I just bought a 10 year old Volvo wagon to ease my F-250 gas pains. The car looks nice, drives nice & the price was right ($2900.)

By day two I started noticing erratic electrical problems that kept recurring at intervals. I checked everything in the engine compartment & finally traced the problem to the steering column. Not wanting to mess with the SRS, I took it to my trusted mechanic...the entire interior wiring harness is fried & was melting plastic housings...would have caught fire soon.

So now...my choices are A: throw in the towel & part out the car, or B: invest maybe $1500 to $2000 more than the car is worth to TRY to get everything corrected, but then risk the possibility of further wiring problems.

PS: This was purchased from a dealer...it was a recent trade-in & the dealer insists he had no clue...everything worked fine during his test drive & mine.

 

volvo parts bring a good buck on ebay. my buddy and I used to part out volvo 240's. I'd prob go that route.

or, make sure she's insured and drive her till she melts down

 

Check the laws in your state governing safety issues and car dealer sales. Here in CA, the dealer would have either fix the problems or take a vehicle back if it has safety defects, whether the dealer knew about them or not. Something that would cause a fire IS a safety defect. As they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse. This applies to everyone, including car dealers.

 

Didn't they give some kind of warranty?


Bring it back to them and demand your money back if it is less than 30 days..

 

This is why I don't by used from the dealer. I've been burnt before too. Now if I buy used I buy from a buddy or a buddy's buddy.

 

THANKS to all...no warranty/as is sale at that price. Not sure if I have legal options but I'm waiting to hear if my comprehensive insurance will cover this...it would have if it had caught fire, so maybe I stopped driving it an hour or two too soon!

 

sounds like you could have just spent that $2900 on gas for your F-250 and have one less headache.

 

Sorry to heat about the issue, but MAYBE spending the cash is the way to go ( or parting it out if it makes sense).

None of this applies if there's a law covering the issue.

But, I try to get my vehicles to cost .10 per mile for the purchase price and major repairs/maintenance. This applies when the vehicle is pretty much transportation -- not something exotic or heavy duty that I really want/need.

For example, I bought an 88- F150 to get to work and do a little hauling. I got it for $1300, and if I wanted to get 13000 on it with no issues. Didn't work out. The clutch started slipping soon after I got it ( and I checked for that when I looked at it!). Then the Mazda 5 speed blew the 1st/reverse. ( a known weakness). So, now I've got 3500 in the truck -- and I need to get 35000 miles to make it pay.

Being a good I6 Ford, it did. I didn't quite get the miles myself because I finally gave it to my daughter and her husband. They beat the c**p out of it for 2 years -- they even hauled my daughter's rock garden when they moved to a new place! So, it more than made.10/mile.

Anyway, my point is that if your car is just transportation, cost of ownership
is one way to look at things. If you think that you stand a good chance of getting the miles on the car to justify a high buck repair, it might not be a bad investment. On the other hand, it is a risk. At your projected cost, this is probably the only big ticket repair that would be worth trying.

Just something to think about. Again, it's a shame that you took the hit.

good luck,

ford2go

 

In most cases, there is an "implied warranty" whether or not it is an "as is" sale. This goes for a private sale as well as a dealer.

If you want to repair it, the salvage yards are full of Volvo's and you should be able to find a harnness reasonably. You might get the entire steering column for a good price. jd