Volvo of Danbury - Terrible; Very Terrible

[lucentedg]

These guys are closer to my house than the Volvo dealer that sold me my car. I have gone to them a couple times for service, and had bad experiences.

The last time was the last time I will ever visit. I was having my brake pedal get soft as I held it down at a stop. Sounds like a simple vacuum leak, right? I brought it in to Volvo of Danbury and left it.

Later in the day, they called me and asked me to come in. They said they had bad news and I should sit down (like they were telling me I had cancer.) Then they showed me an estimate to replace pads and rotors on all four tires, and replace some vacuum pump. The pads and rotors were almost $2000 with parts and labor.

What these people did not know, is I had replaced the pads and rotors myself only a few months before, and I had used very good aftermarket part (cross drilled and vented rotors, ceramic pads). I asked why, when clearly the vacuum pump was the issue. They said, "This car is a precision piece of machinery. You cannot use anything but OEM Volvo parts on it. We cannot warranty this repair if we do not replace the whole system because we can't know if it is the vacuum pump or these aftermarket parts that is causing the problem."

What complete rubbish! Even if that were the case, you would replace the pump first and check to see if the problem was solved. The pads and rotors have nothing to do with brake fade, unless they are overheating, which is why I had vented rotors and ceramic pads. I ignored their nonsense and replaced the vacuum pump; problem solved.

This is just one of several similar experiences I have had with these guys. Terrible, and borderline unethical, every time. I would never bring another car there, or consider buying a car there.