Mechanic fails to replace coolant cap, overheats, engine damage. Volvo and mechanic deny responsibility. V50. (Engine Overheating Volvo V50 Indicator Lights)

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Question Details Asked:Jan 10, 2013 - 02:31 PMStatus:Closed

gregnal	Mechanic fails to replace coolant cap, overheats, engine damage. Volvo and mechanic deny responsibility. V50. I have a 2010 V50 with 35,000 miles and 3 years to go on the warranty. A 30,000 mile service was done 9-21-12. It was serviced for an ABS light on 12-8-12 and they also checked all fluid levels. My heater failed around 12-17-12. I assumed it was a fuse or electrical. On 12-25 after driving an hour on the freeway, a red engine light flashed on and went off when I decelerated. I stopped, checked the oil, which was within the cross-hatched area of the dip-stick, but on the low end. My temp gauge was below 12oclock. The engine looked clean. I returned to the freeway. 30 minutes later the light flashed on and went off as soon as I stopped on the freeway. Temp gauge was the same. It was 3:00 a.m. on Christmas. No service stations were open, temp and oil were okay, so I continued on at 25 mph. 10 minutes later the light went on again. I stopped immediately. The red light stayed on and this time the temp gauge literally flipped into the red zone. Smoke was coming from under the hood. I called AAA. The tow truck driver looked under the hood and showed me a missing coolant cap and the tank was completely empty. It was towed to a dealer who found the coolant cap placed in a well behind the left headlight. Threads intact on the cap, coolant tank rim intact, so no evidence it "blew off." I have a cracked head gasket, an oil leak, hydrocarbons in the coolant and probably major engine damage. It was about 1,000 miles since the previous service and 3 months since the 30,000 mile service. Volvo say it's mechanic error and not covered under warranty. The two dealerships say the car could not be driven for 10 days or 1,000 miles without a coolant cap, let alone 3 months since the full service. Volvo tells me I have to pay for the engine overhaul because there is no reasonable explanation for the car to function with a missing coolant cap. So I have a 2 year old car, routinely serviced at Volvo dealerships, still under warranty, that may be a total loss. And somehow no one is responsible. I'm pretty sure the cap didn't sprout hands, twist itself off and crawl to the headlight well. I believe the coolant sensor failed to function, the engine light did not come on and the temperature gauge failed to record elevated engine heat AT ANY TIME EVER prior to the overheat. Does this trigger coverage under the Federal Emissions Warranty (these parts are listed under the warranty) Defective or defective design? How long can a car run with a missing coolant cap? If the sensor and temp gauge were functioning, I could have discovered the missing coolant cap before the engine self-destructed. Any suggestions?
	In Maintenance & Repair > Engine > Overheating In Makes & Models > Volvo > V50 In Maintenance & Repair > Engine > Indicator Lights 3 answers - 135 days ago
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mr_shiftright 01/10/13 7:36 pm PST

This is a tough one, because of the time lapse between the service and the incident. I'd hate to be the referee on this one during a mediation hearing!

Couple of suggestions and I hope they don't seem "lame"--

1. Could you possibly claim this under a road hazard clause in your comprehensive insurance policy?

2. you could write/call the Volvo Zone Office and explain the situation and ask for "factory participation"---maybe they'll do something like a 50/50 goodwill split. It's not all you want but given the vague area of responsbility here, it's better than nothing.

3. Consult an attorney and try to make the dealer's "errors and omissions" insurance pay for it.

I really doubt that the Volvo factory would honor this as a straight warranty claim.

I can also tell you what the other side will say:

1. cap came off because someone else touched it and put it back wrong

2. owner didn't stop when red light was on, and the reason the temp gauge didn't show HOT was because the coolant was already missing---a temp gauge cannot read "steam" (which is true, it can't read when the cooling system is already empty).

I'm really sorry this happened to you---it's a very tough situation to deal with, but given that the stakes are pretty high, you're going to have to summon up all your patience and negotiating skill to try and salvage all or part of it.

gregnal 01/10/13 8:52 pm PST

Mr. Shiftright,
Thank you for your advice. After sending a letter to Volvo of North America with the above info, they called this afternoon and said they would cover everything as a "one-time" courtesy. I was shocked. I can only assume that I may have been correct that the Federal Emissions Warranty may have applied because the sensor and gauge didn't register any engine problems. If a light goes off when my tire is going flat, you'd think a light would go off to tell me my coolant is low. I asked about an after market coolant level sensor, which I know Mercedes and other manufacturers are placing in their cars, but the Volvo guy didn't know of one. I don't know if the cap popped off and just happened to land in the headlight well or if the Volvo engine is so resilient that it can withstand loss of coolant for lengthy periods - since I don't know when most of the coolant finally burned off.

However, the service manager offered to give me a tutorial on the fluids, caps and various things I should check, even after the car has been serviced, to ensure I don't fry another engine.

It's really crazy that the entire engine can be destroyed by the lack of a fluid sensor. I can't add one while it's under warranty, but I'm sure going to look into it when it expires. Big mystery. Maybe they'll find another explanation when they tear it down. Thanks again.

I should add that I am very appreciative of Volvo's good faith gesture in repairing the car.

mr_shiftright 01/10/13 9:01 pm PST

Well that's a real score for you! I was quite worried that they might stonewall you. You just never know how the factory will handle something like this--it's the unpredictability of their response that makes giving advice so difficult.

Anyway, all's well that ends well. I'm not sure either why you didn't get more of a warning of overheating---you'd think they'd make the car with all kinds of bells and whistles to warn of such a drastic condition.

Congratulations, in any event, and I hope the car continues to give you pleasure in the future. Thanks also for the follow up feedback.

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