XC90 D5 SE

Fantastically practical and shockingly unreliable

This car has been great while it works but very dissappointing on the reliability front. What made matters worse was that the manufacturer didn't seem bothered, despite the fact that this was our 7th Volvo and on each occasion they did nothing to help with repairs.

fault 1 ) Control module in a speaker broke preventing all the ectronics from working - cost £900
fault 2) Starter ring gear teeth sheared off at 60000 miles (of mostly motorway use) resulting in gear box removal - cost £1800
Fault 3) Angle gear to rear shaft had teeth worn off so vehicle was only ever in 2 wheel drive while we owned it and this was discovered when the ring gear was replaced. It would have cost £1700 to fix but as engine and gearbox were already out they only kindly charged £100 instead of £1700.

Servicing costs at main dealer seem to be spiralling so as the car is reasonably aged, we have started servicing it at a local reputable garage for about one third of the cost and as yet have had no problems with this.

When the vehicle functions, it is practical, versatile, comfortable and fun. It is great for kids, particularly on long journeys and when the four wheel drive works, is a suprisingly capable car.

My abiding memory of this car will be that Volvo is no longer a customer-centric company.

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