7 replies to this topic

[cn90]

For years, I have avoided dealer because of their high prices. One exception is Waltrip Volvo in Tennessee, their prices are usually very good.

Also, in the past, online vendors (such as autohausaz, eeuroparts, FCP etc. etc.) sell decent stuff made by Reutter, Behr, Wahler. But in recent years, the influx of made-in-China parts (Febi Coolant Cap, many Behr parts etc.) make me go back to the dealer.

To make a long story short, my Coolant Reservoir has a leak, the hose to the rear pipe also leaks (exposed to exhaust heat!), plus I need to do a mini tune-up for my cooling system (thermostat, radiator petcock etc.), so I decided to price out the difference between Volvo dealer prices vs competitors. To my surprise, the price difference is very small!

The price difference is in questionable parts: "Cap", "Upper Hose, "Lower Hose"!!!

If you compare apples and apples (exact same parts), the difference is very small.

The thing is: this is cooling system, anything goes wrong, you risk an overheat and now it is thousands dollars in repair. So I decided to be wise and went with Volvo parts, which should be here next week.

Waltrip Volvo online site:
http://www.trademoti...m?siteid=216970


Stay tuned!


 Volvocoolingprice.JPG   52.83K   34 downloads

[troyhyde]

I thought Waltrip had called it a day for online stuff. Apparently not which is great news. I've been using Tasca parts, sort of a pain to navigate the website but if you have part numbers you can get right to what you need. Very good prices in general, often beating or at least matching the "discount houses" and their Chinese wares. Buying that stuff is a real excercise in false economy.

Rant Alert:

Just yesterday I was cursing because I had to re-install a turbo drain pipe seal from FCP or Eeuroparts (don't remember where it came from now). It is black and looks like a piece of cut rubber hose (not the green Volvo style). If you are doing this job and this is the part you have, DON'T USE THIS PART! IT IS NOT FUNCTIONAL IN THIS APPLICATION! IT IS THE WRONG KIND OF RUBBER / MATERIAL / WHATEVER! It was only installed 10k miles ago when I swapped the exhaust manifold for a later style. It was leaking already. When I pulled it out it cracked into 3 brittle pieces. The OEM ones go for 100k or better and are still soft and pliable. I've got another 3 of these seals that are new since I typically buy in quantities. Destination garbage can. Thanks again discount house! I appreciate you making me waste my time! AWESOME!

Please, please, please can we start a hall of shame category with defective parts and the people who sell them to us! I'm at my wits end with the aftermarket sludge we are sold, even the most innocuous parts that you thought couldn't be botched.

In the last year or so, the majority of my business has been going to Tasca where you at least have the knowledge that your labor hours will not be wasted..... A few OEM items can still be had for better prices at the discounters but this is a small (and shrinking) group of parts. Sad, but everybody knows learning is painful.

[troyhyde]

......by the way, checked those part numbers at Tasca and all prices were slightly lower, often just by pennies or nickels, but every item was indeed less costly. I can't speak for their shipping charges on the same order, might render the difference totally negligible.

[Big Will]

Just remember that an awful lot of Volvo blue box parts are made in China now too...but I too am very happy that Darrell Waltrip is once again selling outside their local area.

[heat391]

...but I too am very happy that Darrell Waltrip is once again selling outside their local area.

The problem is if you live in TN... 7+%State Sales Tax + local tax (if any...it's 2.25% in my county...) + shipping

For me, Tasca is sometimes cheaper....

[troyhyde]

Just remember that an awful lot of Volvo blue box parts are made in China now too...but I too am very happy that Darrell Waltrip is once again selling outside their local area.

Without a doubt, some Volvo parts come from China (rotors do, I know). The difference between Volvo and FCP or E-euro, Volvo has to honor their warranty period (on their new cars) or else donate free labor and loaner cars for a component failure. Their motivation to keep quality high is completely different that an aftermarket re-seller.

An aftermarket re-seller simply has to stick the sale and the profit goes into the bank. The profit motive seems to supercede the quest for quality, unfortunately.

It's definitely not a China thing, there are tons of ScanTech parts that are sourced from European manufacturers, many of which suck as bad or worse than the cheap chinese stuff.

[AlvinL]

Doesn't matter who and where it's made. What matters is the the part being made to Volvo's specification and the cost of quality control.

[BlackBrick]

I often use Tasca, but the only issue is shipping time from Florida. Living in the northwest, it often takes 1 full week for the part to get here. Same with FCP.

I found a decent dealer in Sacramento, CA www.myvolvopartsonline.com , the prices are a bit more than Tasca, but if you're on the west coast and need the part faster, the shipment is a couple days. Their website is identical to Tasca.