Volvo with Launch Control...

[steamship]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

And if something untoward had happened my insurers would no doubt have used it as an excuse to restrict their liabilty......

My thoughts exactly... Sir incorrectly fitted tyres to vehicle, therefore insurance is void.

[Adrian E]

If it had been a contributory factor in any accident, then it might've impacted on how the insurer chose to handle it (most likely based on a police accident report highlighting the error as a likely contributor), but the insurer is on the hook to deal with a claim unless there are very specific circumstances that allow them to come after you personally for recompense.

Luckily in the time you've had the car back I think we've only had a couple of days with heavy rain so the chances are you've not driven it at a point where the error has had a consequence, fortunately. My dad drove his Saab 900 Turbo soft top with a pair of incorrectly mounted directional tyres for about 3 years before noticing.....it never tried to kill him in wet weather.

In this case the dealer has failed to carry out a service (repairing the car) using 'sufficient care and skill' in trading standards parlance. The fact they're sending out a mobile fitter to resolve is a good thing, but depending on how apologetic they appear you could push for some further goodwill (depending on whether they've already given you anything for the engine failure and slow repair)

[HPsauce]

Thanks Adrian. I demanded a mobile fitter came to me; they didn't argue and organised it PDQ. They will be here tomorrow morning.

I've also notified Volvo Customer Care (ongoing discussion there anyway) who have given some compensation in the past. We got a Fortnum's hamper initially just for the slow diagnostic process! After lengthy discussion Volvo (Head office I think mainly) paid a significant portion of the cost, though it was way below what I thought they should.
The ongoing discussion is largely about what tests Volvo are doing on the failed engine, which has been returned to them, and what the conclusions are. That may lead to further debate about their liability and contribution.

[tintin]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

Thanks Adrian. I demanded a mobile fitter came to me; they didn't argue and organised it PDQ. They will be here tomorrow morning.

I've also notified Volvo Customer Care (ongoing discussion there anyway) who have given some compensation in the past. We got a Fortnum's hamper initially just for the slow diagnostic process! After lengthy discussion Volvo (Head office I think mainly) paid a significant portion of the cost, though it was way below what I thought they should.
The ongoing discussion is largely about what tests Volvo are doing on the failed engine, which has been returned to them, and what the conclusions are. That may lead to further debate about their liability and contribution.

This sort of shoddy main dealer treatment is exactly the sort of behaviour that was a key trigger for me switching from Audi to Tesla - whom I've never had a similar issue with, in seven years.

It's definitely worth pushing/escalating if they've really messed you about, which it sounds like they have.

The fleet of performance Audis (RS6, RS7, etc, etc) which we had at our Portmeirion annual meeting were direct compensation from Inchcape for the crap treatment I'd got from their Stockport dealer, so it's worth pursuing, if appropriate

[HPsauce]

I've had no response yet from Volvo Head Office about this latest nonsense, but I did only email them on Thursday afternoon....
They have always responded within a few days in the past, though I haven't always liked what they said!

To be fair my main complaint is against Volvo not the dealer network, it's not the dealer's fault that the engine block failed. Though they were pretty crap at diagnosing it.

[johnny_quattro]

Originally Posted by Adrian E

Our S5 has it, but it's never been used. feels far too much like drivetrain abuse to attempt it! I'm sure it's mainly there to deliver the quoted 0-60mph times in the brochure, with little regard to mechanical sympathy

Alert - thread hijack!

Please tell me more Adrian E, as I didn't know the S5 had launch control. To me, it already has more than enough power to deal with the traffic light races you sometimes encounter. I've given it the onions from standstill but nothing more. I'd probably err on a similar side of caution as I don't want to grenade the DSG but not knowing HOW it's done is bugging me now. Can you enlighten me?

Cheers
John G

[Adrian E]

To be honest, I can't remember the process - I only bothered looking at the counter for how many times it'd been used as part of the pre-purchase inspection, as if it'd been launched a lot at 2 years old I probably wouldn't have bought it!

[steamship]

Originally Posted by johnny_quattro

Can you enlighten me?

Check out the posts #1 and #28 in the following thread. Instructions on how to do it and vehicle requirements:

https://www.a5oc.com/threads/2011-s5...control.14436/

[johnny_quattro]

Thanks for all the information. I shall have a read.

Cheers
John G