Have to leave for Norway in about two weeks. Want to take over an OMP strut tower brace for my 97 850 GLT, but there are none to be had in the US at present. The distributor in California for all of N.A. said they won't get a shipment in until the end of February. Nobody in the US seems to have one. Have tried almost everywhere.

Am I really splitting a fine hair by wanting an OMP strut over Volvo's, price by the side? Rolling, the magazine for VCOA memebers, reviewed about ten strut braces several years ago, and I can't remember how close Volvo and OMP's brace were to each other. Volvo Houston quoted me $164 for theirs, and the OMP (if you could find one) is about $120 on the net, but I can't wait for that Italian freighter to dock in Los Angeles or San Diego. Is the OMP worth the wait? Will be heading back to Norway again in the fall.

And the reason I would buy an Italian or Volvo strut brace here in the US and not Europe and carry it on the plane is because Volvo parts are half again as much in Norway, plus a 24% sales tax. No love lost between the Swedes and Norwegians.