61 replies to this topic

[Che'_Moderator]

First off, post Carlisle I am glad to hear every is home safe. No accidents I heard of and no major tickets. I hope everyone had fun and managed to enjoy at least one day in the sun before the rains set in. Sounds like some of you enjoyed the raffles and met some new people which is always good and the main purpose of any get together. But as always there is shake out after a meet like Carlisle. Good and bad I will post what I have observed and what will change because of this.

IPD
Scott and Lucky really went 100% above and beyond. It was a great gesture to see you help out so much with an east coast show. While the turn out was held back by weather the effort did not go un-noticed. After this experience I really hope we can work together in the future.

Willy
Loads of comments about how nice the oil cap was. I really hope a lot of people were able to see it before it was raffled off. As always thank you for the help. I think you are the only person who contacted me first.

Stylin Motors
Sig is hands down one of my favorite new vendors. Always the first to offer to help no matter how small the rewards may be. He is the vendor I wish more were like. Its really good to see members supporting him and his many great products. While everyone knows the name Samco I am proud to say all the hoses one the S60 are will be from Sig if he can get them!

EST
WOW. Its been a while since I have spoken with Frank that much but WOW. As always he helped out and beyond that went out to dinner with several members and mods and not a one has a single negative thing to say about him.

SharpHID
God this guy loves to postwhore his products out
j/k John loves to joke that we had "misunderstandings" early on, but in general he has never been less than a great vendor and any "misunderstandings" were probably my fault. Good to see hes still here and really supporting his products.

VIVA Performance
Getting anything done with George lately has been like pulling teeth but I attribute that to him having a busy schedule. What was disturbing to hear was that after almost 10 years of knowing him, he bad mouthed myself and Volvospeed to several people. I have heard this before but had not seen anything directed at the members. But after Carlisle several members told me he put down Volvospeed every chance he got. Again not to go on baseless accusations I asked around and all the responses were strikingly similar. Not having been prevy to the conversations myself I cannot say what exactly was said but the gist was always Volvospeed members are too cheap to worry or think about. This was said to people with in this community as well as other such as swedespeed and VCOA. Its funny hearing that from a guy who once asked me how many connecting rods he needed for his 5 cylinder. Maybe he is just too busy and under stress but for now it feels like he has grown away from the site where he started. Because of the slight to me and Volvospeed I am no longer recommending him as a vendor. With other vendors like Frank, Sig, And Lucky out there I would like you all to think about them next time you consider purchasing from George or Viva.

VCOA
I love you guys to death but you need to do some fact checking. I hear you are disappointed that Volvospeed did not join you at Carlisle. There is a simple reason for this. In 10 years I have never received a single email from anyone there. Not about Carlisle or anything else. You would think if you really wanted to work with VS you would send me an email. I mean I have sent you emails in the past. Never replied to but I tried. We have a site with a lot of traffic to offer you going back 10 years and a project can that no other site can compete with at this time. Maybe you listened to hard to other members and assumed we all were poor with no money and as such didn't matter. I am not going to sit here and guess. Beyond that I am not going to be quiet about this anymore while you continue to insult VS. I put up with it last year but not this year. You never contacted me about Carlisle period. So stop telling people you did. The only contact I know of from anyone there is in Aug 07 when Lee made a few posts here pointing a finger. Beyond that I know of none.

Members
We go through this every year. Some of you are great and go above and beyond, others I have less kind thins to say about. Only you can judge yourself. If you are happy with the way your post read here than I am happy you are happy.

Building Interest In The Volvo Brand
Quite from an earlier post
We all know we do not have the support from vendors or media that a marque like Honda, or BMW would have. We pride ourselves on being unique. This uniqueness is also our bane. Prices on parts are high, support can be low, and information scarce. This is why building the site and it's resources is critical. For continuing success this is a MUST. This means more active forums, greater turn out at shows and more support for the good vendors who do support us.

As always useful feedback and comments are appreciated.

[--Aaron--]

very very good post terrific job on utilizing facts, and that last part is so true....when i go somewhere to ask about performance parts or work done on my S70 i get a cocky, you love your volvo dont you, i smile n say DARN RIGHT I DO!

[Jaxx]

Great post. again reminds us all to help out and make a writeup when we can. Wish I could have made it out to carlisle, maybe next year.

VS for Lyfe.

[leurven]

Chuck did you end up going to Carlisle? Who wrote the first post?

I appreciate your kind comments and I above all appreciate the honesty displayed.

[Che'_Moderator]

Chuck did you end up going to Carlisle? Who wrote the first post?

I appreciate your kind comments and I above all appreciate the honesty displayed.

I cannot express concern for your wellbeing?

I wrote the whole thing

[64pvolvo1800]

Chuck did you end up going to Carlisle? Who wrote the first post?

I appreciate your kind comments and I above all appreciate the honesty displayed.

by the way John, I sent you a couple of referrals this evening. One has a 960 Volvo and they both loved my lights.
Thanks again.

[leurven]

by the way John, I sent you a couple of referrals this evening. One has a 960 Volvo and they both loved my lights.
Thanks again.

Paul I appreciate your support! Thank you! I was glad that Chris brought that hole saw so we could install your HIDs. They turned out great.

John

[FIORE]

Well it has always been my belief that VCOA was pretty lame anyway. I make no bones about it wherever and whenever they happen to be at the same meet I'm at.

Personally, George @ VIVA has been a good friend to me over the years and I hate to see anyone bash on him. All I hear from people is that his stuff is a little pricey. George sells a lot of high end parts and parts that no one else even offers. He also stands behind his products and works with his customers to resolve issues. Unlike other nameless vendors on this site who promise Rica tunes but cant deliver. So you might pay a little bit more but you get the right parts, right away, the way it should be from someone who stands behind them. To me thats worth the extra cost. You pay your waiter for good service dont you?

Whether or not George said it, I will say it. A lot of people on this forum are cheap plain and simple. I know this because I'm one of them. Im not afraid to admit it. I shop around and look for the best price too.

I bash VS a lot. Even sometimes at the meets I put together for VS NE Crew members so I'm guilty on that count so feel free to tell people to never come to the meets I put together and to stop being my friend altogether. There are even a few posts on here where I say I never plan on logging on here again ever. Then in five minutes I'm back because there is nowhere else to go. When I first started posting here some 4 1/2 years ago this community was generally helpful and supportive. Now a days it seems like every write up or mod post gets overly cluttered with posts from people who have nothing nice to say at all. if they were trying to be helpful it would be one thing but they arent being helpful they're being straight up pricks. it seems like members just wait for a new post to go up so they can be the first to criticise its content. so in my mind the bashing is warranted. So maybe if people here were just a little nicer or kept their rude comments to themselves maybe I wouldnt bash them or VS so much.

Also I feel it should be pointed out George drove some 400+miles to be at Carlisle. You were where exactly? Too busy come hang out with the people who give this site a heartbeat? I'd be ashamed.

[TM850R]

Ill have to say that George has been to numerous meets held by VS'ers over the past few years (the amount of time Ive been on the forums here). Last year at Carlisle, this year at Carlisle, Travis' meets and a few more around Massachusetts. Ive talked to him plenty of times and I cant recall him ever bashing VS in general.

I do agree that many people are cheap on this forum, just look at how many people are complaining about gas prices. I mean, even I am cheap, Im not going to deny it. For all the cheap people, there are plenty of guys and girls that put a lot of money into their cars. I have had a few flawless transactions with George already and plan to do more business with him.

[Che'_Moderator]

Also I feel it should be pointed out George drove some 400+miles to be at Carlisle. You were where exactly? Too busy come hang out with the people who give this site a heartbeat? I'd be ashamed.

I'd travel 400 miles too if I wanted to sell something and make money. Oh but wait. I was trying to organize the raffles, keep the site up, pay for stickers, and about 50 million other things.

I bash VS a lot. Even sometimes at the meets I put together for VS NE Crew members so I'm guilty on that count so feel free to tell people to never come to the meets I put together and to stop being my friend altogether.

Its funny because despite all your "bashing" you have done more to support the site than George.


Again this was not meant to bash on anyone or any group. Only updating you guys on where the site stands.

[Black Betty]

I can't say enough positive things about the site I only joined a year and a half ago but literally vs taught me everything I know. I bought my car off vs. I got it to pass inspection because of vs. And its still running well because of vs. So thanks Chuck to the other posters yes we are cheap but atleast we don't spend money on pointless things like some other sites and yes the forum goes off topic very quick but that's the members fault and some mods even encourage the OT chatter. Overall though if you have an 00-93 fwd volvo vs is your best resource for performance maintenance and cosmetics

Again I have no complaints about the site what so ever

[Y2kV70R]

A little confused. I have never seen such a post by a forum moderator.

Any who... I met some of you at Carlisle, and all seemed pretty decent. Met George too, but not passing judgement.


Me and another member from another board had a discussion about the demographics of those who support/visit here, v70r.com, and swedespeed. If you look at all 3 sites, it becomes very obvious what the general socio economic make up is of each. Not bashing in any way, but it is the truth. If I was a vendor looking to sell high end parts, of course I would go where the money is. How many Aston Martin, Lamborhgini, or Maybach dealerships are there in lower middle class neighoborhoods?

That being said, I sure hope that no vendor would badmouth people as a whole. I know if I was running a business I would not. To state that multiple people's stories were very similar doesn't necessarily make it true. All it takes is for one person to miscontrue something for it to get way out of hand.

Anyway, it was a cool get together, and next year I will make a weekend of it, and leave the Mrs. and little one at home. Was a lot of driving for the little bit of time I got to spend.

-Shane (I heart hot moms)

[Volvoson]

IPD
Scott and Lucky really went 100% above and beyond. It was a great gesture to see you help out so much with an east coast show. While the turn out was held back by weather the effort did not go un-noticed. After this experience I really hope we can work together in the future.

VIVA Performance
Getting anything done with George lately has been like pulling teeth but I attribute that to him having a busy schedule. What was disturbing to hear was that after almost 10 years of knowing him, he bad mouthed myself and Volvospeed to several people. I have heard this before but had not seen anything directed at the members. But after Carlisle several members told me he put down Volvospeed every chance he got. Again not to go on baseless accusations I asked around and all the responses were strikingly similar. Not having been prevy to the conversations myself I cannot say what exactly was said but the gist was always Volvospeed members are too cheap to worry or think about. This was said to people with in this community as well as other such as swedespeed and VCOA. Its funny hearing that from a guy who once asked me how many connecting rods he needed for his 5 cylinder. Maybe he is just too busy and under stress but for now it feels like he has grown away from the site where he started. Because of the slight to me and Volvospeed I am no longer recommending him as a vendor. With other vendors like Frank, Sig, And Lucky out there I would like you all to think about them next time you consider purchasing from George or Viva.

iPd also did an EXCELLENT job hosting the Garage Sale/Car Show at their facility over the same weekend as Carlisle. That's awesome that they supported the Carlisle show as well! I have nothing but great things to say about iPd and their involvement in the community. I'd also like to say thanks to Scott, Lucky (Rob), Cameron, Chris, and all the others for continually helping us out!

I'm sorry on the other hand to hear about a Vendor bad mouthing our community. George and I have had our differences in the past, but I hear about him having good customer service from others here. For him to not provide his "outstanding customer service" to all is really too bad (where our differences started), but worse that he would talk down the whole community and make broad statements about this site as a whole.

Chuck, you also deserve a thank you for all of your hard work put into this website! You have a life outside of this, and still find time to talk to MANY members on a 1-to-1 level. I'm glad that I found my way into this community, and will always try to help make it better where I can

[Oreo931]

You were where exactly? Too busy come hang out with the people who give this site a heartbeat? I'd be ashamed.

LOL. You clearly have no idea what goes into running an active forum like VS.

It shows a lot that the owner of VS takes time to help members on an individual basis.
Thanks Chuck for VS, and all of the help/knowledge/friends it has given me.

[Mesoam]

A few of us went to dinner and actually spoke with a VCOA “board” member. This person is fully aware of their decline in annual memberships and was really seeking ways to improve the overall marketing. This person was also aware that they need to begin to trend towards the younger groups who are interested in newer styling, more power and better handling rather than a stock 240 wagon. The key is not loosing the old members while attracting new members, making that balance will be tough IMO as some of the older members may see this as a negative change rather than a change in the direction of where their brand is really going. I have a feeling in the near future there will be more interaction with VCOA and the other groups (forums).

I have also known George for a number of years now and the only complaints I have ever heard from him are the arguments over pricing between members. I have never heard personal cut downs from him on members.

[lookforjoe]

Thanks for the thread.

Since I joined late last year, I have found this site to be mostly helpful - the only detractor has been pointed out - members who will rag on other's threads/ go waay OT. It's definitely a detractor, and sometimes hard not to feed into.

I drove to Carlisle with VS members, and hung out with mostly VS members. I didn't even go over to the VCOA.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with being "cheap" - in this day & age, anyway of getting what you want done at the best price possible is what makes sense, to me anyway. I guess there are plenty of people to whom money is no object, but personally, I have more admiration for those who try to work it out without just funneling buckets of cash into a project. That's definitely one of the attractions of this site.

[brick-a-brac]

I tend not to reply to posts at work, but this thread has raised a number of issues, one of which is near and dear to me and I am compelled to add my voice -- for better or worse.

I, too, was at the dinner Travis mentioned, and the upshot is that if things stay on their present course, VCOA will eventually cease to exist. Membership has been gradually declining with little in the way of new enrollment. Say what you will about VCOA: that it's for older people more concerned with vintage iron than performance, that it's more about social events than DIY -- whatever. The fact is that VCOA was formed as a reaction to VSA's 1800 bias, and their history of trying to grow with the evolving demographic of Volvo ownership speaks to this. What I heard at this dinner was an attempt at an outreach to all you guys, because those who gradually find themselves long-time Volvo owners are the future of this club. If there is no interest, there will be no national club for Volvo owners. Period.

Okay, the "Volvos at Carlisle" thing was a day late and a dollar short, but we're talking about a volunteer organization and I'm sure everyone here who does something else for a living (pretty much all of us) will appreciate how hard it is to always be an efficient communicator. I certainly speak for myself here.

You want to build exposure for this site, Chuck, and I can appreciate that. You've done a yeoman's work here, and as far as I'm concerned, VS is the best there is, which is why I support it and spend more time here. I've met some great people, received some solid advice, bought and sold a thing or two. But I also support VCOA. Occasionally, the discounts I get on parts when I have to go to the dealer more than pay for my membership. I've also met some great people from whom I've received guidance and advice, and bought and sold a thing or two through the magazine. If we continue to work at cross-purposes and find cause to throw verbal darts across the ether, nothing good will come from it.

[NEU]

I figure I'd chime in with my "O" pinion about VCOA. I join VCOA over a decade ago, I also joined the Washington Area Volvo club, to get local info on club stuff. One of the main reason I joined VCOA was to get the 20% discount off new part at my local dealer, first time I walked in and asked for a part the parts guy asked me if I got the club discount I said "no I wasn't in the club" and he gave me a application form, I figured 20% discount for $30 investment was a good deal. Well after 7 years when I found I could get used parts dirt cheap at my local junk yard I stopped going to the dealer. Most of the VCOA events weren't that great and the only good thing was the free BBQ lunches at Carlisle, which they don't do anymore. I stopped my membership with VCOA because they weren't keeping up with the times, I didn't have a p1800 and they hardly discussed performance oriented things. It seemed like it was about the guy with the 2 million mile p1800... I stopped my Washington Volvo club too, because that was worthless, always sending out there flyers 3 weeks late, missing any events they had and there web site I believe is still today the same damn thing from 1996! And VCOA website had no info on Carlisle

I rejoined VCOA last year at Carlisle only because I still get that 20% discount at my dealer and my v70R required lots of new parts! This year at Carlisle I never even stopped by there tent. I could care less about there events, there magazine or there members! The only thing I do care about is there discounts, cause I'm a cheap bastard! I enjoy being on VS and v70R because I learn a lot and get free info to save me money and help me solve my problems and meet and hang out with a bunch of really nice people. Bottom line if VCOA doesn't do something to change from the "Old Fart" crowd they aren't going to be around when I'm an Old Fart!

I do find it interesting the competition between the different sites and get a chuckle from the bickering that is going on about the different sites and what we need to sign up for at Carlisle, (I used VS), VCOA, SS, or this one was ridiculous Volvos at Carlisle. I mean who cares if Saab beats us again! What would we get IF we won? NOTHING!

Keep up the good work on this site...

[Che'_Moderator]

While I do appreciate the support I do not want this to turn on VCOA. I have NOTHING against them as far as what they stand for and what they have done. They are a great organization. I only meant to but an end to any rumors that I would not work with them on Carlisle or any other event. I was never even give the opportunity. Would be one thing if they contacted me and I took my time to get back to them or something. Then I could see them implying that I did not want to help. But to straight come out and LIE I am not going to put up with. As for discounts most of the dealers extend the 20% to Volvospeed members also. VCOA has done a lot. Thats why it sucks they are being undermined by a few... well lets just say it. Shady liars.

Off topic but I am also back at my desk a little more and plan to crack down on some of the moderator and member shenanigans. You all know who you are.

[NEU]

As for discounts most of the dealers extend the 20% to Volvospeed members also.

Unfortunatly my dealer wants to see my VCOA card, I don't think VS is issuing any?