Genuine Volvo ???????????????????????????????????

[sheerwater]

Hi,
looks as if my 25 year relationship with Volvo is about to end. Ive discovered that my dealer has fitted a part under the Volvo warranty that is not genuine Volvo. Nuff said for the moment.Cheers Nige

[Paul Wildsmith]

What, you mean like a Bosch part but not in the blue box? If a dealer fits a bit, then by definition its genuine (unless you asked him to do otherwise). I know this is a little naive of me ...

You persist in using Volvo dealers and are then surprised that they rip you off? Hell, Volvo dealers in Sweden are _always_ in every customer survey ranked the lowest. Allow me to paraphrase the Major in Fawlty Towers when I say: "Love Volvos, hate dealers!".

George

Resident near Leuven in Belgium

'87 745 GLE Turbo Diesel Intercooler
'88 745 Turbo Intercooler

My Betting is, that it's Nige's unbalanced "Reconned" Steering Rack..
Any Takers??? No, Not For the rack, Just the bet:-)

Regards
Dave M

[sheerwater]

Hi Dave,
Not saying nuthin yet !!!!! Just for the record though just cos a dealer fits it it doesn't make it genuine!!! A genuine part is often made in one country, shipped somewhere else and shipped back to the original country again . Thus the price hike. Secondly if dealer B is asked to change it because the component is faulty then the Volvo genuine parts warranty does not count. (although dealer A who fitted it is responsible) Its not quite as simple legally though which is why details are not published yet. If the warranty is ''owned'' by a third party i.e. an insurance company then they paid for the repairs and then they become legally responsible. Although as said a Bosch alternator is a Bosch alternator and to all intents and purposes the same product you will probably find that the Volvo replacement comes with the required bits i.e. new nuts and bolts/gaskets etc. to make it fit first time. (no rounded head bolts here) This is certainly true for items such as water pumps and exhausts. The real crunch comes when the item fails and you take it to another dealer. OOPS its not genuine so we cant do it under warranty!!!!! Imagine buying a car with a transferred Volvo warranty (yes is could be done) only to be told that. Who do you blame? Previous dealer? Previous owner? Warranty Company?
It has taken me 5 months to check my problem out. The final givaway was that something was missing that should have been fitted if the part was genuine Volvo. Returning to the fact that parts are the same. They may appear to be the same but its like Marks and Spensers bread. Made and warranted to a certain shape and colour with certain ingredients and so you pay a premium. Same with genuine Volvo parts. Sky high prices to pay for the extras such as nuts/bolts and instnt replacement when things go wrong. These sky high prices also mean sky high premiums on additional warranties, insurance premiums etc. If you pay for it you expect the right one which is where my arguement lies. I dont suppose full details will ever be published due to legal restrictions but it is surfice to say that S*!*" has hit the fan over this one. Cheers Nige

[sheerwater]

Hi Dave,
You win the prize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dust is settling now. What I have to say is disturbing to say the least. Sparks are flying in all directions. My next communication is with Gothenburg. As for mentioning the birthplace of our beloved cars I will also mention that there was not a single GENUINE volvo steering rack for a 940 to be found in the Volvo system in the UK..... my new genuine rack is coming from Sweden. I will not mention dealers or companies involved at this stage as there is every chance of a court case. Surfice to say that I have a 5 year extended warranty package with Volvo on the paperwork. It is not administered by Volvo but is run by a very famous rescue service. This is the same rescue service who failed to rescue me some years ago when abroad and it was fortunate that I had a secondary AA 5 * package which came free with the ferry ticket.
Apparently the warrnty company in my case found it acceptable to authorise a part reconditioned by an outside firm contrary to their policy document which states that all parts fitted will mirror the original manufacturers warranty. The clue which finally clinched the proof I needed was that all genuine Volvo racks come as a kit complete with track rod ends. They may be reconditioned but they come with a Volvo warranty which can be used in any Volvo franchise. The second dealer refused to change the rack under warranty because it was not genuine. To be fair to dealer no.2 they have pulled out all the stops. Volvo customer services are involved and it has been stated that they are not aware of the steering rack re-conditioners used by the warranty company. It has been mentioned that the Bosch alternator is the same if branded Bosch or Volvo. Maybe but not if it goes wrong. The Bosch has a one year warranty whereas my warranty was for 5 years due to the additional payment. I suppose that if the component fitted to my car would have been AOK and I would have been blissfully unaware of the difference had it not failed. But then again I paid the premium for top notch parts so thats what I want for my money. If you really want to worry check out the web for Chinese manufacturers who are copying all parts for cars including steering racks, brakes etc. I am not saying that they will be of poor quality but they certainly will be cheaper. I get a new rack fitted Monday. Genuine this time and from this point I am letting others fight it out between themselves. Enough to say the legal folks are involved. Cheers Nige PS as regards using genuine Volvo dealers. You have to to ensure the warranty.