Just to pass on this information for other potential buyers.

I have owned this car now for almost 2 1/2 years. I was not the original owner and I purchased it with 11K on it. Since I have owned it I have had to put up with a litany of problems which I won't go into on this post as most were covered under warranty. However recently I noticed that the left side climate control dial backlight had burned out, one half of it. I went into the dealership and was told that the labor for the work was $120.00 and the bulbs were 9.00 apiece. I was amazed that this type of bulb would fail at only 54K but even more amazed at the cost ot replace it.

While the car was being serviced, the dealership called me to inform me that my serpentine drive belt was cracked. As this is the first car I have owned with such a belt, I didn't really know what to expect for wear, however I did expect more than 54K. I went out to look at the belt and saw only slight pops in the material on the ridged side of the belt and didn't look at the back side of the belt. At this time I didn't know that this was considered "normal" wear and authorized the repair. AFter the fact I found out that what matters is the back side of these belts. Again I probably had another 50K on the old belt, but the dealership, just took me.

I asked to have my brakes inspected and while there found out that for a front and rear brake job, the cost is 450.00. Again amazing. The parts are only 120.00 and the dealership is charging the rest in labor. Anywhere else in the world you should be able to get a brake job front and rear for around 200.00 max 250.00.

I contacted Volvo Customer Service BTW thats a joke, they don't care and have yet to even call me back after the original call.

As anyone who owns or has looked at this car knows, the S80 is not a cheap car, and for the price point I expected a much better quality vechicle. I would have to say that for sure I regret the purchase and if I had it to do again, would not purchase another Volvo.

Paul Caldwell
pcaldwe@aristotle.net