POLL: How did you buy from FCP?

[callahanoffroad]

Well said, j-dawg. The silver lining of the movement away from car forums is that after all these new players, the best place for repairs is still a car forum. Facebook moves too fast to be a good repository for repair information. I can't remember the last time I saw a FB post from more than a week prior. You can get answers there, but as a reference? a storehouse for organized information?... it's poor.

I use MVS FB posts as flags that say "Hey this is a new repair at MVS", and little else.

A sad aspect of this new trend to Facebook, IMHO, is that FB page owners get no revenue from their efforts at running their page. Mark Zuckerberg gets it. They get esteem and maybe prestige, but in a sense they work for Zuckerberg for free. They draw users from a system that makes someone some income to one that makes nobody income, except FB shareholders.

I gotta agree with you Matty. Forums are SEO optimized, easy to search for repair data, and form a community. All of these are super important. I can't think of a better place to get help on my cars than in a focused forum of enthusiasts. YouTube is okay for video hosting really but social media isn't designed for this even remotely. On Instagram I have no remote ability to organize my information aside from posting in an order that makes sense. Social media is designed for rapid consumption on less than intellectual things. Pics of cats, cute jeans, etc. Can you imagine trying to find a birfield seal rebuild tutorial from 5 years ago on Facebook? (Not that anyone is using fb anymore ) So as a result I still have websites so that I can properly and competently display advanced concepts. Of course there's also the fact that no one is on Instagram to learn a new skill... Oh the troubles of being an older millennial with an online business.

[badboye46]

I learned of FCPGroton 18 years ago on this site. Two Volvo’s, and two 3 series BMW’s have been maintained and restored using FCP parts.

[gmh]

I too learned of FCP Groton from MVS 10 years ago. At that time there was a code to get a discount like eEuro has now. Through the years they changed to rewards codes they would send via email or attach to your account page. When they started the lifetime replacement policy, the discounts went away and prices went up on many items. Free shipping at $49 is still attractive and I would use them if the item price was competitive. I also buy from IPD, eEuro and RMEuropean depending on price and urgency of need of the part.
I recently shopped for a Valeo a/c compressor at these 4 vendors. Prices (a week ago) were:
IPD $393 sale $354 free shipping
eEuro $356 sale $316 $18 shipping
RMEuropean not available
FCP $522 free shipping (OEM Volvo $506)
Perhaps there is a reason FCP's price on this item is so high. The lifetime replacement offer does not tempt me for this large a difference in price as this part should long outlast the car.
P.S. I ordered from eEuro.

[erikv11]

I buy the great majority of my parts from FCP, and I see the banner ads at the top of the page but I never click them. If I was on a phone more often I could see it but it's just not how I navigate - like many people on a keyboard I mouse and click as little as possible. Command-tab, command-L, start typing f-c- and select the autocomplete ...

FCP has definitely enjoyed a well-deserved resurgence in MVS endorsements and reputation here over the last several years, we'll see if this recent change affects that. I wonder if this little piece of market may just not be worth any extra attention from them at this point in time.

For years I would look up part numbers at IPD then buy elsewhere, now I may be doing the converse more and more!

[j-dawg]

I've been buying small parts - gaskets, fittings, bolts, etc - at a Volvo dealer that opened a mile or two from my house. Prices are the same as online stores and I usually get what I need right away. Definitely unexpected, but volvopartswebstore and other dealer-affiliated sites show similarly competitive prices, so it's worth a shot if you live near a dealer.

[matthew1]

As a reminder, FCP supported MVS financially via running their ad for almost a decade, and this support helped get us to where we are now. I want to be fair to them given their historical support. Please consider this when making parts buying decisions. Thanks guys.

And thanks for all the comments and votes.

[E Showell]

My understanding, based on direct communication with the folks at FCP, is the banner ad wasn't working for them, that they remain committed to supporting MVS and just have to find a way that works for them, which they are in the process of exploring.

Rather than a knee jerk, "I'm taking my business elsewhere" approach, perhaps we should show FCP how valuable MVS can be to them by remembering to tell phone operators that you heard about FCP from MVS, adding a similar comment to your online orders and referring friends and family to FCP.

I know I personally have benefitted immensely from the relationship between MVS and FCP over the years and would hate to see that change.

[amblerman]

like many people on a keyboard I mouse and click as little as possible. Command-tab, command-L, start typing f-c- and select the autocomplete ...

I too did this. Now I wish I had clicked on banner. But just typing FC always just auto completed.

-A

[erikv11]

My understanding, based on direct communication with the folks at FCP, is the banner ad wasn't working for them, that they remain committed to supporting MVS and just have to find a way that works for them, which they are in the process of exploring.

Rather than a knee jerk, "I'm taking my business elsewhere" approach, perhaps we should show FCP how valuable MVS can be to them by remembering to tell phone operators that you heard about FCP from MVS, adding a similar comment to your online orders and referring friends and family to FCP.

I know I personally have benefitted immensely from the relationship between MVS and FCP over the years and would hate to see that change.

This is an informed and reasoned post, thanks Evan. Made me read mine again and want to clarify - I am not likely to knee-jerk either, and I will still tell people what a great resource FPC is/has been etc. I just think it will be interesting to see how it all plays out, the "we'll see if this recent change affects that" part of my post.

[wrybread]

Agreed I think a forum is a great way to organize info.

I'm a little put off by the situation with FCP. If I understand it correctly the admins here are loudly boycotting them because they withdrew sponsorship? Wouldn't that discourage other people from sponsoring this site, since if they stop sponsorship for any reason they go from a neutral presence to a very negative one?

Anyway just a small observation and no offense intended, I love your work and this community.