Volvo has launched a convenient—and timely, given the moment’s stay-at-home situation—service to help customers with their vehicle maintenance needs. Volvo Valet, as it’s called, allows owners to schedule a service appointment on their phone, after which point a Volvo service employee will come to their home and pick up the car. They’ll even drop off a loaner to drive while the vehicle is in the shop. Later in the year, the concierge service will expand to include lease returns, vehicle purchases (so, taking delivery), and even test drives.
The Volvo Valet app works much like a ride-hailing app from Uber or Lyft. Before the pickup, the customer will see the employee’s location and their arrival time on the app. Volvo will take pictures of the car and the loaner vehicle at the point of handoff, and once the vehicle arrives at the dealer for servicing, the owner will receive a notification. When the work is complete, Volvo will drop the car back off at your home and pick up the loaner. Simple.
It doesn’t matter if your vehicle is old or new, either. Volvo vehicles of all ages are eligible for the service, in an echo of other Volvo owner benefits that include free towing to a Volvo dealership within a 25-mile radius for the life of the car, and a lifetime warranty for replacement parts and labor. This suite of any-age vehicle servicing aids helps set the Volvo program stand out from similar concierge maintenance schemes offered by Genesis and Lincoln. Still, Volvo Valet is only available through participating retail stores, and until an online functionality is added this spring, customers should contact their local service department to check if it’s taking part in the program.
Later in 2020, Volvo Valet will expand to include new services. Volvo will deliver your newly purchased or leased car to you, and will even give you a car to test drive overnight. Again, these are similar to existing programs at other luxury automakers—and with recent global events limiting person-to-person contact, all are starting to look prescient.
While it may seem like the service is a quick response to the outbreak, it has actually been in the works for quite some time. Volvo has been testing the service in a pilot program for the last several months to make sure it was ready for primetime. Preparation for a concierge delivery service began as far back as 2017, when the automaker purchased the intellectual property to Luxe, a premium valet and concierge service. Without specifically addressing today’s health crisis, Volvo says the concierge delivery program handles the cars with the same care and cleaning processes as Volvo retailers.
