I purchased a 2002 Volvo S40 which from the dealership in June 2002. It was my first new car. About a year and half ago, without a warning light -coming on to alert me of an impending problem, the car began emitting heavy black smoke from the exhaust system. The car had gone through an oil change just 200 miles before. When the car was brought to the dealership, they informed me that due to my waiting too long to change oil, the turbo failed and oil may have gotten into the engine, making it necessary for me to replace the engine and the turbo. The dealership refused to honor the warranty and insisted that I spend a $3000-$6000 for the repair/replacement after some discussion, the dealership proposed cleaning the engine and replacing the turbo as an alternative. As the price was exorbitant, I took the car to an independent repair shop which performed the turbo replacement and engine clean-up, changing the oil and coolant. The car ran fine without a problem until 11/26/05 when the engine, at 57,000 miles but out of warranty, began emitting white smoke at the front and rear of the car. Fortunately I was able to drive the car to a reputable repair shop which diagnosed the problem as a turbo failure (failure #2). The engine was cleaned as best the shop could and the turbo replaced at substantial expense. When the repair was completed, I drove the car 200 miles to bring it home without incident. The next morning it began to make odd noises. I took it to the dealership and was told that the engine needed replacement and the turbo had broken (failure #3)--price tag $6600. I am convinced that I was sold a defective S40 at the outset, and the problems I've experienced I relate to the dealers unwillingness to honor the warranty when it was still alive and fix the defective engine/turbo on a new car. I will never buy another Volvo, and I do not recommend that anyone else buy one.

- Vienna, VA, USA