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Current Volvos are very expensive to maintain. Cost of the parts is high and much of the work must be done by the dealer.
Beginning in '99, Volvo went to a computerized engine control system called VADIS ("Volvo Aftersale Diagnostic and Information System.") Only Volvo dealers and the rare independent that have paid the necessary fees can do a lot of the work for these cars.
I'd like to give you an example. '99 and newer Volvos have an onboard computer that shuts the engine down whenever the computer detects residue build-up in something called the throttle body. (The throttle body is an opening through which air feeds into the intake manifold.) Residue builds up sufficiently over 50,000+ mi. for the engine to be shut off. If you don't plan to drive your car more than 50,000 mi. then this won't be a problem.
If the engine shuts down outside of major urban areas where Volvo has a dealer that can repair the car, then you have a long tow.
When you finally get the Volvo back to the dealer, the cost of repair is $950-1,200.
I went into the dealer that sold us our XC and asked the Service Rep. if there was any way to do preventative maintenance to avoid the defect in the future. He said "It's electronic. They fail." and just shrugged his shoulders. Repeated my question several times and he just kept giving me the same inadequate response. Obviously I wasn't happy.
I really don't like the idea of being stranded again, the possibility of a long tow back to a dealer and the idea of spending $950-1,200. every 50,000 mi. at the dealer to get the engine going.
The current Volvos will not allow a "do-it-yourselfer" to do much, if anything. I called Volvo to ask if I could get the failure codes for when our XC could only be serviced by the dealer. The Volvo "Customer Care" representative refused to tell me! They apparently want the car taken to a Volvo dealer whenever something needs to be done. Ugh!
If you want to work on your car yourself, look at another brand.
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