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VIDEO: Disgruntled Volvo owner starts blog, crafts lament in her native Swedish tongue
Click above to watch the video after the jump
Freya Svensson feels like she's getting screwed. According to her blog postings, she owns a still new-looking Volvo XC70 that has had more than its fair share of problems: a faulty transmission and an internal coolant leak that could have been caused by a cracked cylinder head or head gasket. To make matters worse, Svensson says the transmission, cylinder head and motor mounts (twice) have been replaced by Rusnak Volvo in Pasadena, California. Svensson further claims that when the transmission was replaced, she told Rusnak that it still didn't feel right but the dealership allegedly wouldn't take a look at it again. Now that the supposed defective tranny is out of warranty, the dealership wants to repair it. None of this tale is funny, odd, or different from some of the dealer/warranty horror stories that we hear about all the time. So why are we bothering to report on this one? As you might have guessed from the viking helmet and acoustic guitar show above, Svensson has no issue in pulling out all the stops in order to get her message across. She's even got t-shirts. This amuses us.
For starters, Svensson started up her own website, Rusmackedvolvo.com, which details her problems with Volvo North America and Rusnak Volvo. She took to Facebook to friend Volvo North America President Doug Speck, offering to help him add to his paltry friend total of 24 in exchange for free repairs to her Scandinavian lemon. To add a little flair, Svensson then took to YouTube to provide a video play by play of what is going on with her cursed wagon. The blonde haired, blue eyed Svensson plays up the Swedish connection by even singing an original composition, "O Rusnak Volvo" in her native tongue. Hit the jump to watch the clip, and don't worry if you don't speak Swedish – Svensson has been thoughtful enough to provide English subtitles.
[Sources: Rusmackedvolvo.com; YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
dukeisduke 11:33AM (11/20/2009)
I thought she was singing about Brett Favre.
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eric 11:39AM (11/20/2009)
Good for her. I've always considered Volvo to have poor reliability- Once the 800-series landed. I think the old ones were tanks but I've talked to a lot of folks who took their cars in 7-8 times a year for service, thinking that was normal.
I've never owned one, but that's always been my feeling based on the word from others.
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XJ 12:31PM (11/20/2009)
I used to borrow my mom's Volvo back in the 90s and it was such a pain that the driver seat controls would always break. It didn't matter to her too much, but I'm about 1/2 foot taller than my mom so driving it was always a pain. The HVAC worked like a charm though. Piping hot or arctic freeze. And regardless of what the controls said there was no setting in between.
Paul 1:24PM (11/20/2009)
my S60 has been near flawless even fairly heavily modded - that said, if she reported the transmission issue BEFORE the warranty expired then it is still covered by said warranty.
She should and will win this one.
http://everyroadtaken.wordpress.com
John H. 3:28PM (11/20/2009)
I still have a 1999 S70 - the engineering is utter crap, and I don't doubt her problems.
Volvo doesn't know a thing about engineering or ergonomics:
- seat belt tensioner sticks and locks
- all buttons small and identical - cannot find anything by feel
- electro-mechanical throttle uses a retarded high-wear design
- interior mounting hardware is flimsy and understrength
- sealant rubber wears quickly, inside and out
Just lots of stupid, stupid things that Japanese OEMs got right and in production a decade earlier, well before the S70 hit the drawing boards...
Javanese 9:39PM (11/20/2009)
God knows I agree with john. My V70 have kick me in the nuts more than my other craptacular japanese econoboxes i've ever owned combined! Not to mentioned every single of the genuine OEM parts seems to fail almost immediately after replacing them with a new one. The only reason i didnt switch to another car is because my credit rating is so bad that I'm not actually qualified for a new loan.
PiCASSO 1:28PM (11/21/2009)
My dad took a trip from Toronto to Chicago to visit me in his 2002 Volvo V70 (2.4L Inline 5) and half-way (Lansing, MI) he had an issue with engine light. He took it over to the nearby dealership (off I96/I69) and they diagnosed it for a faulty alternator. Well, he had no choice but to take a rental car for the remainder of the trip and have them order a new alternator from California.
The alternator was shipped next day, for Friday morning delivery and the car was serviced that afternoon. Total costs for this (including the $85 shipping charges) was just under $1,000.
I looked around for rebuilt alternators which would cost about $250 (max) and work would be another few hours ($500). But Volvo dealerships seems to take advantage of these unreliable Volvo cars.
Want to do a standard (non-synthetic) oil-change on a Volvo at a Volvo dealership there in Toronto? $85-CDN + taxes... no thanks.
Let's just say that the boxy station wagon (which from a styling stand point, I really like) will be the last that my father will purchase.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:40AM (11/20/2009)
It sounds like her native tongue is American English. She refers to Swedish as her "mother tongue".
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Andrew 3:46PM (11/20/2009)
"Mother tongue" means native language! She is Swedish!
From the dictionary: "the language a person has grown up speaking from early childhood".
She speaks Swedish like the native she is, not some American with a second language.
Ralph 9:48PM (11/22/2009)
I agree! I sure as heck didn't understand anything that she said other than "ooooo Volvoooooo...." And "oooo Rusnak.....transmission ooooo!" I think I'd recognize whether or not she used more English than that as English is my Native tongue as Swedish is obviously her's. lololol.....I find it kind of funny that with the change of a few letters, the dealership's name would be "ransack." LMBO! More appropriate name; probably!
Oh...and I used to own a 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo. Coolest looking little car for a 1990 but, as you've probably guessed by now, it was a utter and total piece of trash. I bought it used and I learned very quickly why the original (2nd actually) owners sold it to me. Nice and clean....test drive was awesome! Had a mechanic that I trust (and still trust) look at it and he said it looked good. My mistake? Taking a Volvo to a non Volvo mechanic. The car ended up being like my biggest nemesis ever! Thousands of dolllars in repairs 6 months after I bought it. I figured "well....it'll be fine now!" I was wrong. It constantly perplexed me by having the engine light come on seemingly every time I started the car. The sun roof got stuck. Mechanically it was hell on wheels...and not in a good way. If you just take the mechanical components out and drop the car from high altitude on say.....Afghanistan....you'd have a half way decent tank destroyer the bodies are so solid! That's why Volvo used to offer something like 100 thousand dollars to the family of those who were killed in a Volvo due to structural failure. Structurally, like I said....tank destroyers! Mechanically......a 15 year old with rudimentary knowledge from his electronics and car repair classes in high school could have done better on design and longevity of the line. So if you're interested in buying a Volvo, do your homework; read Consumer Reports car guide for the year and see how unwise a move it would be to purchase almost any Volvo.
Nick 11:40AM (11/20/2009)
Rusnak of Pasadena is a horrible dealership. This is the perfect example of the shenanigans going on there. They have absolutely no respect for the customers: They will sell you a used lemon telling you it's brand new, overcharge for repairs, and accuse you of wrongdoing.
I'm glad Freya is doing something about it, and the next step would be the Pasadena Superior Court.
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Betty 10:44PM (11/23/2009)
I think all Volvo dealerships are the same. Whenever you go in for a normal oil change, they always find something else wrong. It will always cost me between $500.00 and $1000.00. I love the way my Volvo handles but as far as the car itself, a piece of crap, just like the Volvo dealerships.
jjoekiker7 7:03AM (11/23/2009)
Your going to take it to the supreme court, yeah and they are going to make a supreme judgement on Swedish girls Volvooooo tranmission-oooooo and sing their earth shaking decision back to us rif-raff.... AND She can sing her case to the supreme court, that'll amuze them to the max, I do believe you mean small claims court or civil court which she should have done before she went thru all this song writing, although if I were a hollywood producer director,whatever...I'd produce HER.. thats one fine lookin little piece of sweedish meat there, I'll plug her tranny any day ha ha ha I can make a sexual inuendo outa nuttin! I am one talanted back-woods trailer trash hill-billy.....yeeee ha!
Edsel 11:41AM (11/20/2009)
LOL!
Remember how in the old days people hired lawyers to settle these matters? No more. Now, you just need to "YouTube" the opposition into humiliation and capitulation.
Godspeed, Freya Svensson!
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lothar 11:54AM (11/20/2009)
Why hire a lawyer to take all your money when Youtube is free and will get you way more exposure. Hopefully she will get a ton of hits and better yet get her story on the local news.
Nick 12:05PM (11/20/2009)
Ughh...you don't need a lawyer for this type of case, seems like she has a good case and most likely a lot of paperwork on hand for proof.
neptronix 12:57PM (11/20/2009)
There have been many times when this is actually effective, dear sir.
Okki 11:54AM (11/20/2009)
My V50 T5 (3 years old) has had way more issues than any other vehicle I've ever owned. I came of the same assembly line where the Ford Mondeo wagon is being built and that might be part of the problem.
The V40 my parents owned was a great car (as was the 340 and 360 before that).
I like the new Volvo styling, but from a technology standpoint they are behind the times (especially compared to Acura) and the build quality is definitely not what it used to be.
This was my first Volvo, but I'll be shopping other premium brands from here on out for a while.....
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Jesse 12:18PM (11/20/2009)
Sounds like my '05 S40 T-5. I had the car 18 mos, and of that time it spent over 60 days in the shop (at multiple dealers), mostly for electronic problems that would paralyze the car. I didn't use YouTube, but a carefully worded letter along with all of the service tickets routed through my attorney to Volvo NA got me out of the lease and a nice check for the inconvenience.
I still think the S40 is a beautiful car. I like how Volvo pursued a minimalist design aesthetic inside and out, while other cars keep getting fussier and piling on the chrome.
Veyron 4:02PM (11/20/2009)
The V50 is assembled in Ghent, the Mondeo in Genk.
All the other Volvo cars that you have written about (, v40, 340 and 360) have also been assembled in Ghent. The quality should be the same for cars made by Volvo and Ford as they share many components.