More than a month later, My car is still CMH Volvo Cape Town Service Centre

Over a month ago, I had my 2015 Volvo S60 towed to this service center because of an error message on the dashboard. Two weeks later, they informed me of the diagnosis and provided a cost estimate for the repairs. I paid a 50% deposit, and they ordered the necessary parts.

After a week of work, I had to prompt them for an update, and they told me the error message still appeared. They needed to run more tests to identify the real issue. Another week passed, and they informed me that they had "discovered" the EGR valve was defective and also needed replacement. At this point, I no longer trust them. My contact person at CMH Volvo is Treasure Mohoje.

Clearly, there is an information asymmetry here. However it seems illogical that I gave consent for the repairs based on their expert diagnosis and agreed to the initial quote, only to be told the problem persists and I need to pay more. What adds to my frustration is their poor communication. They rarely return my calls and take forever to respond to my emails.

I feel like they're treating this issue (reduced engine performance) as a trial-and-error process, and I'm expected to foot the bill. The last quote they emailed still included a charge for diagnosis. Really? I’ve been without my car for over a month, and they haven't even offered a courtesy car.

At this point, I need my car in perfect working order. The initial quote was R25,000, and I was okay with paying R12,500 for a service interval because I wanted a functional car. But now they're adding R14,400 more? No matter how you spin this, it doesn't make sense to me.

What saddens me is that this is my third Volvo. I love the brand, but after this bitter experience, I will not only look for another service center but also choose a different brand for my next car. I will never go back to Volvo or CMH.