nathanb

iTrader: (1)

I'm trying to help out my In-laws as they're having a really annoying issue with their car.

To paint the picture, the car is a 2011 Volvo V70 DRIVe. I think they paid in the region of £25,000 last year brand new from a Volvo dealer. It is one of those 1.6 litre, 50+mpg, uber economical eco friendly cars. Nice car with all mod cons but it has a problem.

Fairly regularly, they come to start her up in the morning and the battery is dead. No life at all. They have been getting Volvo assist out to get them started every time this has happened. Approx 10 times since they bought it. They Volvo 'Experts' are telling them that the battery is being drained by the car after its being switched off by all the shut down electronics. Volvo say that because the car is only driven locally and not clocking up any major miles on long journeys it's not charging the battery enough. They have also reprogrammed the car at a cost of £50 so it doesn't drive around with the usual side lights that all Volvo's do, claiming that they aren't helping. What they're recommending is more long trips!

You can't tell me that solution to a problem is to make more long journeys? If the DRIVe is dependant on a good run out they certainly don't tell you this when you're handing over £25K!

What do you think guys? Are they talking rubbish and what do you think may be wrong with the car?

Love to hear your thoughts!

Bean1984

iTrader: (3)

Tried a battery test? test the battery on volts etc as it could be a faulty battery or alternator mate. I know its gonna cost your inlaws but go to a reconisged dealer n get them to do a diagonisis check

500

Why is it going to cost them, it's under a year old!

Have you joined any volvo forums and asked there?

Anders_WR1

iTrader: (8)

Great advise from the dealer, drive said eco vehicle more miles wasting petrol to charge battery. Sounds like a power drain, you could ask the dealer to wire in a volt meter in Amps mode between the + of the battery and the + cable connected to the car. In theory with everything switched off there should no or very little power draw in amps.

Anders

Mike-K

I would be writing a letter to the franchise head office explaining the fault and how many times it has happened. If the vehicle needs to be driven on long journeys this should have been explained when buying the car. I would go down the route that the vehicle is not fit for purpose and the sales person should have asked how the vehicle will be used. Also send a letter to Volvo head office explaining the same, how many times it has not started, how they dont use the vehicle because of the fear of it not starting and being stranded and that they have 'lost faith in the brand', and if the problem isn't resolved it will be part exchanged against a Vauxhall insignia.*

Bean1984

iTrader: (3)

I mean go to s volvo specialist and get them to do a check then back to the dealer and give them the check sheet as theyve already decided what it is without checking it properly

hodgy0_2

i am amazed people put up with this ****

i would send the car back, pronto, the longer you keep it the harder it will be

as said above - not fit for purpose, get the "drive more miles" advice in writing and then take them to court

Dave Thornton

Take the car to another Volvo franchise - the warranty is applicable at any Volvo dealer in the EU

SRSport

As mentioned NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE.

Not to mention the illogicality of buying an eco car that you have to drive on long distances when you dont need to, using up more petrol just to keep it working. What on earth, as mentioned start writing letters to head office. Post 5 is a good start.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Ok, get them to reconnect the side lights as some batteries/charging circuits like subaru need a small current drain to kick start the charging cycle of the alternator and i suspect this is one of them.

Most cars use a lot of amps on start up and if as i suspect this car has all the toys then there is a lot of electrical components being energised which will over time drain the battery especially if it's only doing multiple short journeys.

There will also be some kind of alarm system that is on all the time as well as other things being in standby mode.

The only part solution to this issue is to fit a higher amp hour battery, which will prolong the periods between draining.

Sorry but with the best will in the world no battery will last for ever under these conditions and what the dealer is saying is actually true, in that the car needs to be driven a little more to allow it to recover.

One other option is to install a good quality battery conditioner/ charger and fit a fly lead so that it can be plugged in say once a month and charged overnight, as that is about the length of time it's taking to discharge the battery, which is actually very good.

I dont think the fit for purpose route is the one to go down as one cannot expect to leave your car in the garage for a month and have it start every time, not saying that they are doing this, but they also have a responsibility to ensure the vehicle is used to enable it to function as it was designed.

Hope this helps.

Beef

What does the owners handbook say about short journeys?

RedBeard

Why have they bought a DRIVE if they only go short distances most of the time? Would of been much better off in the long run buying a petrol. With the D4164T its not going to be at its best unless youre taking it on longer journeys. Its predominantly designed for the rep market. Youre also going to be looking at much higher servicing costs due to the DPF and ADM maintenance. Just seems a silly choice to me if they dont use it much. What sort of distances are they travelling and how often?

ps Don't try just locking with the key blade as this will actually cause more drain as the systems wont go into shut down mode without locking using the remote.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

As a comparison our Beemer is used for a daily 1.5 mile school run every day - all winter and summer. Had a flat battery once and that was unrelated. And this is a car with lots of toys, heated seats etc.

Not fit for purpose or something is wrong. Get a clamp meter on it when it off to see if there is a current drain.

The Zohan

Quite right!