Volvo Penta 1st service

[Ian_Edwards]

Hi, our new boat has a Volvo Penta 2D-40, which is now getting close to its first service 30-50hours. Volvo Penta are adamant that the first service must be done by a Volvo Agent, failure to do so invalidates the warrantee.
Now here's the rub ... the boat is in Kirkcudbright on the Solway Firth, I can only find 4 agents listed in Scotland, all at least 5hours round trip by car from Kirkcudbright, so it’ll mean paying for an engineer for a day plus travel. Obviously don’t mind paying for the service, but the travel time and costs are a direct result of Volvo Penta’s none existent dealer network in Scotland. There are plenty of good marine engineers in the area; they are just not Volvo Penta agents.
Anyone come across this problem?
Is there a work around?

 

[Juggler7823]

I should imagine that there is a VP agent in the Clyde. Could you combine a trip to the Clyde with a service?

 

[AndyPandy]

Hi Ian,

we had the same problem, smaller scale mind you, so we ended up sailing to newcastle, only 4 hours away, to have the first service. It was a bit of a bind because I had to take two days off work but then I realised the guy who does the service earns twice as much as me, it became good sense. We had a blast too!

Try your best to keep the warranty in tact, it might be worth it one day,

Andy

 

[Ceejay]

I thought that this sort of practice had been decreed unlawful in respect of car dealers. It would seem reasonable to assume that the same would apply to yacht engine dealers.
CJ

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Yes, I think that the practice is unreasonable, but I don’t think the practice has been outlawed for boats. I wouldn't mind so much if Volvo Penta had a decent dealer network. I tried to get the work done in Holyhead as we pass through (we stayed in the marina 4 nights), but the local agent was "too busy" to do the work. We'll probably end up sailing down to Whitehaven and getting the "local" Windermere agent to drive across and do the service, it’ll probably be cheaper than getting the guy from Glasgow to drive down.