XC60 wipers OEM or aftermarket?

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by marsdalebear

Where have the figures of 3 years vs 1 year come from? I had ebay Bosch wipers on for 3 years with no problems. Wiper usage plays a big part in their degradation. Not wishing to teach granny to suck eggs, less use = less wear =longer life.Regular cleaning also helps.
Each to his own though.

Living in Wales and doing 18k a year lots of use is inevitable lasting 3 years when you don’t go out in snow, rain and drive 6k a year isn’t really that long lasting.....

[Clan]

Originally Posted by marsdalebear

I respect your knowledge Clan but I spent all my time when I was still a wage slave in the automotive OEM supply sector and I am comfortable in knowing that the high OEM prices are more for high margins to satisfy the dealer network. It would be detrimental for any supplier to offer inferior products under their branding.An SKF bearing from a factor will not be any different to one branded Volvo via a dealer.
Having said that I agree that there are dodgy components with obscure brand names around.

All due respect to you , but my experience is with volvo , no other manufacturer and what they choose and have been choosing for decades it is not just bearings which have variable quality it is just about everything , brake shoes , pads, discs , air filters , fuel filters , ball joints, drive shafts , alternators , starters . etc etc you get what you pay for ... and usually volvo choose to use the best rating.

I'm not here to cause arguments , just to educate from what I have learned about Volvo over the last 46 years ... ...

Another example , The fuel filter used on the ford/PSA diesel , volvo slipped up by using the standard filter i would assume as it was not their engine , and it was sometime blocking before it's 36000 mile change interval , so volvo raise the specifications put a blue dot on top to distinguish from the lesser ones and problem was solved .

Talking of starters an alternators , volvo ones are utterly reliable and last for decades , since they started using the ford engines and their alternators and starters not the case , in fact failures are quite common after 80000 miles or so .

Same with clutches , volvo clutches always lasted the lifetime of the car
using their own specification materials , then when the ford engines arrived they started failing on the ford engines anytime after 80000 miles and sometimes at half that mileage when the diaphragm spring fulcrum ring split .
just look up bearings you will find there are at least 3 different qualities with prices to match ...

look up these 6 pages of the common 6302 bearing , look at the prices from £2 to £60 , look at the quality ratings ...

https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/ad...0696241&page=6

[marsdalebear]

Accept everything that you have said, but it says more about ****e Ford specs than aftermarket quality from reputable suppliers. And I do know something about Ford quality standards.

[marsdalebear]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Living in Wales and doing 18k a year lots of use is inevitable lasting 3 years when you don’t go out in snow, rain and drive 6k a year isn’t really that long lasting.....

I averaged 18k miles/yr over those 3 years. My cars are not garage queens or there to impress the neighbours.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by marsdalebear

And this is regardless of usage?
Lets just agree to disagree on this issue?

ps. I really do respect your technical experience.

yes in regular daily usage , if left, wiper blades deteriorate more with the sun beating down on them for days with no movement and dirt stuck to the rubber .

[MacV50]

Originally Posted by Clan

All that volvo make are the body shell , the engine and gearbox , everything else is made outside , however volvo do not buy off the shelf , their parts all have specification sheets which demand the exact quality they want . These external manufacturers which are often well known such as FAG . SKF , Bosch, Valeo DELCO ,Osram ATE, GKN etc make several different grades of components for their various customers . Volvo almost always choose the highest quality , whilst motor factors choose the cheapest hence lowest quality even when the parts are made in the same factory .. That goes for wheel bearings, water pumps , wiper blades , suspension parts , alternators etc etc ..

So as I always say You do get what you pay for ..and it is cheaper in the long run , the wiper blades for example last around 3 times longer ... Citroen wiper blades are considerably more expensive than volvo ones ,

Not sure they even make the gearbox! Autos address Aisin but not sure about the manuals

[Clan]

Originally Posted by MacV50

Not sure they even make the gearbox! Autos address Aisin but not sure about the manuals

yes they always made their own Manual gearboxes except for the very early 1974 264 V6 which had a 5 speed Getrag unit .
Then there are the ford engines with ford gearboxes .. no real trouble with them except rattling gear selector mechanisms ...

[Kev0607]

I got a set of wiper blades off Ebay from Volvopartstrade. I put a genuine set on my Dad's car because they weren't that much more expensive than the aftermarket ones, but each to their own etc. Eitherway, there's much more expensive parts that need replacing on a car afterall. I agree that wiper blades don't last as long as they should, but if you get two years out of a set (Admittedly, they should last longer though) & you can buy them for £30-£35 in Halford's as an example, it isn't exactly expensive either.

[AndyJudge]

Originally Posted by marsdalebear

Where have the figures of 3 years vs 1 year come from? I had ebay Bosch wipers on for 3 years with no problems. Wiper usage plays a big part in their degradation. Not wishing to teach granny to suck eggs, less use = less wear =longer life.Regular cleaning also helps.
Each to his own though.

I'm only speaking from my particular use pattern 1x Pair of Bosch/Halfords wipers on this XC60 installed in July 2018. Start of September 2019 20,000 miles of mainly motorway driving in all weathers wipers squeal & Smear on the screen even after a good clean so replaced with Volvo originals.

Previous Volvo originals on my numerous other volvo's with the same use pattern lasted 2 winters without issues.

I do use mine a lot, they do get cleaned when needed as I hate having a smeared screen & it really gives eye strain at night (where I do a lot of miles)

Best Wipers I ever had though were PIAA Silicones on my scooby. they left a coating on the screen when you used them much like rain x. The faster you drove thee less you used them.

[Tannaton]

Originally Posted by marsdalebear

I respect your knowledge Clan but I spent all my time when I was still a wage slave in the automotive OEM supply sector and I am comfortable in knowing that the high OEM prices are more for high margins to satisfy the dealer network. It would be detrimental for any supplier to offer inferior products under their branding.An SKF bearing from a factor will not be any different to one branded Volvo via a dealer.
Having said that I agree that there are dodgy components with obscure brand names around.

Sorry but that isn’t always correct, there are certain parts made by established manufacturers to Volvo specs that you cannot buy any other way than through the Volvo network. Those Suppliers cannot sell the same spec parts under their own name as their contract with Volvo prohibits them from doing so - Volvo are perfectly entitled to protect their intellectual property and R&D investment. Whilst it is true that sometimes the margins are higher, that’s the cost of running a dealership and supporting a computer system that knows every unique part number fitted to every car ever made.

Examples of such parts are some filters, bearings, batteries, bulbs, water pumps, starters, alternators, brake discs and pads... etc