D4 Business Edition 181 Start/Stop 5dr

Nice car ..... when it works properly

Nice car to drive, good on fuel, but could not recommend the 181bhp D4 model variant to anyone as it has had a catalogue of issues relating to the EGR system.

Overall the car is comfortable for long journeys, with the seats being incredibly supportive. The handling is good, but not as dynamic as some rivals, however it always seems to be sure footed even when making swift progress. The suspension can be a little crashy at slower speeds but is never harsh. The engine is refined at normal speeds, but can be a little harsh and noisy when pushed.

Power delivery is normally smooth (see below) and the twin turbo set up means there are very few times when you lack overtaking grunt, however, the turbos have limited effect until around the 1500rpm mark, and by the 2000rpm mark the larger turbo has spooled up and you make brisk progress all the way up to 4000rpm.

To get the Emissions to Euro VI compliant and below 100g/km they used a forced EGR Cooling system in the pre AdBlu engines. This has resulted for most cars in at least one, if not multiple EGR/Cooler Replacements. Following the "Final Fix" to the EGR which essentially made the holes in the EGR cooler bigger to stop them clogging, this just forced the soot further along the Exhaust Gas System resulting in manifold pipes blocking and requiring a recall.

My car was purchased in 2018, and it had previous EGR work done, by November 2018, I had the Engine Management light, which turned out to be the EGR Cooler Blocked again. This was replaced and after a fight with Volvo UK they agreed to pay the costs of replacing the unit, the dealer in question was entirely apathetic and took no attempt to fight my corner, and actively tried to feed Volvo Customer Services false information regarding the Service History of the vehicle.

Volvo then moved the goalposts for the Timing Belt Change, bringing it forward by 50,000 miles resulting in the timing belt being changed, at the same time as the recall work for the manifold pipes being carried out in February 2020.

Now the car is developing symptoms which are tell tale in terms of more issues associated with the EGR and emissions systems. The symptoms being poor running, reduced power and acceleration, but no warning lights have come on. The issues manifest at particular bands of RPM which tie in with travelling at 20, 30, 40, and 50mph in 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th Gears. So I have an option of using lower gears to avoid the issue or drive round in a car which kangaroo's all the time.

In order for Volvo to diagnose the problem I have to pay £144 just for them to plug the car into a machine, before they will even consider it.

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