Legal action Against Volvo faulty parts put in

[farmerdave]

Help Please

I have a Volvo KAMD 300 engine in my boat and it broke down last year.

After a lift out and engine removal it was found to have faulty injectors which caused too much diesel to be "hosed" in the pistons and No 2 piston melted and put bits of the piston in the other chambers and turbo, valves etc, I have pics if anyone wants them.

After having a complete rebuild I had a £8,500 bill for repairs. £3,500 of this was for parts, I asked Volvo for help with this but they were not interested

I got the boat 2005 Jeanneau Merry fisher 925 fitted with a single Volvo KAMD 300 with 50 hrs on the clock. It was serviced a 30hrs and again at 100 hrs and at 150 hrs it had tappets checked. All work was done by a reputable mechanic but not a Volvo Penta agent.

The boat was on 200 hrs when it went.

My argument is a boat of such small hours should not have gone so wrong.

Volvo have said first it was caused by water in the fuel, I said but surely all injectors would show signs of damage then. Also the boat was fitted with 2 separators. He said that damage to engines was common as boats should not be used on red diesel they are tested on white in Sweeden.

They asked for the damaged injectors and on inspection they then said it had a major overheat and this is what damaged the injector.

I have never had an overheat, I asked the previous owner he never had one, and the experts say an massive over heat would show in other ways exhaust head gasket etc.

The boat is out of warranty

If I go to court and loose it will cost me more

Their arguement is I had no contract of sale with them, (Volvo), there is no Volvo Penta service history, and its out of warranty

Has there been any cases before. Do you think it is worth me pursuing this case??



Dave

 

[PCUK]

So sorry to hear of your bad news. This is another reason why I would never have a Volvo engine at any price. The red and white diesel argument is nonsense as they are selling the engines in a country where they know they will be run on red. As a first step, is there a disclaimer in their sales blurb that says the engines must not be run red diesel?
I must say the repair bill sounds excessive. It only takes a couple of days to rebuild an engine, as for the parts price, that is Volvo rip-off at it's outrageous best.

 

[farmerdave]

The bill does include the hoist, marina charges, VAT, head re skim, and a report from the mechanic

 

[zingaro]

I would go and make a appointment to see a solicitor and see what advise they offer, a lot where I live give free consultations for 30 minutes. I would take all the letters or emails you have from Volvo and your mechanics report. When you had the boat serviced was it by a Vat registered mechanic and did you use Volvo service parts.Have you got various invoices over the boats history to show that you serviced the boat at the proper service intervals with the right parts.I don't think that you are been unreasonable asking for a contribution towards the repair.It sounds to me that they are coming up with various excuses and I personally would be sending them a solicitors letter forwith.

 

[Sneds]

I agree with Novio, have a go, at worst it will make you feel better!
Good luck and give 'em hell.

 

[farmerdave]

yes and yes.

It was volvo parts and he is VAT Reg ive got all invoices

 

[MapisM]

You don't seem to know your enemy, frankly speaking...
A court case is neither going to scare nor hurt them.
Aside from the fact that (imho) they're likely to win it, their cost would be ridiculuos for them anyway, compared to your loss of time and money - not to mention the headache.
An engine melted at 200hrs, that's what can hurt their reputation (and in turn their pockets) a lot.
And to some extent, that's true regardless of the reasons.
For example, if the history of your melted engine, together with pics, would appear on various boating sites/magazine, rest assured that the damage for them would be relevant even if afterward they could prove that you actually used the engine with no oil.
That's a risk against which they might reconsider their position, if you see what I mean.
Good luck anyway.

 

[farmerdave]

I thought that, but volvo spend money on advertising so none of the boat mags would be interested in the story as they would not want to upset the money cart, I thought of standing at the boat show next to the engines and cause a fuss, its knowing the best way forward hence this thread

 

[DavidJ]

I've had no experience with it but I believe there to be a small claims procedure which I think you can do on the internet. This may prompt a settlement.
I'm hoping this post will inspire others with more knowledge in these things to comment.

 

[Davy_S]

[ QUOTE ]
The bill does include the hoist, marina charges, VAT, head re skim, and a report from the mechanic


[/ QUOTE ]

I do hope things turn out ok for you, but I have to ask, If the engine did Not have a major overheat, why does the head need re-skimming?

 

[farmerdave]

Im no mechanic but I think he said that as the engine came out he could put it back as it was but as there was so much heat to cause the piston to melt its worth doing.

Its a shame Im new here or I could put a picture on Ive not got a clue how to do it.

 

[farmerdave]

ok had a read and see if this works pictures of engine

 

[Davy_S]

 

[Col]

Looks like overheat on No 1&2 from what I can see in the pics.

BTW What was replaced? £8.5K + lifts & yard fees seems a lot !

 

[bazobeleza]

sorry about the mill. It must have gone with a bang.

With big companies name and shame seems to occasionally bring results but IMHO they've got corporate hides as thick as a rhino.

You can bet you last dollar that if it had been Dickie Bransons engine that had gone up in smoke, it would have been changed faster than you can change the oil.

My commiserations, hope you win your battle.

 

[farmerdave]

no it was £3.5 in parts
con rod assembly
3 piston liner kits
5 injectors
1 injector sleeve reatainer seal ring
4 inlet injectors
2 exhaust valves
3 big end bearing kits
3 gasket kits
turbo
gasket overhaul kit

oil filters coolant
etc etc

75 hrs labour
£1199 VAT

1 arm and 2 legs

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Doesn't max temp get recorded in the edc brain - which can be retrieved using the vodia tool? That would tell you if you've had the overheat or not.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[Alrob]

75 hrs - thats 2 weeks work - surely not

 

[volvopaul]

Hi dave, this sounds all too familiar really it does as you are a new user, we had exactly the same case from another forum user called doralphill, am I getting warm? PM to me maybe.

 

[farmerdave]

[ QUOTE ]
Doesn't max temp get recorded in the edc brain - which can be retrieved using the vodia tool? That would tell you if you've had the overheat or not.


[/ QUOTE ]

yes it does and I had this checked and it did not show an overheat.

I reported back and Volvo said that it could have been overwritten as it was so long ago.

they have so many get out of jail cards