on cinder blocks.

D. FraWillem

 

Au contraire, my cynical chum. I can afford to run my Volvo - I wouldn't
have bought one or any other car for that matter if I couldn't. But ask
yourself this - given the choice of doing a job yourself for minimum cost,
or letting a dealer do it and robbing you blind, what would you do?

I suspect, that since you most likely have more money than sense, you would
take the latter path...

 

Change dealers!

My dealer posts all his charges in advance. No surprises. He usually
adds extra perks that are free when I go in. He knows that if he keeps
me happy I will buy several more Volvos from him. The maintenance in
minimal even though I drive my cars 180,000 miles. Routine maintenance
costs about 1% TO 1.5% of purchase price annually. That is less than I
loose to inflation and much less than I loose to depreciation.

 

| | > I have been reading this group for about a week and I can't help but
| wonder:
| > Why do I get the impression that most of the people in this group really
| can't
| > afford to drive a Volvo and are always looking for the cheapest, most
| Mickey
| > Mouse way to make repairs? If you can't maintain an old or new Volvo
| > properly, don't buy one! Find a beater Chevy Cavalier instead. It will
| look
| > more at home next to your double-wide, you might be able to afford
| repairs,
| > and, in the likely event that you can't afford repairs, there are plenty
| of
| > parts in the junk yard--or even in front of your neighbor's house,
| > conveniently perched on cinder blocks.
| >
| > D. FraWillem
| >
| >
|
| Au contraire, my cynical chum. I can afford to run my Volvo - I wouldn't
| have bought one or any other car for that matter if I couldn't. But ask
| yourself this - given the choice of doing a job yourself for minimum cost,
| or letting a dealer do it and robbing you blind, what would you do?
|
| I suspect, that since you most likely have more money than sense, you would
| take the latter path...
|
|

You mean that you do the jobs such as those that people ask for help doing
here? The kind that, once the do-it-yourselfer has done it, have engendered
2-3 new problems because Mr. Handyman has botched the job thanks to ineptitude
and/or trying to do it on the cheap? I'll stick with my dealer, who has given
me excellent, reasonably priced, reliable, service and outstanding prices on
the several new Volvos I have purchased from him.

D. FraWillem

 

Character assassinating troll. Yawn.

 

Wow, are you off-base with that sweeping statement of affordability.

If I chose to, every year I could buy the most expensive Volvo model sold in
the US and burn last years model just for fun, with no change in a very
comfortable and indulgent lifestyle.

I choose to own drive an older Volvo because I (gasp!) enjoy tinkering with
a mechanical beast - it gives me a break from my international work and
relaxes me. But certainly not because I cannot afford it. That assumption is
really off-base.

 

Ok... so for kicks you read newsgroups....

We on the other hand all enjoy making our cars as run as well as we possibly
can.
As for the affordability, if you have the time and the knowledge it is very
easy to save considerable amounts of money doing your work on your car
yourself. Just because it isn't your daytime job and you aren't a 'mechanic'
doesn't make the quality of the work any less. In fact as you have a vested
interest in making the job as good as possible there is every probability
the job will be done better than a 'qualified' mechanic. I recently had a
part of my engine management fail. The dealer wanted to charge me two hours
labour for a job I knew I could do in only 20 minutes. So I got the part,
fitted it myself and then gave it back to them to reprogram the ECU.... so
who was the mug? Me for doing it myself or the bloke off the street for
paying them for 2 hours for what was in effect a 20 minute job?

All cars have tricks and traps and ways of doing things. This newsgroup is
all about sharing our experiences, passing on the tricks and making the care
of our vehicles easier. Don't confuse the people on this newsgroup with the
boy racers who change things on their cars and end up making a pigs ear of
it, lowering it to the point of having less suspension travel than a
wheelbarrow, making it noisier than a 747 on take off and slower than the
standard car was. The people here are just maintaining a good car in the
best way they can.

So I suggest you get off your fat ar*e, stop reading newsgroups and posting
pointless comments and go buy yourself a car you like and want to work on.
Or are you so ignorant you have no idea how.....?

 

Greetings:

Yeah, you're right... you're really slumming here. Go away if you don't
like it.

Regards, Jim Brown

 

It's not a matter of being able to afford it, I enjoy maintaining my own
cars and won't let anyone else touch them unless I'm supervising. An old
beater Volvo is just as cheap to maintain as an old beater Cavalier and
it'll hold up to a lot more abuse.

 

Just made the jump from Honda and Acura (after being scared out of my wits
in a crash). The car needs some work, but all the repairs seem to be *half*
the price of what I would've paid on the previous cars.

The mechanical layout makes much more sense to me and seems to be a lot more
"user-serviceable" Much like my A2 Jetta, I can fit my fingers in the engine
bay.

I'm quite happy with my 95 850.

My sister's Cavalier on the otherhand is a 99 and falling to pieces even
though it's well maintained as per schedule and driven moderately.

 

What if you're right? What's it to you?

- Seth Jackson

Songwriting & Music Business Info: http://www.sethjackson.net

 

You wouldn't by any chance work for a Volvo dealer would you?

 

The Honda did badly in a crash? I was thinking quite seriously of a Acura
TL rather then a S-80...

That said, how do people with T-6 S-80's like them? How are they holding
up?

--Steve

 

You know...

My wife and I bought a used 1997 850, with ~100K miles on it last year for
$8k after a awful accident where our 1998 ford Taurus saved my life. The
Taurus did quite well, however I had a head bang from the lack of side air
bags and wanted same.

The 850 just radiated good vibes, although the very serious, adult feeling
of the 100 and 200 series is missing. The car has 120 on it now and I
brought it back to where we got it because I want to establish a
relationship with them. $700 including a drivers door rub strip.

It all adds up, but the loaner was a Toyota Camry, a fine car. It was no
Volvo, the Volvo is worth it, and I think having the dealer or a Volvo
specialist work on it is worth while.

That said hell if I will give me 400 for front brakes, 350 for rears, or 500
for the abs module--I just sent Victor Rocha money for the ABS and when the
brakes are down to 10% I shall replace them myself.

The guy told me that Volvo disks (rotors) are not made with any additional
metal, so cutting is no longer done--they just replace the whole disk with
pads. Some other Volvo sites say that its a good idea to do front pads and
rotors as a set, and feedback please?

Anyway the point here is:

1) Volvo makes a nice car we all seem to like
2) Volvo techs charge a lot for service
3) By doing selected jobs one can save quite a bit of money
4) Even if I could pay $750 for front and rear brakes, which I could, I
would rather pay $3-400 for just the Volvo parts (apples to apples) and have
$350 for other things, like driving my wife in our Volvo somewhere for a
weekend for oh, say $350 or so for 2 nights room and some nice meals...get
it?
5) By being honest about when we **** up we help our fellow Volvo drivers
all over the world avoid our mistakes. Point is the stereo--I am thinking
of upgrading the head end on the 850, but reading the group no way I will do
that with out a custom adapter so it's a plug and play deal--never shall I
cut a wire.

 

Maybe some people like working on their cars... Me and my father both find
it a tedious job, so we don't... but can if need be (i've done brakes, oil
changes, filters and such... nothing big).

At least no one here drives around in a rattling deathtrap from years of
neglect and misuse.

 

It was an Integra (91, sport suspension) and it helds its own against an 84
Olds at 55. The car was totalled but I only received the usual whiplash/seat
belt burn.

I chose a Volvo for the next car because I was sick of staring truck bumpers
in the face, and that Integra was just tempting my fate.

 

1)it may be human nature, pride, or enjoyment that has many Volvo owners
become (DYI) do it your self types like myself. I frequent this news
group for advise so I can become more knowledgable about tricks and
where to get hard to find parts, quick tips about tackling usually
painstaking work like the heater core or blower replacement on 240
series. The very fact that the first poster of this thread has been
refered as cynical by another NG camper proves that the poster shouldn't
be camped here and perhaps belongs to that of alt.alt Generous Motors
LOL, with all the complaints about the poor workmanship, driveability
issues and the like should be where comments like those left here from
Your dealer is a one in a million, don't move away or ask the dealer
to follow you, it's more than likely you'll find out what I'm talking
about? Most dealers or all make repair shops couldn't survive being
honest! Their lack of ability to properly diagnose haunts them into
ripping off unsuspecting clients they probably only attract as a matter
of convenience and things like being open late or 7 days a week. Also
ask yourself this if you were a top Technician for any manufactured car
would you hold out for the job at Joes happy motors and work all shifts
including weekends or a respectable repair shop who is so good doesn't
have to advertise simply satisfied customers telling success stories to
prospective customers nets new business almost every couple of days? If
you were normal I'd be saying to your advisor something that goes like
this: No need to call with any details about what my car's problem is as
I have complete faith in your technicians here.
2) I am in the car dealer business myself and can squeeze the typical
favour with the techs but still I prefer to try my own repairs, that's
in the bloodline of many Volvo owners especially the 200 and maybe even
up to the 900 series of Volvo cars, then there is the European models
400 300 etc. HELL WHAT ABOUT CLASSICS P1800 140's who ya gonna let
mess those up? Hey the way I feel if anyone is going to F*~k up my car
it may as well be me.
3)If this group was moderated and I was the moderator and you posted
like you did I would send you a warning and you would be asked to either
re-word and offer an apology or face being kicked off.
4) So after all is said and done from the rest of the threads of haven't
even read yet I think you need to make another follow up post or camp in
another bleeding NG who thrive on such style of writing.
5) Ya all have a great day now, ya hear?

 

1)it may be human nature, pride, or enjoyment that has many Volvo owners
become (DYI) do it your self types like myself. I frequent this news
group for advise so I can become more knowledgable about tricks and
where to get hard to find parts, quick tips about tackling usually
painstaking work like the heater core or blower replacement on 240
series. The very fact that the first poster of this thread has been
refered as cynical by another NG camper proves that the poster shouldn't
be camped here and perhaps belongs to that of alt.alt Generous Motors
LOL, with all the complaints about the poor workmanship, driveability
issues and the like should be where comments like those left here from
Your dealer is a one in a million, don't move away or ask the dealer
to follow you, it's more than likely you'll find out what I'm talking
about? Most dealers or all make repair shops couldn't survive being
honest! Their lack of ability to properly diagnose haunts them into
ripping off unsuspecting clients they probably only attract as a matter
of convenience and things like being open late or 7 days a week. Also
ask yourself this if you were a top Technician for any manufactured car
would you hold out for the job at Joes happy motors and work all shifts
including weekends or a respectable repair shop who is so good doesn't
have to advertise simply satisfied customers telling success stories to
prospective customers nets new business almost every couple of days? If
you were normal I'd be saying to your advisor something that goes like
this: No need to call with any details about what my car's problem is as
I have complete faith in your technicians here.
2) I am in the car dealer business myself and can squeeze the typical
favour with the techs but still I prefer to try my own repairs, that's
in the bloodline of many Volvo owners especially the 200 and maybe even
up to the 900 series of Volvo cars, then there is the European models
400 300 etc. HELL WHAT ABOUT CLASSICS P1800 140's who ya gonna let
mess those up? Hey the way I feel if anyone is going to F*~k up my car
it may as well be me.
3)If this group was moderated and I was the moderator and you posted
like you did I would send you a warning and you would be asked to either
re-word and offer an apology or face being kicked off.
4) So after all is said and done from the rest of the threads of haven't
even read yet I think you need to make another follow up post or camp in
another bleeding NG who thrive on such style of writing.
5) Ya all have a great day now, ya hear?

 

This guy doesn't understand the fun of tinkering with our boys toys,
enthusiastic is a mild way of putting it as for a Chevy or Ford ,what sad
taste? .Yes I would take my Chevy or Ford to the dealer too they are just
not fun .Proud to say I,ve never owned a GM car or Japanese ,or German car
..In fact what attracts people to German cars bewilders me .Done millions of
Miles driving 45 years COMMERCIALLY so I know my cars that's why I drive a
Volvo privately .

 

Well put James, I made simular comments to the first jerk back when
thread was just starting out so I doubt anyone will read back that far
now, I also thought I sent him a copy but noticed the (nospam) attached
to the thread in the other guys email address and was too late to stop
my reply and direct to the Dan(). Oh well He need
camp out with his beloved GM scrap heaps - sorry I couldn't help it, I
feel bad that one feels they need to assassinate characters to get their
jollies here in our news worthy NG, and you are a valuable asset to this
NG not smoe dick no-it-all who slanders us after observations for only
one week, I mean like isn't enough trash out here like the millions of
porno sites one could get more jollies from?

Thanks James for all your input in Alt.auto.volvo

Dan H