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Changes with Volvo dealership parts / tools

RickATL

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2015
Location
Atlanta
Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that their local dealership is now listing classic parts that had been NLA for years?



Also Volvo has moved all the special tools to one site and won't let the dealerships sell them anymore. I ordered a 9995037 strut tool from the volvopartswebstore.com in Oak Park. They showed it in stock, i paid for it, and the next day I got a email saying they refunded me the payment because they were no longer allowed to sell tools?
 
The Chinese Volvo folks are doing all sorts of things.

All the documentation once available on the internet has been removed by legal pressure.

Don't expect anything to get better except through individual private efforts.
 
I hope that isn't an across the board change. That is really lame. I ordered the cam seal tool last year from Tasca. They had to get it from Sweden but it showed up without issue. Try a different dealer. You can also order directly from gcp.se. I'd also try checking with VP autoparts. They may be able to order it as well.
 
I ordered a lot of interior parts for my 740 straight from the dealership online, like Draco wheel caps and the red lenses for the doors, about 2 years ago. They didn't ship or charge me for anything for about 3 days at which point I contacted them and found out they didn't have a couple of the parts.

At that point, I put in an order for what they did have, and I even got new interior parts shipped to me all the way from Sweden for no extra charge.

Now, any time I need a part, I either email them or call their parts department and they tell me if they have it or are able to get it, whether from another dealer or internationally.

Bottom line is: Don't trust their website. Make a list with all the parts you need and call or email your local Volvo dealer parts department and they will tell you what they can get to you.
 
I hope that isn't an across the board change. That is really lame. I ordered the cam seal tool last year from Tasca. They had to get it from Sweden but it showed up without issue. Try a different dealer. You can also order directly from gcp.se. I'd also try checking with VP autoparts. They may be able to order it as well.
Per the volvo web site:
Volvo is pleased to announce a new Special Tool ordering process for our Independent repairers in the US and Canada. All Volvo Special Tools will now be stored in and distributed from our Volvo Parts Distribution centers. Independent repairs and Volvo customer can order tools through the Volvo Cars Bookstore and have them drop shipped directly to their location. By bringing the process in-house , we can take advantage of some process efficiencies not possible before. For example, lead times for certain out of stock items will be shortened.
Occasionally a tool ordered may not be available in the US. To save you costs on shipping and handling we will hold the entire order until ALL tools are available. If the stock is available in Sweden, the ETA will be about two weeks. We will open a help request to notify you of the back-order.


I sent them an email with a question about the strut tools i was looking at and they actually sent me copies of the original technical drawings for the tools.
 
I hope that isn't an across the board change. That is really lame. I ordered the cam seal tool last year from Tasca. They had to get it from Sweden but it showed up without issue. Try a different dealer. You can also order directly from gcp.se. I'd also try checking with VP autoparts. They may be able to order it as well.
Looks like the new system might be better with no shipping charges from Sweden.
 
The Chinese Volvo folks are doing all sorts of things.

All the documentation once available on the internet has been removed by legal pressure.

Don't expect anything to get better except through individual private efforts.

It isn't China. China is pretty much just a blank cheque company. These changes are coming from Sweden. Blaming everything on China is just spreading some lore. Sweden has WAY more control now than in the Ford days, and you're likely seeing changes that Sweden wants, more than what China wants. The company is infinitely better now than it was under Ford.

This is a different issue.

I recently had to do an inventory of all our special tools. There are about 5000 of them mandated in total. I cleaned, inspected, organized and documented locations on every tool for easier access. Every tool was easy to get if it needed to be replaced. Now, there were some older tools that were no longer in the mandated required tools list. Most of these tools I was able to still order. But there were a few odd ball tools that were NLA.

It is possible that the dealer is no longer able to order this tool.

Someone mentioned it above, about how tools were brought in house for ordering. This has made a world of difference for us. Previously, we would order a tool, that was say, made by SPX in Germany or Japan. The order would be placed and the tool would be shipped from there. It took weeks to arrive sometimes. Now with tools at the Volvo warehouses, we can have them in a day. Unless it is an odd ball that has to come from Sweden.

With parts that have been NLA and are now back. Volvo has now started GCP (Genuine Classic Parts). They might be aftermarket parts, but they come with the same Volvo warranty that fall under the current parts warranty. If say, in 15 years, they can no longer get the part, the cost of the part will be returned to you.
 
I ordered a lot of interior parts for my 740 straight from the dealership online, like Draco wheel caps and the red lenses for the doors, about 2 years ago. They didn't ship or charge me for anything for about 3 days at which point I contacted them and found out they didn't have a couple of the parts.

At that point, I put in an order for what they did have, and I even got new interior parts shipped to me all the way from Sweden for no extra charge.

Now, any time I need a part, I either email them or call their parts department and they tell me if they have it or are able to get it, whether from another dealer or internationally.

Bottom line is: Don't trust their website. Make a list with all the parts you need and call or email your local Volvo dealer parts department and they will tell you what they can get to you.

Also you can call the same parts dept and get two different answers from two different employees sometimes. Best to have someone on the inside you can count on.
 
Nobody wants to deal with older cars and parts. I think the best approach is to call one dealer, get the correct part number, then call a different dealer with the number in hand. Now you make it easier for them to look stuff up and MAYBE you'll have a better chance of getting what you want.
 
you did the inventory...

It isn't China. China is pretty much just a blank cheque company. These changes are coming from Sweden. Blaming everything on China is just spreading some lore. Sweden has WAY more control now than in the Ford days, and you're likely seeing changes that Sweden wants, more than what China wants. The company is infinitely better now than it was under Ford.

This is a different issue.

I recently had to do an inventory of all our special tools. There are about 5000 of them mandated in total. I cleaned, inspected, organized and documented locations on every tool for easier access. Every tool was easy to get if it needed to be replaced. Now, there were some older tools that were no longer in the mandated required tools list. Most of these tools I was able to still order. But there were a few odd ball tools that were NLA.

It is possible that the dealer is no longer able to order this tool.

Someone mentioned it above, about how tools were brought in house for ordering. This has made a world of difference for us. Previously, we would order a tool, that was say, made by SPX in Germany or Japan. The order would be placed and the tool would be shipped from there. It took weeks to arrive sometimes. Now with tools at the Volvo warehouses, we can have them in a day. Unless it is an odd ball that has to come from Sweden.

With parts that have been NLA and are now back. Volvo has now started GCP (Genuine Classic Parts). They might be aftermarket parts, but they come with the same Volvo warranty that fall under the current parts warranty. If say, in 15 years, they can no longer get the part, the cost of the part will be returned to you.


This sounds like you are the man to talk to about discounts.;-) So really no one should order from GCP.se anymore, just order them through the dealership and no shipping costs from Sweden?
 
Well that across the board change for tools does seem like a better system. I placed a recent parts order with Tasca and they needed to get all five parts from Sweden. It took six weeks but they did tell me it could take that long. There was no extra charge for shipping from Sweden. I ordered the lumbar support wires and an M47 gasket kit. It all came in on time.

I also have seen discontinued parts come back. In 2019 I ordered the stays for the front fender when using the plastic covered bumpers. It took two months but the part showed up brand new at my door. One of the parts I'm hoping they bring back are the rear hatch hinges in black. That would be nice.
 
One of the parts I'm hoping they bring back are the rear hatch hinges in black. That would be nice.

Skandix has them in stock in black, so it seems they are available?
They also show in stock at GCP.

https://www.skandix.de/en/spare-par...or/hinge-tailgate-bootlid-left-black/1014510/
https://www.skandix.de/en/spare-par...r/hinge-tailgate-bootlid-right-black/1014511/
https://www.gcp.se/en/products/3540734-2/
https://www.gcp.se/en/products/3540735-2/

1014510_z_0002.jpg
 
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