Alright friends here is an update of what is going on. Also posting in S90/V90 sub however there is more activity here. I have replaced the highest number new tires on my car. Tirerack was great about sending a replacement. My numbers are all below 11 now. My vibration issue persists. I sent out an email this morning to
CEM@volvocars.com. Not sure if I should contact someone in the US.
I got an auto reply from Customer Experience Operations stating they would look into the issue.
T +46-31-325 00 77
cxo@volvocars.com<mailto:cxo@volvocars.com>
VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
63780
Assar Gabrielssons Vag , SE-405 31 Göteborg, Sweden
Here is what I sent:
I am reaching out to you in hopes that you can assist me. I have a 2018 Volvo S90 T5 Momentum. I have been having an issue with a mild to moderate vibration that is felt through my entire car (Floor, Seats, Steering wheel) while on the highway mainly above 70mph. I took my vehicle to a trusted tire specialist and had my wheels road force balanced. Everything checked out and the highest number was 14 for road force.. I went on the highway and the issue was still present. I took it to BR Volvo and they did not road test the car, they simply replaced the front rotors and said that was likely the problem. (Issue was never present when braking.) I left the dealer and got on the highway and the vibration persisted. I drove the car for 1 thousand miles this way and decided I would replace all 4 tires. I replaced the tires with 4 new Michelin Primacy Tour A/S. Tires were mounted and balanced. 1 tire had a road force number of 21. All other tires were much lower. The vibration issue persisted on the highway. I made another appointment with BR Volvo and the shop foreman went for a ride with me. I mentioned that there is a tech journal about this issue and asked if they would follow the steps listed. He felt the vibration and stated that it was normal for SPA platform cars to vibrate on the highway. He asked if I had the tires road force balanced and what my numbers were I gave him the numbers and he said the tire at 21 was to blame for the vibration. He also said that he had no way of knowing if the equipment had been calibrated properly at the tire shop I went to or if there employees were correctly trained on the equipment so he said his guys could attempt another road force balance at my cost. I agreed. I was called and told my car was done. I went to pick it up and my service adviser sent me over to the cashier with no information on road force numbers or what the next steps would be. I had to ask for the information and the numbers were much higher than the first time I had the tires road force balanced. Now my highest numbers were 28 and 16. The Volvo tech recommended replacing the back two tires. When I left and entered the highway the issue was way worse. The steering wheel shimmied and there was a more noticeable vibration.The next morning I checked the tire pressure and the tires were at 42 PSI and not at 36 PSI which is listed in the door for my 19 inch wheels. I corrected tire pressure and road tested my car. Vibration was still present. I contacted tire rack and got replacement tires and had them shipped to my trusted installer. I explained what is going on to my installer and they mounted the new tires and road force balanced all 4 wheels again. This time we are at 11, 8, 6, 4. He also noted that the dealer had mounted additional weights to my wheels and they were off balance on 3 of the 4 wheels. He corrected that. He also verified that his hunter road force equipment is calibrated once a week. I payed again and left entered the highway and the shimmy was gone, however the original vibration persisted. So at this point I have been through 4 road force balancing 2 sets of tires and replacement tires. I am uncertain where to go from here. I know I am not the only person experiencing this issue. I would like to take my car to another Volvo dealer (Star Volvo Greensburg, Pa). I would really like my drive line checked and the steps in the tech journal performed past the road force balancing. I do not want to have that done again. I know there is an updated damper that could cure my issue. I am hoping you can guide me in the right direction and possibly assist with communicating with the dealer to see if we can get this resolved. I recently extended my warranty with VIP coverage with hopes of keeping my car for a while. I really enjoy it around town however my daily highway commute becomes tiring and frustrating with the vibration. I have had two other Volvo's in the past and was thrilled to get my S90. If I can just get past this issue I am hopeful that the rest of my experience will be what I have come to expect from Volvo!
Have a great day!
Josh