Volvo is a reputable Swedish company popular for manufacturing reliable cars, trucks and construction equipment. Millions of people are relying on their manufactured cars for transportation.
However, people have been questioning why Volvo service is so expensive nowadays compared to other car brands like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai or Audi.
In this article, we explained in detail why Volvo service is expensive and why people are still buying it despite the high cost of maintenance.
Why is Volvo Service So Expensive?
Volvo cars have expensive maintenance costs as a result of complex electronics, the expensive nature of hiring professional technicians, complex engines, the location of the battery, electrical problems and lack of aftermarket as the main reasons leading to the expensive pricing by dealerships and mechanics workshops.
1. Complex electronics
Most Volvo luxury brands come with super complex electronic wearing that assists in making the vehicle super cool and exquisite but difficult for an expert mechanic to wrap himself around it when the need arises.
The manufacturers have a reputation for having the most advanced and luxurious components in a single vehicle, however, in the process of loading such components, complex intertwining designs have to be developed to accommodate all the technologies in the limited space available.
This makes it not only confusing to a mechanic without the newest diagnostic gadgets but also to the parts of the car itself in such a way that a single problem with one part may negatively affect some other components in the Volvo.
2. Expensive professional mechanics
Volvo is a very brand, most of the mechanics and technicians for luxury brands’ bills are quite expensive because of the technicality and expertise required to service the car to your satisfaction as a customer.
Because the mechanics are experienced professionals, the amount of wages a dealership is paying them is always significantly higher than that of none luxury brand mechanics.
You can’t give your luxury vehicle to a roadside mechanic for repairs because he may end up causing more problems to the Volvo instead of addressing them due to a lack of technical skills and expertise.
3. Complex and difficult engine design
Volvo manufacturers created an engine so complicated that only a few experienced and patient technicians can understand and work on it appropriately.
The difficulty of their design is a factor through servicing it becomes very expensive in comparison with other cars within that category.
When anything is difficult and complex to work on like Volvo, it will take lots of expertise and time for the technician to be able to solve such issue unlike in other brands like Toyota which is easier.
The higher the number of people looking for Volvo technicians to solve their problems, the higher the prices of servicing will continue to increase because of the short supply of expertise in Volvo vehicles.
4. Battery location
Unlike most cars that you know with batteries in the engine area at the front, Volvo batteries are entirely different because they are located at the back of the car far away from the engine area.
The battery of a Volvo is located at the booth of the Volvo and covered with a material which you have to remove before you can access the battery.
So just imagine, that whenever your car failed to start as a result of the battery issue, you will come down and open your booth to inspect the connection. Weird right?
That is why mechanics and technicians charge more for servicing because it involves checking lots of things such as the battery wiring and connection to the engine among other extra checks that takes time and energy.
6. High-tech wearing out
Some Volvo cars are loaded with the newest technology that is not available in most vehicles to give the owner states of the art luxury, experience and comfort.
However, these high technologies that are loaded into the vehicle wear out in a few years and repairing those technologies is very difficult and sometimes impossible because only a few people have the technical know-how of doing it correctly.
When a luxury car is manufactured, the level of high technology attach to it is always sophisticated and requires lots of expertise for anyone who is going to handle it which is very rare to find.
However, the tendency of a Volvo to break down in the first few years is very low as a result of the qualitative components built into it.
6. Electrical problems
One of the biggest concerns of Volvo owners around the world is the issue of electrical problems prominent in many of the Volvos.
The complexity of their engine is what makes the distribution of electrical connections so complex and difficult that it keeps confusing technicians lots of time.
Moreover, Volvo engines use to fry those electric connections as a result of heat or during winter periods.
7. Depreciation
Volvo cars are one of the fastest cars in terms of price depreciation immediately after the warranty expires.
Recently one of our clients bought a brand new Volvo which cost lots of at a very high price but ended up selling it very low after only four years of usage by the owner.
This is because spare parts are costly, labour bills by dealership stores or independent mechanics, and frequent breaks among others the reason why Volvo doesn’t hold its resell value as a used vehicle.
8. Tight tolerance
The tolerance ability of a Volvo is very tight. Components, machinery, systems, computers, wiring and many other components are jam-packed into the car to make it smoother, faster, and more luxurious.
But this combination of components which serves as a source of strength to the Volvo is also it’s a main source of weakness because they can wear out easily.
Wearing out by one component always ends up affecting another which makes the cost of maintenance extra hard for the owner due to the number of components that needs servicing for greater performance of the vehicle.
9. Require speciality tools to repair
When we talk of special tools needed for serving and repairs of a luxury car, you will only understand it if you take a look at the internal components of any luxurious vehicle.
The complexity of the components, electrical wirings, and computer-controlled systems among many other innovative devices it a luxury vehicle, you will appreciate the need of using special tools for diagnosis and repairs of that vehicle.
The tools that are required for the diagnosis and maintenance of the vehicle are very expensive to obtain, a single tool will require as much as ten thousand dollars before a mechanic or dealership will have it at their disposal.
The huge purchase price of the product adds to the cost of maintaining your car whenever you bring it for servicing to a dealership.
If maintenance will cost a non-luxury car a hundred dollars, expect the maintenance of a luxury car to be four times higher than what you pay to service a Toyota or Hyundai.
10. Lack of aftermarket
When a car sold like Toyota sold millions of units of a vehicle in the world, lots of your parts will also be massively produced in anticipation of users needing it for repairing their Toyota.
However, for luxury brands that are not massively sold to the public, the needed spare parts will not be adequately produced for the few cars sold.
This indicates that most luxury vehicles lack aftermarket needs if you compare them with other generic brands with millions of units sold to the people.
The higher the number of units sold on a vehicle, the higher the chances of obtaining spare parts easily while the lower the number of units sold, the lower the chances of getting the spare parts when you need them even after payment is made.
Conclusion
Volvo cars are expensive to maintain for various reasons which include complex electronics, expensive professional mechanics, expensive cost of parts, high tech wearing out, tight tolerance, requiring speciality tools for repairs and schedule maintenance diagnosis, secondary location in the boot and a lack of aftermarket.