Volvo V40 repair issues, purchased from Volcais in Portugal

December 5, 2001:

From: M Leonor Fontes [Email User]

RE: I bought my new Volvo V40 on 23/06/2000 from VOLCAIS in Portugal

VOLVO - V40 I bought my new V40 on 23/06/2000 from VOLCAIS in Portugal. It's really the second on a row that I bought, as the one before ended on a highway and me and my wife in hospital, simply because something beneath broke 1 month after I had bought it. This one had the same sin tomes as the one before (lack of stability both in curves and straights) and an additional trouble with changing gear. It spent a week at the garage for repairs when it was 1 month old, but the troubles were never completely fixed. The only think I know is that I keep paying for repairing the car's manufacturing defaults, for example I paid around 500 Euros last September and 600 in November, for exactly the same complains. Since the September "repair" I had been trying to talk to the Volcais garage manager as the car's usual problem was still not fixed. After a month effort I finally got the manager to talk to me, but it took an additional fortnight for the car to be sent to the shop. After 12 days in the shop Volcais told me the car was ready. When I went to pick it up, I notice the trouble was not fixed, and refused to take the car (I've tried other V40 * they have a completely different felling in changing gear, in the way they behave in curves and in the lightness of moving the weal). After 6 days I finally heard from the garage, saying that the car was ok. I tried the car and I accepted to take the car back, as I notice no big defaults in it, the 5 minutes I tried it. The strange thing is that the car could not stay with me. The even stranger thing is that I tried to pick up the car that day and was informed that it would be ready only the next day * why? No explanation was given. I was completely right about the supposed repair that was preformed * the first time I tried to put the car in reverse gear it wouldn't go in. I fact the car only could be move after a mechanical was called to take it out of my garage and the neighbours' help to push the car. The car was not repaired to even an average security standard and decided to write to Oporto Central Volvo office about it. The answer letter from Oporto just said * "the car was fixed". It had the wrong car registration number, it said S40 instead of V40, and was sent 2 days after the car went back for repairs*The answer is almost as good as the 2 nuts in the front right tire that were sent completely loose, last time the car was repaired. I fact, today it completes a straight month that the car is in the shop. Today's answer for the question - is my car ready? was sic* "call next Friday maybe we can then give you an estimate" . I thought I was buying a new car but today I have no car at all (has you can imagine the taxi and rental cars bills these last 30 day adds up to an handsome figure). Maybe by Christmas a number of pieces put together that someone will call a car will be back together with another large bill to pay for the "repair". I was told it already had changed the suspension and the steering (when it was 1 month old), the clutch and the shock absolvers, the gear box was opened repeatedly, and it is still not even close to being ready to use. I hope I don't have the need for repair's in the motor, as the last time we turned the ignition, a yellow motor sign led up and the motor accelerated by itself strangely. The reference to this peace of trouble is

Chassis YV1VW10F3YF546913

PN 205/55R15, 205/50R16

NS=80 DB(A)A 4350RPM

VAR VW10

VER: VW10F3

E4*98/14*007*

1996100980 201

registration 16-86-PU I would really appreciate if you could confirm when it was made. If I' m the first owner and if your standards of quality and costumer relation are anything like these, would also be answers I would like to receive. Regards,

Francisco Fontes Francisco Fontes

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