Car Saga ...

[texchan]

Car Saga is annoying. *sigh*

So, my car (my NEW car) sometimes doesn't start. It's done this ever since I brought it home. But it doesn't do it all the time. And I can't predict when it will do it -- as in, what kinds of factors lead to it not starting. Just, sometimes, I will turn the key and nothing happens. The radio will come on, the lights will come on, the AC comes on ... but the car doesn't start. There's no click of the starter turning over ... nothing. When it happened the first few times, I did not take it back to the dealer. That is my mistake, period. It was stupid of me, but I just kept thinking: "This is a new car, darnit. There can't be anything wrong with it." And I didn't want anything to be wrong with it. So I buried my head in the sand, so to speak.

Needless to say, the problem didn't go away. It's still intermittent. It's still unpredictable. And it's still happening. The more it happens, the more I worry that I will end up stranded somewhere with a car that won't start at all. Even worse, that it might happen when my daughter is with me or when I have to be on the way to pick her up or something. Having a little kid, I just feel like I need to have a reliable car.

So I took it back to the dealer three days ago. For the "not starting" problem and because my bluetooth linkup wasn't working. It wouldn't recognize my phone at all. The dealer had the car for three days, and every call I got from them dealt with the bluetooth not working. That they had figured out the bluetooth issue. Or that they had determined that the bluetooth actually worked just fine, but the phone was hooked up incorrectly. And each time, I was like: "That's great. I can make phone calls. But what about the starter?" And then I would get a big bunch of nothing. *sigh*

Today, they call and tell me I can pick the car up any time after 1 PM, so that the technician who worked on it can show me the proper way to hook up the bluetooth. So when we called back (my hubby called, actually), they told him they didn't know why the car sometimes won't start. Basically, they couldn't find a reason for it, and they couldn't duplicate the problem. So they were releasing the car. I was so very ... Not Happy.

So I go to pick the car up. I had my hubby meet me there, because, truthfully, I feel like most repair places try to jack you around when you are a woman. I grew up with mechanics and people who worked on cars, etc ... so I can tell when guys are jerking me around. My hubby talked to the technician who worked on the car to find out exactly what they had done, etc. And the technician told us that, if it happens again (which I know, inevitably, it will), I need to bring it back. Because, then, they can escalate the issue to the next level and change out the starter or test the keys without Volvo's approval and without duplicating the problem in the shop. And, basically, that was all they could do for me at the moment.

I am still Not Happy. I told them so, in no uncertain terms. This car is only 7 months old, for crying out loud. It should not do this. It should start every time I turn the key. The first time, every time. Period. And I told them this, too. And everyone agrees with me. But it's like they really just don't give a shit, which is so frustrating. And I told them this, too. I didn't say "shit", but told them it seemed they were unconcerned about releasing a car that was not functioning properly. That was when they told me they could escalate things the next time I brought it in. I guess that makes me less unhappy than I was when I first went in there. I mean, at least, it seems like they will continue to work on the issue. But, still, I'm left with a car that I love but that, maybe, won't start when I need it to.

So ... freaking ... frustrating. Blehblehblehbleh.

(Oh. And the Bluetooth is working just fine. Whoopie. It turns out that it was hooked up through my phone and not through the car. And the technician told me it was "user error". But the funny thing is that our salesman from that dealership is the one who hooked the bluetooth up for me. So I told him it wasn't my "user error", but the dealership's "user error". So ... take that, Mr. Car Dealer Mechanic Guy. *blows raspberries*)

Comments

[lucidscreamer.livejournal.com]

Jeez, that sucks. And I think you're so right about the men at those places not taking you seriously or listening to you when you're a woman. I have always had the same problem and so does my mom. Get Dad or my brother to talk to the same guys and they're falling all over themselves to be helpful. Grr.

:hugs: Hope you can get the thing fixed permanently.

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

Yeah ... it's like having a penis automatically means you're "in the club". *eyeroll* Whatever.

It's ridiculous, but having my hubby talk to them worked so much better. I guess that's enough of a reason to keep him around -- LOLz!

*GLOMS you*

[animerei.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess at least you can use the Bluetooth when calling to complain about your car! I'm sorry to hear you've had such troubles with your brand new car. :(

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes! This is exactly the same thing I told them: "Well, hey, the car might not start, but at least I'll be able to call you to complain about it."

Oddly enough, no one laughed. =P

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Mm, yeah…my family always swore by Volvos. My parents have 2 and that’s what my old car was (just a ’94 940, nothing fancy.) Towards the end of me driving that it was spending so much time in the shop that I decided it was cheaper just to change cars than to keep fixing all of its problems. My Toyota is 6 years old, and I’ve owned it for half of that time…haven’t had any mechanical problems at all, the only maintenance it’s needed are oil changes. I was really fiercely loyal to Volvo the whole time I drove one, but since I’ve switched cars I’ve been a lot happier. My new car only uses about half as much gas too, although the new Volvos are probably more efficient than my old one. The one thing I will say though is that Volvos are significantly easier to change a tire on. And they handle snow better than my new car. I really felt like it was funneling all of my money to our mechanic though.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Oh…have you tried turning the wheel as far as it will go as you turn the key? I remember sometimes my Volvo wouldn’t start, but I could fix it by doing that.

I also remember my dad telling me about a really weird problem his car has where it goes into lockdown or something if you did something random to it. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but apparently it’s a common Volvo thing. I just emailed him to ask what it was, so see if it might be what your problem is.

Although I suppose if it was just some common quirky thing I’d hope the Volvo dealer would have known and been able to explain that you you….

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Okay so my dad's issue doesn't sound related to yours, but just for your reference this is what he told me:

I made a note in our manual, which I don't have at hand, but my recollection is, the battery died, so I pulled it out and had it recharged, but in doing so triggered the alarm system, which locked the ignition system down. So the symptom is, you try to start the car and nothing happens, not even the click of a dead battery. The cure is to get out of the car, lock it, then unlock it--I think to disengage the alarm system requires unlocking the door three times in quick succession...

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

Ah. Yeah, this doesn't sound like the same sort of thing. But -- I did one time accidentally set off the alarm on the car. I was standing there, hearing this alarm and thinking: "Whose car alarm is going off?" And then I realized it was MY car alarm.

Yep. Sometimes I am a rock star. (Obviously, not then ... but sometimes. =P)

Thanks for checking on this for me! I really appreciate it! *GLOMS*

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

I hadn't tried the steering wheel thing. I might try it next time, although it usually starts on the second try (when it doesn't start the first time). Like, I'll turn the key ... get nothing ... turn the key off again ... and then it will start the second time. So far, it hasn't refused to start totally. (Hopefully that makes sense ... I don't think I'm explaining it well. >.O)

The dealer mechanic told me they had searched all the service bulletins that were out on my model of car and didn't find anything about the starting issue. So, it seems like it's not a common sort of thing. =(

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

This one doesn't get the greatest gas mileage, just because it's an SUV. It's a beast ... but a benevolent one. (LOL)

Overall, I've always had pretty good luck with my cars. They've never needed a whole lot of "extra" work other than just regular maintenance like oil changes and switching out dead batteries, etc. This is my first Volvo, though, so I'm hoping it's not the start of bad things. I still adore the car. Absolutely love it. But I have to admit I do feel a little bit nervous, too. Which is a bit disappointing, considering the car is only about 7 months old. *sigh*

This one handles the snow really, really well -- as we found out this past winter when we got buried under those 50-something inches. >.O

[ravenmichiru.livejournal.com]

Wow that sucks. You know I can sympathize with car problems. If it happened only a couple of times, I would say vapor lock, but all the time? No idea.

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of hoping against hope that it turns out to be a faulty key. If that was the case, I would feel like I had gotten lucky. LOLz

Car problems are definitely irritating. Hopefully, everything will get ironed out in a good way, though. *tries to stay optimistic*

[dhampir-ronin.livejournal.com]

Dood. . . what did you type this entry on, anyway? Google is your friend. . . if you're having a problem it's likely other people have too. And if there's one thing about the 'net it's that people run right to it to bitch their eyes out. At least it would be a starting point for the mechanics. Even if they don't like you telling them what you think the problem is. :P

[tex-chan.livejournal.com]

I typed it on my Mac keyboard. Why? What's wrong with it? O_O

I already have a decent idea of several possibilities of what it could be, just from past personal experience and from talking to my dad, who is a mechanic. I told the mechanic at the dealer, but he pretty much ignored me. (As I figured he would. >.O)