2001 v70XC: Repeated repairs for oil leak with no resolution

j3sse · Post by **j3sse** » 08 Oct 2012, 09:11

I took my '01 XC to an import garage down the street from me initially to get the alternator replaced. I mentioned to them at the time that I had noticed a small oil leak and asked if they could track it down while the car's in for repair anyway. They replaced the alternator and said the leak was due to a faulty oil pan seal (a job that would take an additional couple of hours). So, I scheduled a follow-up appointment with them to get that taken care of. I could have taken it to my usual mechanic (who specializes in Volvo's and Audi's), but these guys were closer and more convenient and it seemed like a pretty straightforward fix.

The day of the appointment, I dropped it off in the morning and picked it up in the early afternoon. They said it was fully sealed and the oil leak was fixed. However, the next day I noticed there were 8 or so drops of oil underneath my car. So I scheduled another appointment to see why it was still leaking. They looked at the leak and said it was probably because something on the oil pan was loose. They tightened everything and didn't charge me.

A few days later I noticed that there were additional oil spots underneath my car in the same place (I was now putting a piece of cardboard there just to make sure these were NEW drops of oil). I called up the mechanic again to tell them what I was seeing, they had me bring it back. When I picked it up they said that the seal didn't adhere correctly, so they completely re-did it for no charge, they ran it for 45 minutes up on the lift and said they were seeing no leaks. At this point, I did not necessarily feel as confident in the repair so I continued to park over a piece of cardboard.

Again, I noticed 4-5 drops a day underneath my car all STILL appearing to come from the general area of the oil pan. So I brought it back (for those of you NOT keeping track, this is now the 4th time for this specific problem). They put in up on the lift and ran a device that allowed them to trace where any leaks would be coming from -- I got a call two hours later saying that the oil was not coming from the pan but from the return line that goes to the turbocharger (something I had read about earlier in posts on this forum). The mechanic was going to apply the same sealant they used for the oil pan at the junction so they didn't have to pull everything apart to address it (which would have required 3 hours of work). This was on Thursday, the 4th of October.

Today I pulled the car out of the driveway and sure enough there were 4-5 new drops of oil.

At what point do I say enough is enough? Am I within my rights to ask for a refund (I live in Western NY State, if that has a bearing on my consumer rights)? I don't think these guys are deceiving me as they have a good reputation and are earnestly taking time attempting to resolve the problem, but it seems this will NOT get fixed until I take it to my regular Volvo mechanic.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 08 Oct 2012, 11:54

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If a doctor gave a wrong diagnosis and remove a wrong part... As a last resort Small Claims could get back more than you paid for as compensation. But first ask for a complete refund for the Oil Pan job and if they do not comply open a depute with your Credit Card company. Over a decade ago had a shop do a simple brake job for one of six company vehicles I looked after. Told them no Chinese Rotors. They put Chinese Rotors on and shook like crazy. Told me they would turn it only (Yea, Right). Opened a depute and Credit Card company refunded entire amount.

If you paid by Credit let them go to bat for you if after speaking reasonably to the shop does not work!

Blessings,
BKM
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Post by **igel513** » 08 Oct 2012, 16:21

If the leak was coming from the turbo return line, a sealant wont fix the leak. They should have replaced the O ring that goes on the tube and into the oil pan. That is how I fixed my 03s60 oil leak.

Post by **boosted5cyl** » 08 Oct 2012, 16:42

They failed to diagnose the root cause of the problem, so the unnecessary work they did (pan gasket) should be on their dime. Sealant shouldn't be let anywhere near that return pipe. It's an oring seal that costs less than a dollar, yes its a little labor intensive but still they failed to find the leak in the first place.

Question is do you even want this place working on your car after this? Sealant on an oil return pipe after all this fapping around would put me off. Last thing you need is that stuff floating around in your oil pan and getting sucked onto or past the oil pickup gauze. Its a tough one to call. I think I'd be looking for a refund and going somewhere else. Might be like getting blood from a stone though.

If your PCV system has not been serviced, now would be a good time to consider.

j3sse · Post by **j3sse** » 08 Oct 2012, 23:02

I'd prefer they not continue to work on my car -- but feel like this needs to somehow be addressed. I don't think they are purposely doing a bad job, but it's obvious that some of the inner-workings of this car are TRULY foreign (pun intended) to them and I need to take it to my regular Volvo mechanic who owns the '02 model of this car and was essentially able to diagnose the problem over the phone when I called to tell him my predicament (this was BEFORE the other import garage had pinpointed it, but AFTER he told me how disappointed he was that I took it to someone OTHER than him).

Ultimately, I would just like a refund so I can pay my regular guy to do the job. But like you said... blood from a stone. I might just have to take my lumps and never stray again.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 10 Feb 2013, 11:16

I have had the turbo return line on my car repaired over and over again- still leaks.
The last time I did not have the kit with the o-ring...We used anaerobic sealer over a different o-ring (because the original one was broken)...leak is worse than ever. I agree, the parts that come from Volvo seem to be the only ones that truly work. Now I'm afraid that the pipe itself is part of the issue. A previous shop in trying to get the pipe clean to add adhesive actually ground it down a bit- I believe I'll have to replace the entire pipe for this leak to go away. Luckily for me, that previous mechanic who was going to replace the ail pan "gasket" (well, it's actually anaerobic sealer) cleaned the area enough to figure out it wasn't the pan at all but the turbo return line that was making it look like the oil pan leaking.