[CDR114]

This whole issue with the SPA vehicles and VIDA has me irritated and been a strong disincentive to purchase a newer Volvo. My wife's new V90CC is a CPO car so I won't have to deal with maintenance issues for a few years, but I dread after the CPO warranty expires. I purchased a genuine DICE unit a number of years back because I own a number of Volvos (5 plus servicing my sister in-laws V70CC) and the VIDA software allows me to do a lot of routine and easy services without traveling 40 miles to the dealership and wasting a whole day. Example is lubricating the roof on my 2007 C70, an easy job if you know all the lubrication points which VIDA supplies. I don't mind paying for information, but a $75 dollar charge for every 3 days is excessive for owner maintenance. I don't need the software updates, I let the dealer do that stuff. The annual charge is even more ridiculous to access servicing information. A loyal Volvo owner may have to switch brands if a more equatable solution is not offered to access information.

A more recent example illustrates my point. Several months back, I lost my entertainment system on my 2010 S40. Hooking up to VIDA I resolved the problem in 10 minutes as the diagnostic progression led to to a CAN bus re-interrogation.I initiated this easy process and the entertainments system was back. A simple computer glitch which was easily fixed and I was still a happy Volvo owner. If this happens to my wife's V90CC in 7 years, I will have to take it to the dealer waste a day and pay at least $200 to resolve the same problem. I then would not be a happy Volvo owner. Yes I could pay the $75, but if it was something more serious, it would still go to the dealer and I would be out the $75 plus whatever the dealer cost would be to resolve the problem.

Maybe a solution would be if Volvo reimburses the $75 on related maintenance costs or just lower the cost to say $25 per day and no software update capability.

 

[CDR114]

You have to have certain training and qualifications before you can connect/diagnose/download to SPA cars as a technician. We dont need joe blows frying computer modules or turning the car upside down by screwing around with VIDA and then trying to claim warranty.

I realize that you are making a generalization, but generalizations are dangerous. My father ran an independent auto repair facility so I am well familiar with the mechanical aspects of vehicles. I have worked as an IT professional with an engineering background and currently work for a company that has designed controls for vehicle CAN-BUS systems, so I know the inner workings of vehicle computer modules. As a result I don't think I will be frying any computer modules. In addition, if you carefully read my post, I indicated that my concerns are after the warranty period is up. All service for my vehicles, while under warranty, are done at the dealer, even when some of this service is substandard by my own personal standards. I also stated that I was not interested in doing downloads as I know that is a very critical task that can be disrupted by numerous issues so I leave that always to the dealer because if they have a problem then they are responsible for resolving it.