Volvo V50 - The worst car I have ever owned? Or is it me?

[Johnny8718]

Hi All.

I have owned four Volvo's now.

1. XC70 2.5 SE LUX
2. C70 Collection 2.0T
3. V40 1.8 (forgive the choice - I know)!!
4. Currently my V50 2.0 D SE LUX

1, 2 and 3 - great. That's why I bought a 4th.

However. I am pi**ed off with silly little electrical faults and other parts failing.

Clutch gone (dual mass flywheel) £700.

Rear shock absorbers (can't source spurious parts - dealer only) £300.

Bearings, injector seals, rough running when cold, the list goes on.

Some days the car won't lock.

Some days the odd door refuses to open (especially if it is parked near another Volvo).

Some days the windows refuse to work.

Now don't get me wrong. The car has done 120,000 miles which is high whatever anyone says. However it has a good history and most people will tell you that this is 'nothing' for a Volvo. Furthermore My V40 and XC70 had done similar mileage and were absolutely bullet proof.

Only Monday, the car develops the dreaded BRAKE FAILURE and IMMOBILISER warnings. Wife stranded as the car won't start. I think I have traced it to a loose connection on the CEM which (touch wood) has cost me nothing to fix. However my wife is a full time foster carer and needs a reliable car. On Monday she had a two week old baby with her and was stranded when the car ironically told her to STOP SAFELY and then proceeded to just cut out! This is becoming a car that we love to look at, love to drive, but are frightened to go out in, in case it decides to f**k up again. Don't get me wrong. When the car is working it is lovely - BUT.

I have an MGTF for work. It cost me £500. It NEVER misses a beat. I then spend £7K on a V50 - bordering on liability!

I never thought that I would be typing this about one of my beloved Volvo's but I am beginning to think that I would be better off getting rid. Did Volvo make the car too clever? Did Volvo add too many sensors and gadgets? the threads on this and many other forums are cringe-worthy. Tales of owners going back and forth to the dealer. Trying countless numbers of parts and throwing money at the car only to find that the fault STILL isn't completely solved.

To top it all, I suggested that my neighbour buy a Volvo at around the same time I bought this. Oh no! 1.6D S40. An absolute money pit and much of the same.

I was a mechanic some years ago and class myself as a good DIY'er. Dare I say that I am actually considering cutting my losses and buying something less technical. Something that has less chance of going wrong and something that I can figure out (or a garage for that matter).

Does anyone else feel the same or is it just me?

Thanks, John.

[DavidY]

I've had a V50 D2 from new (bought at 20% off list when it when end of line) for 20 months and 51K miles, not missed a beat, nothing has gone wrong, and servicing costs been good at about £250 a time.

Can't complain, did 300K in Saabs prior to this. I do mainly long journeys as can be seen from the mileage so that probably helps.

[morgrp]

the only diesel worth having in the volvo range is the volvo developed 5 cylinder - not the 2.0 minefield jointly developed by PSA and Ford -Not a good recipe.

I might get flamed for this but personally, the V50 is not really what I consider a "proper" volvo thanks to it's ford underpinnings - Your other 3 generally are considered to be (yes I know the V40 shared its under pinnings with a Mitsubishi but it was jointly developed by volvo and not a hand me down chassis)

[martinrpeachey]

Most of the problems you mention would be down to the parts volvo kept from the Focus on which the car is based.

Try giving the fuseboard under the glovebox a couple of swift kicks... Worked wonders on my mates Focus.

[martinrpeachey]

pmjg66 said:

Kicking the fuse board will not help as mentioned

Like I said, it fixed a number of issues on my mate's focus. I can only go by what's worked for me in the past

[Evo141n]

Could just be your car, what reg is it?
I've had a 54plate V50 for about six years, now at 157,000 miles.
Only major item was the alternator failure at about 110k, £500-£600 to replace IIRC. Oh and a couple of swing arms with intergrated bushes £200 inc fitting. Other than that fine. Oh and its a 2.0 D SE.
has all the extras I want and is a fine family car in my opinion

[Max M4X WW]

So if my parents want a diesel V50 (possibly Auto) for around £6.5k should they be getting a D5 or 2.0?

[Max M4X WW]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Max M4X WW said:

So if my parents want a diesel V50 (possibly Auto) for around £6.5k should they be getting a D5 or 2.0?

100% a D5.

Not only is it much more powerful, its also a true Volvo engine and not the PSA ste.

Should we then say the same and get a V70? They may have to if the 50 isn't big enough but the fuel consumption will be a bit worse.

As much as I'd prefer the performance of the D5, they really don't need it so it will be a bit of a waste of fuel. Though, if its a more reliable unit that is a small price to pay and will come in handy for towing.

[pmjg66]

As above the euro 3 d5 gets good mpg 45-55 mpg,but the euro 4 drops to around 38 average.

[Max M4X WW]

pmjg66 said:

As above the euro 3 d5 gets good mpg 45-55 mpg,but the euro 4 drops to around 38 average.

What age ranges am I looking at for the above?

[pmjg66]

Max M4X WW said:

pmjg66 said:

As above the euro 3 d5 gets good mpg 45-55 mpg,but the euro 4 drops to around 38 average.

What age ranges am I looking at for the above?

The euro 4 was introduced around 06.

[Axionknight]

Two modern Volvos here, a C30 1.6 I put 80k on (80,000 slow miles) and a D3 V40 I have put 14k on in a year, no problems with either motor, won't be keeping the diesel longer than three years though as I'm skeptical when it comes to the long term reliability of modern diesels - as you seem to have found out to your cost.