[vinya_jag]

A million Thanks Psispace.

I was looking for this exact breakup of service costs for a car of this class.

We were recently test driving an A-class hatch, a second hand car. The prices looked alright, but was surprised to see service costs that were as much as 1.63L on its 7th, with not much repair going in there.

This should be an eye opener for anyone planning on their Big 4 purchase, the Servicing costs and Insurance money.

Added to this, for Indian car owners, having a spare wheel eating up half of the boot could also be a big issue, for these rear wheel drive cars.

[neeraj0272]

I just read your great review and detailed breakup of service costs which would help potential buyers a lot.

This is a great color with classy interiors.

However I think service costs are pretty much on the higher side considering one part appeal for buying an expensive product is durability and especially for a brand like Volvo which evokes stressless ownership.

I had an automatic diesel A4 for 10 years run 65k. I had only a single battery change at 5 years, one time brake pads replacement at 44k, one time tyres change at 30k and I also got suspension o/h at 60k. And I was disappointed at stock Pirelli tyres finishing up at 30k km and suspension o/h at 60k km! Besides this the only expenses were either on touch up jobs or oil changes.

I got the car serviced by Audi for first 5-6 years only and later managed on my own. When I sold my car, even the used cars dealers appreciated my clean car.

So comparatively I would figure that your Volvo's maintainace costs are rather high.

[psispace]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

I just read your great review and detailed breakup of service costs which would help potential buyers a lot.
This is a great color with classy interiors.

Thanks a lot

I had an automatic diesel A4 for 10 years run 65k

I got the car serviced by Audi for first 5-6 years only and later managed on my own. When I sold my car, even the used cars dealers appreciated my clean car.

Perhaps the roads at your place are good and you had lesser running.
Whatever said, you are quite lucky. I am quite envious of your ownership costs. Even my wife's Polo GT has had more service requirement than that !

It would be interesting to know how it is faring with the new owner.

Comparatively I would figure that your Volvo's maintenance costs are rather high.

Compared to yours' quite high indeed.

I was told the alternator of my Volvo is recommended replacement at 100,000 km. Since my car was at 10th year service, I was advised early replacement at next service. This was to save 65k from the present service bill. It looks like that couldn't wait. 4 months later, as if on cue, last week, the alternator gave up and I had to limp back home at night. Just got the car back yesterday after replacing the alternator for the aforementioned cost.

All said, yours is the lowest running cost I have heard of, for any German car.

[AmGu]

Firstly, i'm impressed how good your car is looking after 10 years!! I am sure most people will be surprised to hear it is 10 years old.

Running costs (high or low) are always going to be relative depending on who / where /how the cars are used. Having a 6 year old S60 (my purchase being inspired by psispace's original review!), I can say that running costs are lower than German cars for sure.

As far as battery replacements, i prefer to replace my car batteries every 3 years regardless of condition as i don't want to ever be stuck - just a personal preference.

I have owned all three Germans over the years, and my E class definitely runs up a higher bill than my Volvo whenever it goes for servicing. The Volvo has definitely been as (or more reliable) than the M-B.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

However I think service costs are pretty much on the higher side considering one part appeal for buying an expensive product is durability and especially for a brand like Volvo which evokes stressless ownership.
I had an automatic diesel A4 for 10 years run 65k. I had only a single battery change at 5 years, one time brake pads replacement at 44k, one time tyres change at 30k and I also got suspension o/h at 60k. And I was disappointed at stock Pirelli tyres finishing up at 30k km and suspension o/h at 60k km! Besides this the only expenses were either on touch up jobs or oil changes.
I got the car serviced by Audi for first 5-6 years only and later managed on my own. When I sold my car, even the used cars dealers appreciated my clean car.
So comparatively I would figure that your Volvo's maintenance costs are rather high.

Your Audi A4's super low maintenance need are surely a national record of some sort. Never ever heard of such little maintenance even on a Toyota Camry let alone a German car. You should write to Audi and let them know. I'm sure they are eager to get such information from users.

A lot of what member @psispace has invested in are optional-elective items and denting-painting repairs. On the whole relative to the German 3 + JLR these look reasonable for a 10 year old car IMHO.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Your Audi A4's super low maintenance need are surely a national record of some sort. Never ever heard of such little maintenance even on a Toyota Camry let alone a German car. You should write to Audi and let them know. I'm sure they are eager to get such information from users.

I told my my A4 maintainance costs at actuals. And I expect every car to perform the same.
I accept that I never went by Audi's service book and maintained my car on my own for 9.5 years and now I see that I have done rather well.

I never faced a second of downtime with my car in these 10 years. I had only a single episode of battery, tyres, brake pads, suspension change and I drove exclusively in peak Delhi traffic.

I have very low regards for Audi and indeed VW group as a whole due to my experience with them. One reason was their dieselgate and how they fooled Indian customers including me by being actually deceitful in hiding their involvement in dieselgate. Other being their Gurgaon dealer/workshop who shut shop and I had to suffer financial loss due to them. Audi didn't have the courtsey to even send me an email to inform me regarding the situation wrt to this dealer.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

A lot of what member @psispace has invested in are optional-elective items and denting-painting repairs. On the whole relative to the German 3 + JLR these look reasonable for a 10 year old car IMHO.

There is a movie scene where Amitabh Bachan sings praises of his friend for a matrimonial alliance to an elderly lady.

This thread reminds me of that scene. I salute @psispace for giving a detailed account of his ownership but nowhere it can be said that for a car run 82000km in 10 years these are reasonable maintainace expenses. This car has 4 set of tyre changes, 6 counts of brake pads replacement, 3 counts of battery changes, some kind of suspension repairs every alternate year from 5th year onwards, miscellaneous parts going bust and so on

I never took Volvo for a racing car where performance is such supreme importance that you have to discard tyres after every few laps!

Originally Posted by psispace

I was told the alternator of my Volvo is recommended replacement at 100,000 km. Since my car was at 10th year service, I was advised early replacement at next service. This was to save 65k from the present service bill. It looks like that couldn't wait. 4 months later, as if on cue, last week, the alternator gave up and I had to limp back home at night. Just got the car back yesterday after replacing the alternator for the aforementioned cost.

Are you giving Volvo/workshop credit for advising you regarding this alternator replacement?

Seems to me that you car is significantly below the Volvo recommended mileage i.e. 1,00,000 km. That means Volvo recommendations don't mean a thing and Volvo parts can fail anytime leaving car owners stranded anywhere?

Shouldn't it be the case that these recommendations have some conservative margins say 25% so that a customer not face the kind of ordeal that you faced?

[androdev]

@neeraj0272, your low ownership costs of A4 are impressive and clearly an exception - 44K km till first brake pad job means you are a very good driver and your traffic conditions have been very favourable. 20K km brake pad replacement is almost the norm for many cars in this category. 60K km in most cars requires only routine service. Interesting things start happening after 80K km in most of the cars.

Many of us buy these luxury cars after factoring in "worst case scenario" and some sort of "ball park estimation" of average annual expenses. In my opinion, Rs 50K per year during first 5 years and 1L per year during the next 5 years is something most luxury car buyers would consider reasonable and will not be overly concerned. If a manufacturer offers 10L all inclusive package (service and warranty) for 10 years, you will have many takers. How the car holds up in terms of safety, driving comfort, how the car ages in look and feel, professionalism of sales and service staff, etc. carry a lot more weightage in customer satisfaction than variation in cost of ownership. By definition, luxury cars are not value for money and customer experience is not driven entirely by the financial aspect.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

I told my my A4 maintainance costs at actuals. And I expect every car to perform the same.
I accept that I never went by Audi's service book and maintained my car on my own for 9.5 years and now I see that I have done rather well.
I never faced a second of downtime with my car in these 10 years. I had only a single episode of battery, tyres, brake pads, suspension change and I drove exclusively in peak Delhi traffic.

Good for you. Maybe you are an exceptional driver. Never heard of brake pads in an automatic lasting that long. Maybe your particular car was exceptionally lucky. Either way good for you. As member @androdev writes, the real challenges come after the 60 or 65k mark.

There is a movie scene where Amitabh Bachan sings praises of his friend for a matrimonial alliance to an elderly lady. This thread reminds me of that scene.

I have absolutely no clue what you are talking of but my sense tells me you are not being polite. BTW I am married to an elderly lady too.

....but nowhere it can be said that for a car run 82000km in 10 years these are reasonable maintainace expenses. This car has 4 set of tyre changes, 6 counts of brake pads replacement, 3 counts of battery changes, some kind of suspension repairs every alternate year from 5th year onwards, miscellaneous parts going bust and so on

I never took Volvo for a racing car where performance is such supreme importance that you have to discard tyres after every few laps!
Are you giving Volvo/workshop credit for advising you regarding this alternator replacement?
Seems to me that you car is significantly below the Volvo recommended mileage i.e. 1,00,000 km. That means Volvo recommendations don't mean a thing and Volvo parts can fail anytime leaving car owners stranded anywhere?

Sir, we can all express ourselves without getting snarky or acerbic in our expressions and maintain respect for the author of the thread and other members. This is one of the best and longest running threads and all of us who contribute to it have maintained a certain professional dignity. Let us not bring social media culture in here. Thank you.
PS: It also helps to use spell check.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by androdev

@neeraj0272, your low ownership costs of A4 are impressive and clearly an exception - 44K km till first brake pad job means you are a very good driver and your traffic conditions have been very favourable.

Delhi traffic has taught me that you dont reach your destination any sooner by accelerating hard and then braking hard. So I drive in a relaxed manner. Not slow but just relaxed! And No, Delhi traffic conditions are not favorable to anyone.

Originally Posted by androdev

20K km brake pad replacement is almost the norm for many cars in this category. 60K km in most cars requires only routine service. Interesting things start happening after 80K km in most of the cars.

Many of us buy these luxury cars after factoring in "worst case scenario" and some sort of "ball park estimation" of average annual expenses. In my opinion, Rs 50K per year during first 5 years and 1L per year during the next 5 years is something most luxury car buyers would consider reasonable and will not be overly concerned. If a manufacturer offers 10L all inclusive package (service and warranty) for 10 years, you will have many takers. How the car holds up in terms of safety, driving comfort, how the car ages in look and feel, professionalism of sales and service staff, etc. carry a lot more weightage in customer satisfaction than variation in cost of ownership. By definition, luxury cars are not value for money and customer experience is not driven entirely by the financial aspect.

I will admit that this A4 was my one and only 'luxury' car that I have used. Before that I owned a M800 and a Honda City for 8 years each, both run 80000kms and both were manual. I had to get both clutch o/h & suspension o/h for M800 and only Suspension o/h for Honda City. I never faced the maintenance costs that members here are describing as normal for these luxury cars.

I dont consider these German brands to be 'Luxury' and in fact I expect low maintenance costs from these brands and especially Volvo which we are discussing in this thread. To me brand Volvo evokes an image of reliability & safety. Reliability to me includes durability and my query is why these cars cant use durable products? Why their brake pads have to be replaced so soon when even non-luxury cars can manage longer runs?

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Good for you. Maybe you are an exceptional driver. Never heard of brake pads in an automatic lasting that long. Maybe your particular car was exceptionally lucky. Either way good for you. As member @androdev writes, the real challenges come after the 60 or 65k mark.

I dont have any technical knowledge about cars so can you tell me why brake pads in an automatic behave differently to a manual car?
Maybe its true that after a certain usage say 65000 km or a certain age say 10 years, cars begin to disintegrate at an accelerating rate or certain car parts like rubber parts have to be replaced. But again I would expect better from famed German engineering. They certainly know how to make steel bodies and panels for their cars. Why cant they apply same engineering to moving parts of a car? I have known of Marutis & Hyundais besides obviously Toyotas & Hondas to last 15 years then why shouldn't these German cars?

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I have absolutely no clue what you are talking of but my sense tells me you are not being polite. BTW I am married to an elderly lady too.

Obviously you haven't seen this movie clip and no marriage proposal is not for the elderly lady but for her daughter to the young buck Dharmendra. Besides I am not so young either

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eCxrHiCyEM

I think this movie clip aptly reflects the ongoing conversation regarding maintenance of this particular Volvo.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Sir, we can all express ourselves without getting snarky or acerbic in our expressions and maintain respect for the author of the thread and other members. This is one of the best and longest running threads and all of us who contribute to it have maintained a certain professional dignity. Let us not bring social media culture in here. Thank you.
PS: It also helps to use spell check.

Regarding snarky or acerbic, I bring to your attention the following comment. I apologize for my any unintended comment.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Your Audi A4's super low maintenance need are surely a national record of some sort. Never ever heard of such little maintenance even on a Toyota Camry let alone a German car. You should write to Audi and let them know. I'm sure they are eager to get such information from users.

Why should a customer seek approval/appreciation from a manufacturer on receiving his due services/products? I paid them in full and expect in return to be fully satisfied with their products.
I have already expressed my views regarding Audi.

Also my own opinion is that when a customer is giving feedback to a company, that feedback is like data goldmine for that company to stay ahead against competition and earn future profits. So Companies should incentivize their customers for providing feedback. It certainly gets irritating for me to keep on providing feedbacks for products bought with my own money. i expect a product to work as advertised/promised and if there is complaint from my end then that should be resolved. end of matter.
If a company wants feedback then that company should find ways to get feedback without inconveniencing its customers.


As for the original author of this thread @psispace I very much appreciate his effort in giving great details of his ownership of his car. I have learned much from his ownership details. I someday aim to do the same.
I gave my ownership details of A4 to share my experience and not to create any friction.

Indeed this forum is a great place to share our knowledge and have healthy discussions.

[psispace]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

Are you giving Volvo/workshop credit for advising you regarding this alternator replacement?

Seems to me that you car is significantly below the Volvo recommended mileage i.e. 1,00,000 km. That means Volvo recommendations don't mean a thing and Volvo parts can fail anytime leaving car owners stranded anywhere?

Shouldn't it be the case that these recommendations have some conservative margins say 25% so that a customer not face the kind of ordeal that you faced?

The recommended timings maybe based on international (European) driving patterns. Our roads and weather situations are a lot different.

Which is why, maybe, I was recommended an early change. I definitely should give them credit for this. Battery was apparently healthy. I was informed of this much in advance and was given option to change earlier or at next service. As for me 65k was a significant amount, the latter was my choice.

I would have been upset, of course, if my car was stuck for weeks together at the service center. But that was not the case. Get it back in three days.

Indeed this forum is a great place to share our knowledge and have healthy discussions.

True. Lets' keep it that way. I appreciate healthy criticism and I only see this that way. I was not offended in any manner. Sometimes we get a little emotional getting our point of view across and I understand that.

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

I think this movie clip aptly reflects the ongoing conversation regarding maintenance of this particular Volvo.

This is one of my favourite scenes in that movie.
But thats' how it is in this forum. We are all basically car lovers. We like to see the good in our cars and don't let small irritants get the better of us and ruin that relationship. Tere pyaar mein paagal

I am not so young either, and this got me a bit nostalgic
To keep with the 70s bollywood theme, this song from Prem Bandhan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9qFbvuYSJw

[NarulaAJ]

Hi,

I purchased a used Volvo S60 (2018) in September 2021, and got a pretty sweet deal. Pretty good condition I'd say, 30000 appx had been done in 3 yrs.

This car is a first in my family which comes in the 'luxury' category, and when was pretty shocked to hear the estimate cost of 60k made by the volvo service representative when it was due for a 4th service.
Apart from oil filters and oil change, the alternator belt is also due to be changed.

Today's a Saturday, and the SA says he'll give me the detailed estimate on Monday. I wonder if I have a choice to get it serviced anywhere else. Any good FNG in Chandigarh, or anyway I can get the amount reduced?

[Y@SH]

Hey,

I suggest you to avoid authorised service centres if you have reasonable knowledge of cars and also know a good /reliable garage who are competent with luxury cars.

I usually buy my own consumables and hand it over to the garage who charges me just for labour.

I own a Volvo too, at its 6th year now , never sent it for service at the dealership, no not even during warranty. Irrespective of the car this is what you should get replaced/checked.

-Engine Oil + Oil Filter (Check what grade is mentioned in the manual)
- Engine Air filter
- Cabin Air filter
- Inspect the brake pads/discs and clean , lubricate the caliper pins.
- Inspect the Timing belt
- Replace brake fluid if not done in the last two years.
- Grease door/bonnet/boot locks and hinges.

If you are sending it to a garage, at least buy the engine oil yourself , MoBil 1 imported ex Singapore. Usually that's where they garages cut corners and Ive seen people being charged for Shell, but the garage filling in Wurth.

After getting all this done, you have to take it to a specialist for wheel alignment / balancing.

[ShortShifter]

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Hey,

I suggest you to avoid authorised service centres if you have reasonable knowledge of cars and also know a good /reliable garage who are competent with luxury cars.

I usually buy my own consumables and hand it over to the garage who charges me just for labour.

I own a Volvo too, at its 6th year now , never sent it for service at the dealership, no not even during warranty. Irrespective of the car this is what you should get replaced/checked.

-Engine Oil + Oil Filter (Check what grade is mentioned in the manual)
- Engine Air filter
- Cabin Air filter
- Inspect the brake pads/discs and clean , lubricate the caliper pins.
- Inspect the Timing belt
- Replace brake fluid if not done in the last two years.
- Grease door/bonnet/boot locks and hinges.

If you are sending it to a garage, at least buy the engine oil yourself , MoBil 1 imported ex Singapore. Usually that's where they garages cut corners and Ive seen people being charged for Shell, but the garage filling in Wurth.

After getting all this done, you have to take it to a specialist for wheel alignment / balancing.

I Second this. I own a 2008 S80 V8 which is amongst the first models of P3 Volvo Generation which continued upto 2018. I avoid the dealer as much as i can as they are a true definition of Stealership in all sense.

I purchase all OEM Service parts & consumables either from the friendly neighbourhood European car spare part dealer in Hyderabad or import any major parts from www.volvopartswebstore.com and get my FNG to do the work in my presence for personal satisfaction, this means time and efforts but satisfaction is unparalleled.

Here are the list of the previous 75k Kms service parts and what it costed to service my car. Have changed all the fluids that comes with the car to keep it running smooth and it might hold true for S60 and other P3 models upto MY2018.

1. Mobil 1 0W40 Engine Oil 7 Litres (I purchase 2 x 4 Litres so as to keep some for Topup) - Rs. 7400

2. Volvo Original Air Filter - Rs. 4700

3. Volvo Original Oil Filter - Rs. 1700

4. Mahle Cabin Filter - Rs. 1000

5. Volvo Original Premix Coolant (5 Litres) - Rs. 5000

6. Rowe HIGHTEC ZH-M SYNT Power Steering Fluid (1 Litre) - Rs. 1350

7. Rowe HIGHTEC BRAKE FLUID DOT 4 Brake Fluid (1 Litre) - Rs. 1100

8. Volvo Aisin Warner JWS 3309 OEM Transmission Fluid (7 Litre) - Rs. 8000

9. Brembo Front Brake Pads - Rs. 7000

10. Brembo Rear Brake Pads with EPB - Rs. 4000

11. Continental Contitech Serpentine Belt - Rs. 1500

12. Haldex 3 AWD Fluid (1 Litre, Imported OEM Spec) - Rs. 6000

13. FNG Labour Cost + Volvo Vida Dice Diagnostics for SRS Airbag Light removal - Rs. 10,000

Total Cost = Rs. 51,350 including GST.

As you can see many of the fluids are part of major 75k kms service but rest are general service parts which need to be changed every 15k kms. The same job would have costed 2X/3X at the Stealership, so i would highly suggest to try out a good FNG who have expertise in European Cars and save up a lot of $$$, you can even save up a lot if you choose Aftermarket parts but somehow Volvo's perform optimum on genuine OEM spares than aftermarket, or maybe thats just me.

[psispace]

Originally Posted by NarulaAJ

Hi,
I purchased a used Volvo S60 (2018) in September 2021,
was pretty shocked to hear the estimate cost of 60k made by the volvo service representative when it was due for a 4th service.
Apart from oil filters and oil change, the alternator belt is also due to be changed.

Welcome to the club !
Sorry for the late reply. Just noticed my earlier reply didn't get posted (absent-mindedness on my part).

Thats' quite a high estimate for the services mentioned. Some dealers have a habit of breaking up a single work into multiple jobs in the bill and charging them individually (eg. wheel removal Rs.... and wheel refitting Rs.....). Check these and ask them to remove those and consolidate the bill.

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Hey, I suggest you to avoid authorised service centres if you have reasonable knowledge of cars and also know a good /reliable garage who are competent with luxury cars.

Originally Posted by ShortShifter

I purchase all OEM Service parts & consumables either from the friendly neighbourhood European car spare part dealer in Hyderabad or import any major parts from www.volvopartswebstore.com and get my FNG to do the work

you can even save up a lot if you choose Aftermarket parts but somehow Volvo's perform optimum on genuine OEM spares than aftermarket, or maybe thats just me.

These are great options if your car is out of warranty. I am assuming your 2018 model does not have extended warranty. Volvo parts are relatively expensive, so take that into consideration.

Again, here, having a knowledgeable and trustworthy FNG is key. Ideally someone with experience with Volvos.

If you were in Kerala I would have guided you to such a place run by two ex-Volvo service engineers outside Thrissur.

Fortunately for me, so far have not needed to go to them as I have a good rapport with the Kochi center.

Originally Posted by ShortShifter

I own a 2008 S80 V8 which is amongst the first models of P3 Volvo Generation which continued up to 2018.

Thats' a very desirable Volvo ShortShifter. A well known business house in Kochi had one. Complete with a fridge behind the center armrest. Used to ogle at it when I come to the service center. Don't know if they still have it.
This car is classy and worthy of an ownership review in itself. If you have already done so could you guide me to it.

[psispace]

11 Years, 90000 Km Update

Its' been 3 months since her 11th year anniversary. However, I delayed updating this thread to wait till the service gets over this year.

In November last year, the service indicator popped up. The alternator was due for replacement. This was carried out. The alternator itself costs 67,000. Some routine service was also completed and billed at 72,000.

I was told the rear brake pads would need replacement by 90000. So had the car picked up last month. However, on inspection they were good to go for another 5000km. Power steering fluid and coolant replacement were done instead and billed at 7000.

My service engineer also mentioned that a ' glow plug relay error' was seen which may cause a cylinder to misfire. A faulty wiring seemed to be the cause. He could not find it in preliminary inspection. As I asked for same day delivery, this was postponed to another day as it was a minor issue. Honestly, I could not see any deficit in performance or change in engine tone. But this definitely needs to be addressed lest it causes bigger issues.

Recently did a bit of travel to nearby hill sites and resorts. Although most of the roads were well paved, this took a toll on the tyres. The Michelins I had changed to in 2019 had run just 21,000km and should have lasted longer. But the fact that I was running them on lower pressures (30psi), and the roads, may have accelerated their wear. I always change tyres a little earlier than when they reach the tread indicator level. I am a little overcautious in this matter due to bad experiences with tyre miserliness in the past with other cars.

Unfortunately, Michelin is not very active in India in the premium tyre space. The only Michelins that were available with my size were a year old. As per the advice of the tyre expert in our Volvo group, changed to Continentals. These were the Conti Premium Contact 5 of the same 225/55 R17 size. Cost around 45,000 (a tad cheaper than the Michelins). Surprisingly, these tyres seem to tolerate 32 psi without the ride being harsh. So these should last a bit longer I guess. Performance seems adequate for my driving with no noticeable difference in grip. But I am certain they will not match up to the Michelins on performance. The Michelins were also much better in muting tyre roar. This becomes very apparent while driving on stretches of roads with concrete layering or tiles.

That sums up 21' - 22'.
11 years and I still can't let her go. If I have to better this, I have to shell out 60 to 80 big ones. Car prices have gone ridiculously high with equally ridiculous waiting times. With her running as well as she is, makes no financial sense to invest in a new one (it never does anyway ). But if the market scenario recovers well, I am definitely considering a change soon. An SUV / Crossover - Petrol / Hybrid with 4WD/AWD is what I desire. As for now, my S60 will suffice for most occasions.