Volvo-Penta Diesel engine series 2000

Opinions in detail:

Charter companies (Caribbean)

Catamaran charter, Tortola, BVI (2000): " The 2000er Volvo Penta Diesel one could drive one year long. Then they were scrap iron. Only solution: Eliminate it and keep it for mooring use."

Mooring St. Vincent, Blue Lagoon (2000): "Only problems, only repairs, we eliminated all far before the time."

Mooring St. Lucia, Marigit Bay (2000): "Whole badly, always broken, always complaints, always repairs."

Mooring Tortola, BVI (2000): "We took all private charter boats from our fleet, where such Volvo Penta 2000er engines was older than 2 years."

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Dealer and repair shops (Caribbean+France ouM)

Derek J. Morton, chef of International Diesel and Marine Ltd. Castries, St. Lucia, WI, Perkins, Volvo-Penta, Yanmar dealer, Perkins, Volvo-Penta, Yanmar repair shop (2001): "Very badly. Constantly defectively, above all the electrical connection, the seals and the pumps. Partial very old fashioned construction: Water pipe seal by cut off water hose. Particularly 2003 or 2003 turbo are absolute nightmare and shit."

Derek J. Morton: "I represent among other engines Perkins, Volvo Penta and Yanmar. From principle I never criticize such products. However, everyone knows, also Volvo Penta, that these engines were very bad. Here I betray something which they already all know."

Diesel Marine Services, Saint Martin, Pont de Sandy Ground, French Antilleses, Volvo-Penta dealer, Volvo-Penta repair shop (April 2002): "A completely bad engine series, with which we have only problems. Constantly broken and constantly problems with our customers. How could Volvo Penta build such a bad engine?"

Mecanique Plaisance (dealer for Volvo Penta and Yanmar), Le Marin, Martinique, Volvo Penta central dealer Caribbean, Volvo Penta repair shop (November 2002): "The Series 2000 is really very bad. Were the 2001 and the 2002 are not even the worst of this series. The 2003 was still substantially worse. That was nearly constantly defective. But absolute trash and shit was the 2003 turbo: A nightmare."

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Our opinion about Volvo Penta 2000:

The worst marine diesel, which we ever saw.
Absolutely unreliably and repair-susceptibly.
Very poor old fashioned construction.
Miserable electrical connection.
Lunatically high spare part prices.

Volvo Penta bought the short block assemblies for the series 2000 without marine parts (allegedly with Peugeot) and marined it later. Only this additional marining by Volvo Penta made from this actually quite durable basis engine a nightmare for each Skipper, at least in the Tropics.

Everything that Volvo Penta added later to the Peugeot engine for the marinising, was usually miserable construction and age - old - technology, in addition nearly always cheapest far East quality:

The pipes for seawater and fresh water cooling circuit are not bolted with seals at the block, but loosely about 2 cm put into the block copper pipes, "sealed" by cut off hoses rubber bands. Naturally everything rattles and is constantly leaky. Repairs in the water circulation are a patience play: When assembling, one must keep simultaneous 6 or more pipes and shake them while the installation, all in hope that the plant becomes so tight. If not, again put everything to pieces and next attempt. With work in the close and hot engine compartment one would have gladly the responsible "technical designer" person of this miserablen construction handy, in order to let it repair its bungle.

One continued to be so "intelligent" with Volvo Penta to attach the so foreseeable leaks in the seawater cycle just over highly sensitive parts e.g. the starter, the generator, the electrical connection subdivision. If it drips here, and that is maximum only a question of short time with the thoughtless construction, 1 to 2 years, then the seawater fore sure runs on starters, generator and electrical connection subdivision. Heaviest damage is the result.

Leakages in the heat exchanger, that after 1 - 2 years, lead promptly to heaviest rust damage to the Saildrive foundations of the Volvo Penta and to the electrolysis to the heat exchanger by withdrawn and seawater evaporated in consequence heat. Back remains the salt at the lower surface of the heat exchanger, which leads with the air humidity to the electrolysis (ion exchange). Result: The zinc is washed from the brass, the copper portion remains, a fibrous metal. That can be done the faster, the worse the brass alloy is. It is very bad, because the damage occurred after one year already. With better quality it would last for many more years.

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Electric

The worst at the 2000er series however is the electrical connection: Technology from the 50's: No naval cables, but cheapest China car quality as from the department store.

Everything after few months, the cables also under the casing on several meters of the clamp from black (see photo Volvo cable compared with marine cable), many cable casing will become corroded soft and smudgily. Constantly cables must be made bright and provided with new plugs, which holds again only at the most 6 months. Pure luck thing thus whether the engine starts, which functions to tachometers and the instruments the starter, the generator, which automatic controllers and the aggregates work. Something else is defective constantly with Volvo Penta. Every 2 days must the bunks be diminished and the engines be repaired, often several times on the day and is nearly always the electrical connection.

With this poor elektik construction an parts Volvo Penta may save perhaps 50,-- US $ per engine. The skipper pays with practically daily electrical losses. In the proximity of Marinas that will cost only many hundreds hours at repair and many thousand $ at repair costs. On the way, such a thing can cost the ship or the life.

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Spare part prices Volvo Penta Diesel engine 2002

Very high to astronomically high spare part prices, very different prices in different countries.

It might easily happen that one must calculate in some countries even an additional 50 % on some spare part prices, even if they are already dramatic, depending on, from where they are exported.

Who needs heat exchangers, starters and repair of the generator, buys in France perhaps better a new engine. Only these 3 posts cost (France) together 50 % of the engine ex-factory price of 5000,-- € (France), discounts on the new engine not even counted.

"Volvo, c'est luxe absolu", thus, to afford the prices from Volvo to is absolute luxury, so even the shop assistant of Mechanique Plaisance (12/2002) in Marin, Martinique.

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Service

Volvo Penta Kiel and Volvo Penta Goeteborg/ Sweden reacted at least until 1996 neither to lack reports nor to each kind of complaints. All letters from which we know remained unanswered (positive exception Mr. Bukh, very friendly, very helpfully, very competently).

After 1996 we had no more contact with the company Volvo-Penta, can from own knowledge for the time thereafter thus no data give.

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