Thursday, March 29, 2012

No end in sight



There is still no end in sight with the dispute with Mc Carthy Volvo regarding the repairs to my car. here's what I said on Hello Peter complaints....

I have lost faith in the Volvo brand, which I had thought was "for life". It seems that after 3 years there is a vastly reduced re-sale value and after 5 years the car is ready to be thrown away. At least this is my experience. With a cracked cylinder head after 150 000 kms it seems that not much can be done. Mc Carthy Volvo, the dealers in South Africa, are ready to put a new engine in at an estimated cost of R70000,00, alternatively offer R35 000,00 on a trade-in. Failing that you have to remove it from Volvo if you want an outside repair job, after which Volvo wash their hands of the car as it has been touched by a non-Volvo repair shop. So is "for life" only 5 years in fact! The car does 0 - 100kms in so many seconds, but from R300000,00 to zero in only 5 years!

On top of this the Pinetown dealership closed and they are offering that I can come and pick the car up in pieces in the closed workshop.. Could not even see all of the engine parts there when I went to have a look. Shame on you guys!    

Monday, March 12, 2012

Getting the right amount of FUEL?



I am still puzzled (see Dec story) by the short-delivery of fuel from the petrol stations where I get my mogas (95 unleaded car petrol from the same stations you fill up your car) for my aeroplane. Not getting any consistent quantity of fuel in my container, I brought it inside to check my measurements with a measuring jug. This proved that my original lines on the petrol container were more or less correct and that I am being short-changed when I refill the container.

The exception was Saturday when my container was again fiulled up to the line... it almost seems that the measuring device the petrol stations use depends on the weather or air pressure, so that when the QNH is lower you get more fuel? Is this possible? How do the petrol station's bowser dispensers work and does air pressure affect the accuracy of these?

I have asked Wendy Knowler of East Coast Radio's Consumer Watch to investigate, as at R11 a litre, a 2l shortage on every 25l fuel sold means about R25 per car tankful of petrol consumers are being overcharged nationwide (when the weather is good?) Does the sunny-day filling up of your tank subsidise those who fill up on a rainy day?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Life ends for Volvo

I thought Volvo was for life... isn' that what the adverts say? Apparently NOT.

My Volvo is only 6 years old. I would maybe just be starting my first school year at that age, not ending my life? But the end is nigh for my Volvo.

It started with a warning light that the car was overheating. After spending R8000,00 changing the water pipes and water reservoir (can you believe that Volvo sell the plastic water bottle for R600?!!!)... the repair guy said that he actually thought it needed a head gasket change as well and quoted me R13000,00.

So we towed it to McCarthy Volvo Pinetown for a second opinion. Volvo kept the vehicle for a few days and ran their full diagnostics test using the latest equipment Volvo has to offer. Nope, they said, the previous service guys must have been ripping us off. There is nothing further wrong with the car and gave it a clean bill of health. The service manager was even so kind as to drive it home for my ex-wife.

Alas, the car broke down on the highway home.. no problem said the service manager Dominic, just let it cool for a bit and I can drive it back again to Volvo Pinetown for more tests. Well the car got cooked by the time it arrived back at Volvo Pinetown and now Dominic says it needs a R70 000,00 new engine as the old one is so cooked the head cylinder is distorted and cracked. And Volvo wants me to pay for this!!!

My R70 000 repair?
They say it had a pre-existing problem and it's not their fault... pre-existing like they gave it a CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH PASSING ALL TESTS AND NOW IT HAS A THROW-AWAY COOKED ENGINE!!! This is bulshit!!

What happened to Volvo for Life? I even offered to buy a new car from them if they could share some of the repair costs and build it in to the sale of a new vehicle. But all they did was put a new car salesman on to me and offer me R35 000,00 for the trade-in on my "old" car (which has a book value of R140 000,00). Is this how Mc Carthy Volvo like to do business?

Facebook shows Volvo complaint


Facebook is a powerful networking platform and my complaint about my treatment from Mc Carthy Volvo has made their home page. I wonder how long it will last there? However this will just be the start of my campaign unless I receive fair treatment from this motor giant in South Africa. The small guys should not be trodden on by them when they are trying to sell cars that are supposed to be FOR LIFE.