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How to save money on your next Volvo service

Volvo servicing is now much cheaper, for those in the know.

Thanks to European legislation, you no longer have to be tied to high Volvo service costs, dictated by your local dealer.

In October 2003 new European legislation affecting the motor industry came into force called “Block Exemption Regulation” 14002002 (BER), and this now means that you can book your next Volvo car service online and save up to 50% on what you might pay at your local Volvo dealer.

Before the law changed it was difficult to have new cars within their warranty period serviced outside a franchised dealer. If you wanted to shop around for the best prices on Volvo servicing, your hands were tied.

The change in the law now gives every car owner the freedom to service their car away from the main dealers, and still have their warranty protected.

Thousands of Volvo car owners have now taken advantage of their new right and reduced their Volvo serving costs, whilst benefiting from the convenience of booking with national car service providers such as Service A Car.

Service A Car is a leading online car servicing network that prides itself on the quality of its Volvo servicing, their customer service and transparent pricing. Because the company is not tied to any particular car manufacturer, they are able to service any make of vehicle and compete freely in the market, on a like-for-like.

Every vehicle is rigorously serviced according to the manufacturer’s servicing schedule, using genuine recommended parts fitted by qualified technicians. This means that every Volvo car service fulfils the warranty criteria and there is no compromise on the servicing standards of a main dealer.

Companies like Service A Car, who fulfil the warranty criteria when servicing your Volvo, are able to maintain your service book, just as main dealer can – thereby protecting your warranty and helping you to maximise the resale value of your Volvo car.

Of course, booking direct with a national car servicing network has its own advantages:
·         You no longer have to do all the running around. Service A Car collects your Volvo in the morning and delivers it back that afternoon, free of charge
·         You pay a fixed Volvo service price, which can be up to 50% below the price at the Volvo servicing desk of your local dealer
·         No additional work is carried out without your agreement, which means no nasty surprises when it comes to paying the bill
·         Trained Customer Advisers are on hand throughout the day to keep you informed of progress, and report back on problems you asked to be investigated as part of your Volvo service e.g. knocks and rattles
·         Your Volvo service includes a free wash and vacuum clean
·         You simply pay with your credit or debit card and your car is delivered back to your home or work address.

Our advice for saving money on Volvo car servicing is to contact a national car servicing network, who is not tied to any one particular car manufacturer, like Service A Car.

So, before you book your next Volvo service, why not ask your local dealer to tell you the cost of the service (plus parts, oil and any extras) and then compare it with a fixed price quote from a national servicing network, like Service A Car?

Happy motoring,
Howard.
Chairman Service A Car

About the Author:

Service A Car is the fastest growing independent car servicing specialist in the UK with a network of over 500 garages nationwide.

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Volvo has been a longtime leader in the mommy-car milieu, a position that has imbued the Swedish company with a safety-oriented persona that’s given it the high ground in the family market. But that persona doesn’t translate very well with singles or young couples who want utility yet value cool above sensible.

If those priorities describe you, and you’ve been eyeballing compact urban utes such as the BMW X3, the Acura RDX, or, at the size/price periphery, the new VW Tiguan, here’s a ride that blends time-honored Volvo virtues with a generous dollop of style, performance, and even fun.

This doesn’t mean the XC60 deviates from Volvo’s dedication to keeping its customers out of the emergency room, though. The new crossover offers every safety feature—some standard, some optional—you can think of, plus one you probably wouldn’t. However, it’s also good to look at, readily identifiable as a Volvo, handsome within, reasonably agile, and capable of holding its own in the 0-to-60 department.

The basics: The XC60’s structure is based on the architecture that supports the V70 and XC70 wagons, as well as the S80 sedan. It’s basically a front-drive unibody, although the first wave of XC60s will be all-wheel drive, using the Haldex 4 system. Like most contemporary all-wheel-drive systems employed in vehicles developed from a front-drive design, this particular setup sends most of the engine’s power to the front wheels the majority of the time, apportioning thrust to the rear wheels when the fronts begin to lose grip. That’s the universal all-wheel-drive crossover approach, but unlike most crossovers conceived primarily for urban duty, the XC60 promises to be fairly useful in trackless terrain, thanks to 9.1 inches of ground clearance, the most in this segment.

The XC60’s dimensions are at or near the top of the segment, too. At 182.2 inches, it’s the longest in the class (although it is tied with the Audi Q5). Its 109.2-inch wheelbase trails only the X3’s and Q5’s, while its 74.4-inch width and 67.4-inch height fall below only those of the Land Rover LR2. Size adds up at the scales, of course. Volvo lists curb weight at 4174 pounds, which is heftier than all but the porky LR2, which is yet another vehicle based on the same European Ford platform.

The XC60’s 3.0-liter inline turbo six (also offered in the XC70 and S80) churns up 281 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, best of this bunch, but Volvo forecasts 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, about a half-second slower than the RDX and nearly on par with the X3. Although it holds its own, the XC60 would be quicker but for its extra heft, which can be blamed for the disappointing 15-mpg city and 22-mpg highway fuel-economy estimates.

By: John Blackson

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