Hello All,

I am the proud owner of two 1996 850 GLT Wagons (both manuals, one with 415,000 miles and the other with 345,000 miles). As you can see, I hold onto Volvos. However, my query today relates to my 2016 XC90 T8 Inscription Hybrid Plug-In. I have just over 47,000 miles and the factory warranty expires at 50,000. I was just reminded of the value of the factory warranty, when a few days ago, the rear (passenger side) electric differential failed. The retail cost of the part is between $4,000 to $5,000 and that does not include the labor to remove the old unit and install the new one. Thank God this repair was under warranty. However, this experience underscores the need to obtain a factory warranty extension. Volvo sells a VIP Platinum Warranty that will extend the coverage for 5 years or 60,000 miles. The cost of warranty depends on the deductible you choose: $0, $100, $250, $500. The warranty I am considering would be $250 deductible with one time cost of over $4,000. The cost of these warranties vary from dealer to dealer, so it pays to shop around. However, a number of the dealers besides offering the Volvo extended warranty are also promoting 3rd Party warranties which provide identical or greater coverage than the Volvo warranty in terms of time and mileage for almost half the cost.

My question to the Brickbaord community: Has anyone ever purchased any of these 3rd Party Warranty contracts and if you have, what has been your experience? At this time, my preference is for the Volvo warranty, even though it significantly more expensive and not as broad in coverage. Thanks to all who reply.

Hugh

Hello All,

I purchased a Volvo VIP Platinum Warranty. See my extended comments under the XC90 tab.


Hugh

Try calling the number provided on the forms before paying for the insurance. Any of those policies I've seen say you must contact them before getting work done. I found it very hard to get them to answer their phones.

ibs740,


I did call the number listed on the form. The insurance company is based in Florida. My call was picked up on the first ring and representative confirmed the company administered Volvo's Warranty policies. Thank you for your suggestion. I did realize the benefit my call confirmed, but your suggestion did.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hugh

Speaking from my experience as the service manager at an independent shop that works on many European brands -- Volvo's Platinum extended warranty seems to offer good coverage. Volvo uses a 3rd party to administer the warranty, but the Platinum contract does cover important items and actually pays.

If you decide to buy an extended warranty, read the entire contract THOROUGHLY and CAREFULLY. Look for coverage that is likely to be useful, and is not excluded by a bunch of conditions. Most 3rd party extended warranties I see cover next to nothing, and use vague language to provide the insurance company lots of ways to duck out of paying for repairs. Most extended warranties are a good way to throw away $3000-$4000 for nothing.

TS888,

I did obtain a copy of the warranty agreement and have read it carefully. It seems to be pretty solid with no vague language or escape clauses. Personally, I hope I never have to file a claim.

Thank you for our response.

Hugh

Hugh - sorry for the delay - I could not find any info on the policies that I has on our 850s.

The policies were at least 14 years ago and I get rid of our records after 7 years, except for momentos.

I do remember that they offered gold and silver plans.

As I mentioned, having a good relationship with the dealer that sold the policies was quite important in having a successful result.

For example - when I had a used XC70 checked for purchase from a Kia (!) dealer, instead of reporting that the rotors were rusted, the tech noted that the brake pads did not make proper contact with the rotors causing improper brake performance. The Kia dealer turned the rear rotors, installed new front rotors and installed new pads all around.

Hello James,

Thank you for your reply. I agree having a good relationship with the dealership who will be "servicing" your extended warranty is crucial. I have "shopped to death" the cost of the Volvo extended warranty plan I am interested in (Volvo VIP Platinum Plan - 5 years/60,000 miles) so I have a pretty good idea, of what would be a "good price" for the coverage I am seeking. A month ago, I got a quote from my local Volvo dealer where I originally purchased my 2016 XC90 T8 Inscription. The Business manger at the time just quoted me the "list prices" for the extended warranty. This position was in stark contract to other dealers who abandoned the suggested list prices and were willing to negotiate off that price. I called my dealership again yesterday, and the Business Manager has been replaced by a more pleasant and reasonable person. He quoted premium fees, though not the cheapest I have found were more reasonable the original numbers offered to me. I told him, I would like to purchase the extended warranty from him, and he in turn said "I want your business". So hopefully, we will come to term agreeable to both, so I can have my wife's T8 serviced at the dealership where I purchased. I am keeping my fingers crossed.


James thank you for your efforts in reviewing your records and your recommendations.

Hugh

Hugh - An anecdote - when my daughter was looking for a replacement of her '95 855 (no one said that they could maintain it!) she asked my advice as to wether she should buy a Toyota or a Honda - both dealers were in Bemidji MN where she lives.

I told her to ask each sales manager why she should buy their car. The Toyota guy told her he could give her a great deal, the Honda guy told her that they would take great care of her car.

She bought a Honda - her husband bought a Toyota truck - he travels to Fargo ND for warranty work and has his truck serviced at the Honda dealer. They park it out on the street with a service tag on its windshield so the Toyota guys can see it!

James,

Your daughter purchased the right car. Toyotas are great cars too, but the Honda Manager had the right answer: Service. When you purchase a new car, you are eventually going to have to get it serviced and you want to be able to establish a long term relationship with the seller of the new vehicle. That relationship, based upon good service and trust, has a real value.

With regard to my situation, my hope is I will ultimately be able to purchased the extended warranty from the Volvo dealership where I purchased the XC90 T8. This particular dealership has two service technicians who are "Rock Stars" in my opinion. When I bring my wife's T8 in for service, in my note that accompanies the car, I always ask the service writer if he can assign one of the two technicians. They have told me they like the recognition if confers upon them by my request. Again it goes back to establish a relationship. I hope this extended warranty works out for me.

Hugh

Good idea re. an extended warranty. Especially for the 2016 engines. I read reports on Sweedspeed that some 2016 4 cyl engines were fitted with green rings and only lasted 50-75K miles! The extended warranty will cover that! Watch your oil consumption...


--
Keeping it running is better than buying new

Klaus,
You piqued my curiosity. What are "green rings that only last 50-75K miles"? Watching old consumption is a bit of a bother. Volvo, like a similar brands has eliminated the tradition oil dip stick. Now, you have to turn the car on to power the computer tablet located in the center of the dashboard. You have to touch the "Engine" icon and then scroll down to check the oil level. They you see a oil bar format, similar to what you would see on traditional dipstick. There is an illuminated needle between the "Low" and "High" points on the screen that indicates the oil level. I do check it, but not as frequently as I would if it was a traditional dipstick.

I wish Volvo still equipped its cars with traditional oil dip sticks and conventional spare tires. My XC90T8 does not have a spare tire. Instead it is equipped with a air compressor to which you install a can of sealant. The air compressor shoots the sealant into the tire and plugs it temporarily so you can drive the car to a garage. Later, you have to replace the tire, replaced the air hose from the compressor and have the Volvo dealership use a special tool to removed the discharged can of sealant to install a replacement. I can only imagine how much it costs to have the air compressor serviced after using it to fix a flat. Oh, by the way, if the hole is in the side of the tire, you are stuck. The sealant will not work and you will be compelled to have the car towed to a garage. To avoid this scenario, when ever I take the car on a long distance trip, I put a Volvo donut tire I purchased separately. The spare tire rolls around in the back of my car like a dead body. Not very sophisticated but it does give peace of mind. I suggested to corporate Volvo they should sell a retrofitted convention spare tire in place of the air compressor. Unfortunately, my suggestion has fallen on deaf ears.

Klaus, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights.

Hugh

Klaus,

I am three years plus into driving this car as I approach 50K and so far is has been very good. I am crossing my fingers and knocking on my wooden desk as I say that because I do not want to tempt fate. In my opinion, I find this Volvo to be very beautiful and elegant car and I normally don't describe a car, let alone a Volvo that way. I call it a "rolling cathedral". Between the Nappa leather, the real wood inlays and the Orrfors crystal, it is an attractive car. It is wonderfully quiet and just glides along the road. That said, I am deathly afraid of how much it will cost if any of the "bells and whistles" on this car go south after the warranty expires. Recently I had an ERAD replaced on the rear passenger side wheel. ERAD stands for "Electrical Rear Axle Drive". It was covered by the factory warranty, but the cost including the part and labor was $4,000.

A car like the XC90 T8 Inscription Plug-In Hybrid is a beautiful car, but in my opinion the only way to manage the cost of ownership after the expiration of the factory warranty is through an extended warranty. The Platinum Warranty I am looking at will extend coverage 5 years and 60K miles. Ideally I would like to put a 150,000 miles on this car before retiring it. If I recall correctly the battery core which powers the electric motors is warrantied to I think 8 years and 150K miles.

I wish I could think of owning this car for 20 years like my two 850 wagons, but I don't think that is realistic. Gee, 20 years from now, I will be lucky if I still have the physical ability to drive a car. I guess I will be saying "Thank God" for self-driving cars.

Hugh

I don't know what the Volvo extended warranty will cost, but that is the one I would trust... however check carefully for a list of items not covered.

The ones that have robocalled over the phone are garbage, but I hit 1 and chatted with the nice lady. She was trying to sell me a warranty for my 127K Porsche Boxster S, which is actually a track car now (street legal though). She was under the impression that it was a 2010 model and was pushing a low price for the warranty. Then I asked if it covered the Engine and Transaxle, she said no. Then I explained to her that it's actually a 2001 model, I heard the clicking of the keyboard on her end, there was a pregnant pause followed by I'm certain you wouldn't pay that much and she hung up.

I'm just glad I stole 20 minutes of her time so she couldn't annoy anyone else for 20 minutes.

jorrell

Jorrell245,

I plan on purchasing the Volvo Platinum Plan. I obtained a copy of the warranty and it seems to be pretty extensive and I did not see any "escape clauses". There are cheaper warranties out there, but my hope is because it is a "branded" as a Volvo warranty and is serviced through a Volvo dealer, I will not have any problems. Personally, I hope I never have to file a claim.

Hugh