Freya Svensson's bumpy ride with the Rusnak Auto Group & Volvo North America
It’s now been 12 days without any incidents. My Volvo XC70 is running well — there are no leaks & nothing is smoking. I am feeling quite optimistic. Perhaps the repairs will stick, this time around. May I say… it’s running almost as well as my 1965 Volvo 122 I used to have in college.
According to Bill Casey, my car was towed to Volvo of LA because the field engineer was there working on another car. He would not have time to go ALL the way from Downtown LA to Pasadena (20 mins), so they brought the car to him. Kind of them. Volvo of LA kept the car for 3 weeks. Apparently, the engineer could not make it there any earlier, and my car was the only one he was working on once he arrived. Gotcha!
They were able to locate the oil leak right away — it was the angle gear again! It had to be re-re-sealed. My service guy — Gene — told me that the guys who did it before [Rusnak] “didn’t do a very good job.” (Aoch!) It took them a little while longer to figure out why the engine light kept coming on. They updated software, ran diagnostics, and finally pinpointed it to the Mass Air Flow Sensor. They replaced that, and the car has been running fine ever since. Until today, when the low coolant light came on again. What now? Will the radiator re-fail next?
How long has it been? I got my Volvo back on January 27th, so that is 26 days all together. Sigh! To recap: 3 month ordeal of getting my car repaired resulted in:
– new long block
– new valve body (rebuilt transmission)
– new radiator
– resealed angle gear
– new front right axle.
Volvo Cars of North America & Rusnak Volvo has sunk about an estimated $15,000 ($9,000 for parts + my guestimate on labor of about $6,000) into my car to get it up and running as it should. I have paid about $1,000 + $500 for rental car out of my own pocket.
This afternoon when I drove home from work, the CHECK ENGINE light came on, and the car is smelling like something is baking under the hood… not sure what it is, but it ain’t no croissants. I have also noticed spots on my drive way lately indicating that something is leaking from the engine compartment.
I’ve emailed Bill Casey at Volvo asking how I should proceed at this point.
It’s been three months since this all started and I finally have my Volvo back. And it is running like new. Life is good, I tell you.
Apparently, Rusnak is finalizing the work on my car today. If they find no error codes or leaks they will release the car. Oh, mother of all creatures… Could it be true? It’s been a while since I drove in my own car. It feels like being on a really long business trip and longing for your own bed. No offense, KIA, it’s been fun, but I really would like to get my old ride back. Here are some things that I learned along the way:
– Assume everyone is your equal, and expect others to treat you the same. If they aren’t, find someone who is.
– If you can’t get anywhere, assume you are falling through the cracks — get yourself out of there.
– Light, continuous poking with a smile will get you much farther than yelling with your fists clinched.
– Having friends that encourage you is worth at least 10 Volvos.
– Crowd sourcing is the the new Village.
– Have fun, whatever you do.
Phiew! Where did last month go? Family from overseas flooded my home for weeks, a myriad of holidays came & went, and a new decade slipped in while I wasn’t looking — all this while still driving a KIA. I survived, and there is indeed good news to report. Here is what has gone down:
As I mentioned in my last post, Volvo sent over a release back in December that very generously offered to repair my car for a fabulous amount of almost $9K + labor covered by Rusnak. However it came bundled with the request of having me remove all “disparaging comments” from my blog, website and other forms of communication. Since this didn’t seem at all right to me, I decided to trust my network of friends to help me out.
After shooting an email to some Friends of Freya, I got in touch with a couple of (extremely prestigious) legal resources that gave me some insightful suggestions on how to approach my situation. Basically, I was encouraged to let Volvo know that I would not remove any comments from anywhere, since that’s not really how the internet works (love it!) — “you can’t really un-ring the bell once the bell has been rung”.
I had a lengthy conversation with Bill Casey at Volvo about by positioning. I let him know that I was under no circumstances willing to take anything down: neither the documentation of my experience dealing with Volvo and Rusnak; nor the numerous comments and stories from all of you who have contributed along the way. All I have done is documenting my experience and I will ask no one’s permission to do so.
Without hesitation Volvo sent over a new and revised release with all requests to remove “disparaging remarks” omitted from the agreement. Fabulous! Signed!
We are now apparently in the midst of the repair of my Volvo. I received an email update from Bill yesterday letting me know that my car is “almost ready”. Hopefully, it will be done later this week or early next. The repairs to the engine, radiator and axle are done. There are just a few things left. In addition, I received confirmation that the rental car (yay, KIA!) is still being covered by Rusnak. I have to say I was getting a little anxious when the rental car company called and wanted to check in on who was covering the bill…
So, here we are. Getting closer to a resolution. I still think about what would have happened if I sat down and shut my mouth back in October. I would have paid $5,100 for a new transmission I apparently did not need. Then what, I wonder…!?
I just got off the phone with Bill Casey at Volvo Cars North America, who updated me about the findings and recommendation that have transpired from the extensive investigation of my 2001 Volvo XC70:
1) Transmission – There is nothing wrong with my Transmission. (This took me by surprise.) The Field Engineer test drove the car for about an hour and determined that the transmission is, in fact, intact.
2) However, the Valve Body needs to be replaced. This is the cause of the car running uneven.
3) In addition, the Long Block needs to be replaced. This is a result of when the car overheated back in August 2008, resulting in the cylinder head having to be replaced. Apparently the Long Block was damaged as well, but it was not caught. There is no hairline crack in the cylinder head.
4) The Radiator needs to be replaced — it has an external leak. This is what is causing my coolant leak. The Engineer performed a glycol test and determined there was no leaking of coolant into the Transmission. (There is still no sign of external puddles under the car, so we don’t know where the coolant is going.)
5) Also, the Right Axle needs to be replaced. (A new find).
6) And finally the Angle Gear needs to be resealed. (Originally resealed in June 2005.)
The recommendation from Volvo is following:
1) Replace the Long Block – since this was part of an issue when the car was in warranty, Volvo will cover this cost ($7,337.82)
2) Replace the Valve Body – this is also tied to the 2008 incidence and Volvo will cover this as well ($1,247.62)
3) Replace the Radiator. Rusnak will pick up the cost of labor. I will have to pay for the part ($386.66)
4) Reseal the Angle Gear. Again, Rusnak will pick up the cost of labor. I will have to pay for the part ($250.97)
5) Replace the Front Right Axle. Again, Rusnak will pick up the cost of labor. I will have to pay for the part ($409.47)
So to sum it up:
– Volvo will cover repairs worth $8,585.44.
– Rusnak is covering labor (and giving Volvo a deal on the repairs performed “under warranty”).
– I will pay of parts adding up to $1,047.10.
Caveat:
This offer has been agreed to by all levels of Volvo Cars North America (Hi Doug Speck. Nice to hear from you, albeit indirectly!) and Rusnak (Mr. Yohan Haddad included). However, for this to go in effect, Volvo has asked me to sign a legal agreement where I agree to close down RusmackedVolvo and “all communication” regarding this case. Before that happens, I hope I can do a follow-up post with some clear next steps from Volvo Car of North America and Rusnak Auto Group on what systems or measures they plan on putting in place to ensure that the experience I had will not be happening again, to other customers. I’ll keep you updated on my decision on how to go forward.
My car has now been inspected by Volvo’s field engineer. He spent the entire day yesterday investigating pretty much the entire car from top to bottom, as least the mechanical parts (the scratch on my bumper was probably ignored). The engineer issued a report that he has sent to and discussed with Bill in customer care at Volvo Cars, North America (VCNA). According to Bill, “all my concerns have been validated” — they confirmed the transmission problem, problems in the “engine area” and possibly a leaking radiator that may be the cause of the coolant leak. They also found a few other issues with the car. Bill is now compiling a complete dossier of the 10 year history of my car. He is getting notes, service records and repair orders from the extended warranty company, from the field engineer, and of course from Rusnak Volvo, and I am also sending him the receipts of the two repairs that was performed at Independent, to complete the picture. Bill will then send this complete dossier to the Engineers in Sweden for review. After this dossier has been reviewed Bill will get back to me and get me up to speed on all their findings. I will be getting a copy of the report as well. Bill informed me I am his top priority, and that his company’s mission is to “do the right thing”. (Sounds good to me.) We are scheduled to speak again on Tuesday, when he will give me a complete picture of the issues with my car.
Although Ernie Murillo, the Service Manager at Rusnak Volvo, Pasadena, left me a message stating short and sweet that my car was “ready for pickup”, Volvo made the recommendation that the car stays at Rusnak and that I stay in my rental car until further notice. So, here I am sailing my KIA warrior ship for now, at least until Tuesday.
P.S. Worth noting:
Despite confirmation from Volvo, that I was going to get a rental car as a replacement upon drop-off at Rusnak Volvo on Dec 9, I had to wait for about an hour before Rusnak agreed to cover the cost. They stated they “knew nothing about it”.
In this episode, I am waiting for December 9th, when Volvo’s engineer will come to Pasadena to look at my car & service records. To make the time pass, I go to visit my favorite Customer Greater, Nils, at IKEA.
I had a long and fruitful conversation with Bill Casey at Volvo Customer Care this morning. (He called yesterday as well, but of course I was at soccer practice with my kids.) Here is what came out of it:
1. Regarding Repair of my Volvo: Volvo Corporate is sending a specialized Volvo Engineer to Pasadena on December 9th. His/her mission is to spend a couple of days (at Rusnak) examining my car & my service records with a fine tooth comb, to get to the bottom of all my issues. Volvo recognizes it’s an issue that I have so many problems with my car, despite following recommended service schedules and Dealer suggested repairs, over the years. I’ll keep you posted on what they find.
2. Regarding Volvo Customer Care: In reviewing my case, Bill realized some of my conversations with different levels of Volvo Corporate (like the conversation I had with the President’s office) did not come up when he reviewed my file on his computer. Apparently, some conversations were logged under my name, others under my husband’s name. This is an issue, since Volvo is committed to resolving repeat complaints with due diligence. Bill suggested there may be a need to review Volvo’s internal systems for capturing customer issues. He is looking into streamlining his department. Update to follow.
3. Regarding Rusnak/Dealer Customer Care: The Dealer is really the customer service connection between the Customer and Volvo. If a Customer has an issue with their car, the Dealer’s role is to mediate between the Customer and Volvo to find a resolution. My argument (and apparently many of you out there) is that Rusnak (my Dealer) did not mediate on my behalf as I would expect. I had to try to get my voice heard at Volvo without their help. Therefore, my argument is that Rusnak failed to live up to it’s customer service promises. Volvo does have a responsibility to forward any feedback they receive on individual Dealers directly to them, and if they add up, Volvo will take measures to review how the Dealer is representing it’s brand, both on quality of work performed and level of customer service. But apparently, there is an agreement of confidentiality between Volvo and it’s Dealers, so unless the Dealer is doing such a poor job that Volvo decides to close it down, it may be hard for us individual customers to know what measures have been taken to ensure tougher standards. Therefore, it will be up to Rusnak/the Dealer to issue a statement on how they plan to enhance their level of Customer Service and Quality of Work. I have let Volvo and Rusnak know that I am waiting for Rusnak to issue an Office Statement to it’s Customer Base on these points.
4. My issues are being addressed. How about yours?: As Bill and I spoke, I told him there were many others out there that feel they are in a similar situation as I am — loyal customers, following service schedules, performing repairs as recommended by the Dealer. However, once they have a serious problem, they don’t feel they are getting the level of support expected. Here is what Bill suggest you do:
If you have a serious mechanical issue you feel needs to be addressed by Volvo, and you are not getting the support from your Dealer:
a) Contact 1-800-458-1552 or email Volvo Customer Care. In your message, mention Bill Casey’s name, and that will be a flag for him to review your case.
b) Send me an email with a summary of your case, and your contact information, and I will personally forward your case to Bill Casey’s direct email address, and he will contact you directly to discuss your issues.
If you have issues with the level of Customer Service or Quality of Work performed at Rusnak, or any other Volvo Dealer:
a) Email your issues and with what Dealer to Volvo Customer Care. You should expect a confirmation email or follow up phone call within 24 hrs, so that you know your voice is being heard. All feedback is being compiled and forwarded to the Dealers. And if one dealer is hitting critical mass, Volvo will review them.
b) Send me an email with the same information, that way I know what Dealer gets what feedback, and I can contact them on your behalf, to ask them to issue an official statement.
More to come.
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