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Has anyone NOT had issues with the recharge?

40K views 166 replies 68 participants last post by  Greg S 
#1 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?
 
#3 ·
Aside from losing cellular connection, I've had no problems. And that only matters to me because I have a Spotify account and don't use my phone for Bluetooth media.

Other than that, cruise control, lane assist, 220 charging, phone application all work perfectly.

I just had to reset the system for the phone app to work properly.
 
#5 ·
Took delivery of ours in early April '21 - only issue we had was the Air conditioning worked intermittently right from the start - two dealer visits to diagnosis and repair by replacing the heat exchanger - any ICE car could have this issue as well - everything else has worked fine - as others have stated app software is buggy but that will be fix by volvo over time.
No regrets. Have the latest software update (1.7) - no brake issues - no bricking issues - etc. all good.
 
#6 ·
Same as @xc40canada above—- 6 months, 10,250 miles — only issue is that we’ve had intermittent times the LTE signal drops. Offline maps seem to work fine, so other than losing Spotify streaming or google voice searches for destinations (vs manual entry of an address) — its been a very solid reliable car. At the core the car itself is great, drives great, and is wonderful.

In comparison, ALL of our Tesla vehicles were in for “warranty coverage” repairs (control modules, etc) that would fail within the first 3-9 months. Normally any Tesla we had was in the shop 2-3 times per year on Average. Our Audi eTron EV SUV had freezing/locking issues with the center display, needed weekly rebooted. Really the most reliable EV we’ve owned was the Mini Cooper SE and the Nissan Leaf (1st gen). But, as cars advance, the glitches tend to be in the infotainment system, never the drive units/etc.

you’ll be fine; and you’ll love the XC40, i bet!
 
#16 ·
Same as @xc40canada above—- 6 months, 10,250 miles — only issue is that we’ve had intermittent times the LTE signal drops. Offline maps seem to work fine, so other than losing Spotify streaming or google voice searches for destinations (vs manual entry of an address) — its been a very solid reliable car. At the core the car itself is great, drives great, and is wonderful.

In comparison, ALL of our Tesla vehicles were in for “warranty coverage” repairs (control modules, etc) that would fail within the first 3-9 months. Normally any Tesla we had was in the shop 2-3 times per year on Average. Our Audi eTron EV SUV had freezing/locking issues with the center display, needed weekly rebooted. Really the most reliable EV we’ve owned was the Mini Cooper SE and the Nissan Leaf (1st gen). But, as cars advance, the glitches tend to be in the infotainment system, never the drive units/etc.

you’ll be fine; and you’ll love the XC40, i bet!

Pretty sad that a new car should be in the shop 2-3 times a year/ I have owned many cars and most were never in the shop except for maintenance and only 1 or 2 had minor issue that was resolved in 1 visit.
 
#7 ·
Loving ours so far, but yeah, can’t say we haven’t had any problems. No trips to dealer but we’ve only had it for a month or so and 1500 km. Biggest issues are app, LTE connectivity sometimes not working (usually fixes itself), and when we picked it up the maps wouldn’t display in the driver’s screen but an infotainment re-boot fixed that. The car itself is amazing...we can just hope they keep the updates flowing and work out the bugs.
 
#8 ·
Love mine. Would buy another in a heartbeat.

People on forums tend to come here if they have questions or problems.

It does provide the labels of problem boxes but not the number of people in each box.

You will notice that even with the problems some have had they still love the car.

I suppose the only way to get a “feel” for the actually demographics you could read another forum for another car and see the break down of problems there. But you run into the client base of different cars being well different.

I understand your anxiousness. While waiting for mine to be delivered I read every article. Watched every YouTube video and looked around here and read everything.

I don’t do that now. I have it. It works wonderfully (for me) it is slightly quirky in its behavior especially in the first day/week but that settles down.

I feel confident saying to anyone who is in anyway technical confident (or actually the negation of that. Anyone who is not technically phobic ) that they should get it if they can afford it.

I would not suggest the car to someone who hates technology, hates bt devices, thinks vhs is the only format that matters. Nothing against someone who is that way but the car might be overwhelming to them.

Hopefully in the future the P8 line will become “idiot proof” I would not label it that way today.

Get it. Enjoy it. If you have questions or problems there is a great community here to help.
 
#10 ·
It is not cheap. It is also on the bottom end of pricey for Ev luxury for now. Other cars are more expensive.

It would be nice if ev did not have a cost increase over the same ice. I assume this is to cover investment costs, because they can and due to cost per HP.

I have heard there will be cheaper longer ranged single motor Volvos later.

Price wise there are pickups that cost more than our P8s. It is certainly not cheap but it feels worth every penny when driving.
 
#18 ·
It is not cheap. It is also on the bottom end of pricey for Ev luxury for now. Other cars are more expensive.

It would be nice if ev did not have a cost increase over the same ice. I assume this is to cover investment costs, because they can and due to cost per HP.

I have heard there will be cheaper longer ranged single motor Volvos later.

Price wise there are pickups that cost more than our P8s. It is certainly not cheap but it feels worth every penny when driving.
I wonder whether the price will drop once the government subsidy goes away.
 
#12 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?
Before you leave the dealership:
  • make sure the Volvo Cars app is paired and working with the phone of every driver
  • make sure you have all three keys
  • make sure OS update 1.7 is installed
  • make sure they deliver the car with a decent state of charge
  • go over the interior controls in detail, every knob, lever and button
  • get specific instructions on how to reset the modem and the entertainment unit

I think you will like the car, but there is an adjustment period for first-time EV buyers, in my experience.
 
#25 ·
My dealer followed up two weeks after I took delivery to see whether I had any questions.

I have been fortunate in not having any serious problems in 6 months of ownership. As others have said, mechanically the car is well built, but the technology, especially the Android Automotive OS, is half-baked. VC just started over-the-air software updates. VC is being very conservative in its OTA implementation. As someone in another discussion stated, VC is going to have to step up its game with AAOS soon as the XC60 PHEV starts rolling out with AAOS.
 
#14 ·
What Paul said is sage advice.
I skipped over pretty much all of that partly due to:
1. The salesperson knew less than me
2. Covid
3. Asking questions if someone who does not know gets old
4. Wanted to get it home
5. Figured hey it cannot be that hard to work out
6. Voc was on the you don’t get list

And then started asking question here :)
 
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#17 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?

Being one of the few on here that as not gone a month without the car being in the shop since purchase in late May, I will say that you just need to be prepared for potential bugs and issues. So far a few have had some HVAC mechanical issues, but that seems to be early build cars. The biggest issue seems to be the IHU that may stat locking up or failing which will require replacement. I believe I have seen at least one person with a 22 have it fail as well. Overall mechanically a very solid car, other than IHU and brakes. Software bugs seem to be something we are all going to have to accept with this car. I suspect as Volvo rolls the Google OS out to the other models they will have similar bugs regardless if EV or ICE.

You need to decide if these are things you are will to live with. If I did not have the P8 I would say no and run away, but once you own it and drive it the car is a dream to drive. That is why I have been so conflicted. My car has been in shop 36 days in 5 months. I can easily send in lemon law paperwork and have them buy the car back. My issue is there is nothing else I want to drive. None of the other EVs out appeal to me except the Q4, and it has horrible color choices and VW has had some mechanical issues with their platform. I dread thinking about going back to ICE so for now I hang in there. That said if my ceramic pads stick to the rotors like the factory pads did the paperwork will be sent in.
 
#21 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?
Except for having to replace an axle two weeks after purchase -- for which I was well compensated by Volvo -- totally smooth sailing. No infotainment issues, no software issues, just a great driving experience every time I get behind the wheel. The only drawback is when we use our 14-year-old Toyota 4Runner to go to our remote mountain place with the bone-jarring final few miles that I don't want to inflict on my P8, well it just seems so outmoded, much as I admire how it has performed through 223,000 miles. The P8 is our first electric car, so I have nothing to compare it to, but based on my experience I would buy it again in a heartbeat. And I'm starting to think that when the 4Runner goes belly up, a Rivian with the 14-inch clearance might be just the ticket for our winter mountain driving.
 
#22 ·
I agree with the premium price with one caveat. Volvo sells cars with more Bhp for higher prices. At 402 our price my be in line with their pricing. I am sure they will come out with a single motor version(s) some time and they will be cheaper.

It feels like cost = base model cost + features + bhp

I heart my 402

Plus I really really did not want an ice. Their were less choices in March than there will be in the future.
 
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#23 ·
Knock on wood…… No issues with mine other than not being able to connect with my home’s wifi and a few minor strange gremlin/bugs that happened once and never again.

Will I buy it again? Yes, in a heartbeat and even sooner.

Like any big purchase, do your research, consider the pros and cons, then hope for the best.
 
#24 ·
My XC40 has been 99.99% perfect. I did have to let it deep sleep once to reconnect the LTE and GPS module. However, other than that, it has been perfect for almost 4000 miles over 6 months. No issues charging, plenty of power, and perfect amount of space. The 1.7 OTA even went perfectly. I would not change this car for any other EV at the moment. Something no one really mentions - this is the easiest car I have ever owned to parallel park. The combination of length and height make it a real breeze!
 
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#26 ·
My XC40 P8 experience has been very positive. The only dealer service I've required was a USB-C port that had come loose & needed to be re-attached. But nothing's perfect. For me, the main negatives have been:

1) the slow rollout of their software-update platform

2) the continuing instability of the VC app infrastructure (it now works about 95% of the time for me, a vast improvement over 0% for the first couple months), and

3) the lack of key apps (CarPlay) and entire app-store categories (so far, just 3rd-party Media apps - no Messaging, Parking, Charging, or Navigation apps).

But I was warned up front about all three. Back in April when I picked up my P8, my dealer had me sign a document acknowledging this stuff wasn't ready.
 
#27 ·
I wonder if they are still making folks sign the list of things that are not implemented or fully stable yet.

I was actually impressed they got us to sign the list. I felt it was transparent as to where the car was and mentally prepared me for things not working/being present.

It is partly why when we are here 6-7 months later and there are still missing bits (car play) and an unstable (voc) that I am not concerned or down on Volvo for it.

If I remember right some of the things on the list were not due until 2022. We are only in month 7 of the release.

Anyone gotten a car recently and had a list to sign?
If so what was on it and what were the dates.

For those who signed the original list does anyone have access to it to take a pic. Mine got stolen when the car got broken into on week one.

Cheers
 
#28 ·
I wonder if they are still making folks sign the list of things that are not implemented or fully stable yet.

I was actually impressed they got us to sign the list. I felt it was transparent as to where the car was and mentally prepared me for things not working/being present.

It is partly why when we are here 6-7 months later and there are still missing bits (car play) and an unstable (voc) that I am not concerned or down on Volvo for it.

If I remember right some of the things on the list were not due until 2022. We are only in month 7 of the release.

Anyone gotten a car recently and had a list to sign?
If so what was on it and what were the dates.

For those who signed the original list does anyone have access to it to take a pic. Mine got stolen when the car got broken into on week one.

Cheers
That list is is new to me. I was not asked to sign anything.
 
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#39 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?
Hi - I have had mine or three months (1,800 Miles) with no issues! My previous XC60 P8 had lots of issues and was swapped out by Volvo (Lemon Law). It has not disappointed me yet. BTW - WeatherTech has now started to ship their fabulous All Weather Mats for the XC40 Recharge. I got mine on Saturday. Hooray!
 
#40 ·
I am scheduled to take delivery tomorrow or more likely on Wednesday of this week. I am excited about the car but I am also getting more and more worried about the car after reading this forum for the last several weeks. What am I getting myself into? A great car? An expensive headache?

I have read opinions on the car such as: no car is perfect, all have issues etc. My Toyota NEVER had any issues whatsoever. It turned on and went and turned on again etc. This car is miles away from my Toyota as far as tech, but still. Cars should be able to perform the basics: turn on, go, charge (in this case) repeat.

So, like the title says - has anyone had nothing but smooth sailing?
No problems here. Love our Recharge!
 
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