So back in the summer months the drop links on my S90 began to clunk a bit, so I changed them for new ones purchased from the local branch of a well-known motor factor. At under £20 each, and involving nothing more than about 20 minutes of my time, I fitteds the new links and thought no more of it.
Fast forward to last weekend I was really surprised when the nearside drop link cropped up as an MOT advisory. The tester commented that he could see the link was new, but that there was play in the lower ball joint. He suggested giving them a nip with a spanner just to be sure that the nuts were nice and tight. (At this point I should add that he was referring to the drop links.......
!)
I did check as he'd advised and found every thing to be as tight as the proverbial duck's rear quarter, but through this past week, as I used the car I did start to hear the clunk again.
So I ordered a new pair of drop links from PFS Volvo. These arrived yesterday and this morning I fitted them - suspension silence is restored. But I was astounded to find that the "new" near side drop link on the car did indeed have a fair amount of play in the lower ball joint, and that the rubber boots at both ends were already split and deteriorating, with grease oozing out.
The PFS items were actually cheaper than the ones supplied by the motor factor, and are claimed to be "Swedish made and OE quality". Time will tell, but I guess the lesson is that you really do need to be careful about where you buy pattern parts. Now drop links are not expensive, and they are very easy to swap out, but it's made me think twice about sourcing anything else from what I thought was a reputable local supplier.
Jack