Parts brands - OE Volvo, trusted aftermarket, and bad

[abscate]

Now you get to choose cheap part mode.

50% fail completely out of box

Half the parts fit, half don’t.

Choices are wonderful!!

[454cid]

From looking at the available aftermarket oil cooler lines (Dorman, SKP, unbranded from ebay), I am betting that they are mostly all from the exact same factory. The Sunsong ones look different in their stock photo, FWIW. Maybe they are better. Maybe their stock photo is just different.

I would have gone with Sunsong, as they specialize in hoses. They are a Chinese company, but make many of the aftermarket brands. I've used several of their brakes hoses. In fact I have one on my S70. I did get a transmission cooler hose for my Saturn that simply would not fit, However. It wasn't a length issue, it was the diameter of the metal end that went into the quick connect. A new ACDelco worked fine. Rockauto did refund my money.

For now, I am rebuilding the original inlet line using some Gates hose and Oetiker clamps, and the car is out of commission until the correct hose and Oetikers come from Amazon, since no local stores had trans cooler line bigger than 3/8".

I'm a bit confused on what the setup is. If I look at the coolers online, it looks like they take a bare hoses and clamps. The line you have has metal ends that are crimped on. I'm not sure I'd trust an Oetiker in place of the crimped sleeve type connections that Volvo and the aftermarket use on the lines.

[abscate]

An oetiker on a barbed fitting will be fine for an oil line fitting which is well under 100 psi , at cold oil condition, less when hot.

I’ve seen double oetikers on a flared power steering line that held at PS pressures of 500 psi ish.

Sorry for that ugly sentence above

[Ocelot]

I saw in the first post that TRW is listed as the OE supplier for the front control arms. Two years ago, I replaced both and had the car aligned. They only lasted two years, 30.000 kms and the streets in the Netherlands are like silky smooth, like a billiart table. Replaced them with Lemförder, with an alignment and now just wait and see.

Also replaced all the shocks (Sachs) and springs (Lesjöfors) two years ago. Nothing to comment on that besides the car drives smooth and steady. The only tiny thing to mention is that I thought that with the new springs and shocks at the rear, the car would stand a bit higher from the ground. To my opinion, the rear of the car hangs a bit low.

[scot850]

Lesjofors springs are generally ok, but as they are a generic spring, they may not match the OE springs in terms of ride height on all models.
I fitted a set to the rear of a 2000 V70 NA and they were fine. However, my buddy found once he added any weight to the back it sagged easily. He swapped to a set of the IPD HD springs and the car still rides nicely but also controls the rear height well. Volvo supplied several spring stiffness options for P80's for both front and rear.

There is also the case of the cars that run with Nivomat shocks. Several owners I know have found when they fitted new Nivomats on cars with new springs that sat low, they suddenly regained the correct ride height.

Neil.

[abscate]

I’ve got the IPD Blues…….

[scot850]

Oh,dear...........!

Talking of IPD, I have been talking to them about the P80 AWD fuel pump they are selling. It is made by our friends Pro-Parts Sweden and made in China. 0 reviews on the part. I have corresponded with Kevin at IPD and he says they have sold about 12 in the last year and no complaints, but also no feedback in any form. At around $150 the price is not terrible compared to what Volvo used to charge, but also a big job to fit to find out an issue. I had been tempted to order one for the spares shelf as it would be hopefully a lot easier than the pain Abscate went through trying to get one to work in his S70 AWD.

Hmmmm.......??

Neil.

[abscate]

Oh,dear...........!

Talking of IPD, I have been talking to them about the P80 AWD fuel pump they are selling. It is made by our friends Pro-Parts Sweden and made in China. 0 reviews on the part. I have corresponded with Kevin at IPD and he says they have sold about 12 in the last year and no complaints, but also no feedback in any form. At around $150 the price is not terrible compared to what Volvo used to charge, but also a big job to fit to find out an issue. I had been tempted to order one for the spares shelf as it would be hopefully a lot easier than the pain Abscate went through trying to get one to work in his S70 AWD.

Hmmmm.......??

Neil.

Is that the full up pump plus insert with fuel gauge sender? Worth it at that price. Fitting in the pump cartridge wasn’t fun.

[scot850]

This is the pump assembly with fuel level float:

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/23453/F ... vo-9470674

Neil.

[Ocelot]

So, today I received some disappointing news: the ball joints on my eleven month old wish bones have a lot of play. I've driven them for 35000 kilometers and they're from the Febi Bilstein brand. Had somewhat of the same issue with the TRW brand, but the TRW's lasted longer, somewhat of 50.000 kilometers and almost 2 years. Mind you, the Dutch highways are silky smooth. I'm a bit at my wits end... Replaycing the wish bones/ control arms every year isnt a solid strategy. Replaycing the control arms with brushings of PU rubber isnt something I like to do because usually that makes the riding experience very stif.

Whats your advice?