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So I purchased and replaced both struts(bilstein HDs) and strut mounts (OEM) last september,2015 from FCPEURO. The strut mounts have already cracked severely around the center housing already. These will look worse than the ones I took out after 27 yrs very soon im sure judging by the degradation already. Looking back on them when i received, no volvo or brand name anywhere on the actual part, just a plastic bag with a volvo label. I feel I have been ripped off here as Volvo rubber does not degrade so rapidly as these have. Problem here is the labor involved to remove and replace of course. Who has the real strut mounts for sale anymore?
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This probably won't help much, but in June of 2013 I purchased, from Tasca, two, "1272455 front suspension, suspension components, shock mount," along with some rear control arm bushings.
They arrived in the blue Volvo box with the familiar varicolored sticker, amongst others, one of which has the Volvo script, part number, part name, bar code and the words, "Made in Sweden," which was a bit of a surprise considering how many of the genuine Volvo parts seem to come from eastern Europe.
Equally surprising was no trace of the Volvo name or part number on the actual part. I have grown accustomed to seeing this info, mostly. But the boxes sure are nice. They even have a little strap to make carrying easy, I guess.
Of trivial interest, the Swedish name for this item is, apparently, Stötdämparfäste.
I have yet to install them so I can't speak to the quality. But, to the touch, the rubber seems pretty sturdy.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon
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... no longer having a OEM or OE strut mount for 240.
A middle finger of British v-sign.
R-Sport International no longer makes their version of the all-metal tsrut mount with spherical bearing.
http://www.r-sportinternational.com/index.php
Though the Kaplhenke all-metal strut mount is a fine replacement. Yet many of us have roads that swallow many Volvo 90 series here in the Yoo Ess of Aaaayyyyyy. The Kaplhenke is all metal. So, some more bone rattlin?
To my knowledge, and it's real limited here, BMW, Mercedes, and VW/Audi/Porsche have not quite so screwed owners of models built in the 50s through the 70s. You pay a dear, dear price. Though they suffer the same crappy after-market as we do in North America. I can't speak for Canada, tho.
I had hoped to acquire maybe one or two more 240s, after I get a garage. A 242 at least. Of course, we'd need strut mounts for the dear 242.
I guess we get the joy of more negative camber or caster or toe-in or toe-out adjustment with the Kaplhenke strut mounts. Camber, yeah?
Fantastic.
So, I'll be motoring on smooth glass, then? Them strut plates, even with rubber control arm and soft Sachs front strut would be a but a jarring experience?
The strut mount deliver a small yet fine compliance. Sort of like the upper control arm on a 140 or 164 with rubber control arm bushess. All properly set and preloaded before you torque the securing hardware as we know, best in an alignment rack.
Feels like a gut punch when Win XP dies and Micro$loth serves up the unreliable and unsecure Windows 8.1 and the ever worse Windows 10.
I'm having a tantrum. Sorry. Raving and Ranting.
One of us needs to contact Volvo to at least source something safe. I mean, dammit, this is ridiculous, utterly.
I'll make a post at the:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/Volvo240Club/
... and the like, eventually.
Earl Grey Tea Boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
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Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert. 
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Surely, times change, but I have never bought an OE Volvo part which did not have the Volvo logo and part number permanently molded into, inscribed or stamped on it. Also, most often they have come in the familiar Volvo blue box.
For years, I've hoarded OE Volvo parts so that I do not have to wait whenever I go to do a repair. I just checked some strut tops I bought several years ago and they have the part number and logo molded into them.
What I want to know before I order anything else, is FCP doing a switcheroo on us or has Volvo lowered it standards to the point of supplying useless parts? Did anyone else who has bought OE Volvo strut mounts from a dealer receive unmarked parts?
By the way, people often apply "OE" and "OEM" to parts as it they mean the same thing. Regardless of what parts hawkers want you to believe, those terms have different and distinct definitions. OE (Original Equipment) parts are sold ONLY by the car manufacturer. Whereas, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts are only made by the same vendor who made the OE parts for the car company - they are not the same parts.
Why would Volvo (or Gm or Ford or any car company) go to the expense to spec a part, then allow the vendor to exploit its engineering, R&D, QC and whatever else it took to develop its spec.
If you doubt me, just compare an OE (i.e., dealer) Volvo headpipe to an OEM pipe, both manufactured by Bosal. They might have both been made by Bosal, the Original Equipment Manufacturer, but they are from different universes.
So, is FCP doing a number on its customers or not?
Rich (near Pittsburgh)
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Hi Rich!
I would say you nailed down the problem with your definitions of each. Still both are implicating like quality and performance with the operative word being "original."
If it's on a bag or box using a registered "logo, name or coloring" it should be considered an infringement violation if that product does not meet the original specifications of workmanship, let alone fit and function.
It boils down to the middlemen have to the responsibility not to buy "KNOCK OFFS!"
The big factor is that these are suspension parts and should be subject is safety regulation of DOT!
Shouldn't they? Steering racks, ball joints and a like surely should SAE!
DOT Brake fluid, brake parts, tires and lighting are!
These are standards set to protect the motoring public. It has to work here and in other countries or we would be in a terrible mess!
The word "Genuine" is not being used to avoid royalties. Instead "Original" is substituted under a disguise of genuine or like quality.
The trouble starts with out-sourced vendors selling off tooling for discontinued orders or contracts for parts. The sad part is that, some tooling may even be worn to a point of a rebuild is needed and that in itself raised the cost to keep reproducing those parts.
The tooling can still be used but identity marks, for obvious reasons, can be or not be, removed by the original builder. This also depends under any selling stipulations within the selling contracts with auction houses.
The tooling can reproduced the same part but the "kicker" is, the quality of materials used is subject to variations without controls. Those things are usually proprietary and a negotiated separately beforehand.
In these cases, I surmise, there is no regulatory agency overseeing this drifting from one country to another. The tooling gets dispersed all over the world.
At some level, it's left up to down stream "enterprises" to protect the consumers!
"Lifetime warranties" are a bait, that can be good or bad thing, depending on the quality of the items sold.
It's a double edged sword, in that, "they" can buy insurance to cover the "odds" of those who will return a product against those who will not.
The idea of having to keep changing a part out, with the customer, can kill businesses, despite any insurance "backfill" towards forward looking profit calculations.
It is up to You and Me, as the deciding factor, to make it work properly!
If we buy and just go away..... more bad parts will follow!
Don't buy into lifetime warranties unless you are willing to hold their feet to the fire!
Be aware of lots of loop holes of.... subject to this or that, in the fine print!
If you get quality products sold to you who needs a warranty to begin with?
That's my motto anyways!
Phil
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Hi everyone,
My name is Jason VanGorden and I'm the Volvo Product Manager here at FCP EURO. I'm very sorry to hear of the issue with these mounts however we can assure you that these are in fact sourced from Volvo. These are not mounts that we stock on hand so every time an order comes through we submit an order to Volvo to have them delivered to our facility on an as needed basis. FCP's involvement on this particular sku is to simply package the mounts received from Volvo and combine them with the rest of your order.
Since these vehicles have been out of production for so long, it is possible that Volvo has changed suppliers along the way in that these mounts are not made to the same specifications that they were originally however that's not information Volvo would be willing to release.
At FCP we always strive to deliver the highest quality product whether it be Genuine, OE, OEM, or high quality aftermarket. We are very selective in our offering in that if we continuously see a high failure rate within a product, we immediately remove it from our offering.
In addition, if you ever have a problem with one of our products, we back it for life - including wear and tear items such as brake pads, wiper blades, etc. Most customers will place a new order and upon removing the faulty items from their vehicle, will then send it back to FCP for a credit in the original order which is then applied to the method of payment in the new order - making it a complete refund. You can also remove the faulty item ahead of time in which once we receive it we'll issue you a credit in which you can use towards a replacement. We are willing to do whatever works best for you. Also, it's truly a lifetime warranty - there really aren't any fine print or strings attached.
You can learn more about it here: https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee
Again, I'm terribly sorry to hear of the inconvenience but If you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to me personally, I'm always happy to help.
Thanks
Jason
[email protected]<script data-cfhash='f9e31' type="text/javascript">/* */
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FCP Groton
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Hi Jason,
You guys are doing a great job! Thank you & Happy Thursday!
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Rich, this subject has been thrashed about fairly much on the "other" forum, and as pertains to Genuine Volvo provided parts, you must accept they cannot possibly QC parts for a car 23 years out of production, as I have already alluded to.
OP says it came in a bag with Volvo on it, but I've seen aftermarket, non-Volvo packaged parts with the name "Volvo" on the packaging, but never in Volvo's unique font and color. Volvo can still afford to package parts in their own materials, so a question arises whether just the word Volvo and the inflated price identify an FCP-supplied Genuine Volvo part.
Even so, without the benefit of my personal experience, I'm aware the rubber parts, and particularly the strut mounts, are being complained about vehemently by those who choose to follow the oft-given advice to get the mounts from the dealership. If there's any doubt by Joekidd, he should make a visit to the local Volvo dealership and ask to see what they have in their box... examine it for molded ID and inquire about the age on the shelf of their inventory.
FCP has too much to lose to pull a fast one, and it isn't best to be lambasting a retail supplier in public without even having the benefit of that supplier's explanation. In my experience they will bend over backward to make it right, so Joekidd can come back to the BB with his opinion on the customer satisfaction.
Why do we stick to this notion Volvo produces and inspects parts for our old cars? "OEM" has been conflated to mean any manufacturer who supplies or at one time supplied parts to any carmaker. Check out the other forums to find out how the rubber is cracking on mounts recently purchased at the dealer's parts counter. My question is about what has changed in rubber formulation (or our polluted atmosphere) to explain the differences we both see between the original parts and those we buy today.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
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Art States:If there's any doubt by Joekidd, he should make a visit to the local Volvo dealership and ask to see what they have in their box ... examine it for molded ID and inquire about the age on the shelf of their inventory.
My reply:The local dealership has not carried any 240 parts for many yrs now.Tasca was the last chance for parts.
Art states:FCP has too much to lose to pull a fast one, and it isn't best to be lambasting a retail supplier in public without even having the benefit of that supplier's explanation. In my experience they will bend over backward to make it right, so Joekidd can come back to the BB with his opinion on the customer satisfaction.
My reply: As I stated the strut mounts have no identifying marks as to who made them.
Yes a full refund as they are less than one year old. It will cost just as much to have them replaced as the cost of the parts themselves. You dont think I contacted them first before posting here? I did. At this point the original ones will go back in as they were replaced as PM due to the age and cracking( nothing like whats going with these POS mounts though). The original ones are stamped VOLVO(so glad I saved them) like all other VOLVO parts are. Yes I do believe FCP pulled a fast one or had the wool pulled over their eyes in purchasing Art. I have been dealing with VOLVO parts longer then the young pups at FCP.
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Well, then Joekidd, what did the young pups tell you??
Did it come from Volvo?
Is it genuine?
Are they astonished?
Or did you start off putting them on the defensive just because you believe the part should be indelibly identified?
Maybe the time that's gone by since you started buying parts for your Volvos has slipped by faster than you realize. This is 2016. Volvo is owned by Geely.
Tell us your experience! And my suggestion to talk to Ben Kaplan did not assume you were going to lower your car for racing.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
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They told me the standard line of options for defective parts.
Send it back for a refund.
No one else had any problems that they know of.
Astonished no, more like indifferent.
I did not put anyone on the defensive, as I was shocked at the premature failure. And inquired as to how this could be?
I offered to drive to Milford Connecticut and they could do a nifty How to video and replace the strut mounts for me.
The reply was we dont have any mechanics.
I know what year it is and the yrs havent slipped me by.
Wow Geely owns Volvo? I had no idea. Again very funny Art seriously.
Have found ROCK Auto to have a great selection of parts from various suppliers at at much better pricing than anyone. But im sure your buddies at FCP no that already.
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Offer to use your car in a how-to video? Classic! Good move.
Avoid the temptation good buddy, and don't order your strut mounts from Rock Auto, but instead order them from my buddies at Tasca. Then take some pics of your unboxing to show us all how to recognize Genuine Volvo parts.
Could be your accusations are plausible; certainly all products are vulnerable to counterfeiting. But you still have not answered the basic question here: Did FCP claim these were Genuine Volvo Parts?
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
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Tell you what go on the FCP website and check out what they are pedaling thats what I bought. You tell us what they are? GENUINE VOLVO as I recall is what they are calling them these days. $95 on sale!!!!
Rock Auto for strut mounts? Never in million yrs.VOLVO rubber is/was unlike any other on the planet in the automotive sector good buddy, but you know that already. Blue box As far as the 240 series goes has gone the way of the dodo bird.
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Does me no good to look at what they offer now and guess that is what you have from an order last year.
But Joe, I think you're beginning to see through the red haze. You did the right thing putting your original mounts back in, as I see it. And you did right by purchasing the Genuine Volvo product from FCP, given you'll at least get your money back. You're right, blue box ain't what it used to be.
And thanks Kitty for putting up the link so Joe knows he's not alone.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore
"The future ain't what it used to be." -the late Yogi
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I know what you mean.
I replaced the strut cartridges on my 94 model 940, and looked closely at replacing the strut mounts.
After reading about the problem with poorly made parts, I elected to leave the "truly" factory mounts in place.
They are cracked, but they are still working.
It's funny, I've been driving 240 Volvos and 940 Volvos for quite a while....years and years, and I had never heard of a strut mount failing until about 6 months ago.
I never changed one in the past, never considered it, and never had one fail.
My old 86 245 War Wagon that I used for work made hundreds of trips up and down the mountain while loaded with tools and materials.
The road to where I was working at the time was still dirt, and saw very little County maintenance. It was rough as hell....mostly bare rock.
The old war horse still has the same strut mounts that came on it from the factory.
I must have just been lucky.
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I bought a set from Tasca Volvo a couple of years ago.
The booby prize is FCP has a lifetime warranty!
Dan
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Read the fine print. The lifetime warranty is bullshit. You have to buy the part again and then send the old back for a credit.
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Hi Joekidd,
Did you get a free shipping label? The part is defected so they will cover the shipping cost. I feel your pain. I have had many frequent parts failure.
Good luck.
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At least that's what I hear. Why would Volvo be making, or supervising the making of, parts for a car 23 years out of production?
For better info on this, check with Ben Kaplan here: http://www.kaplhenke.com/collections/240
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.
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Idk why they would be either? Problem then becomes companies marketing products as such though, when in fact they are not Volvo made. Nice options there but I dont want to change my springs or cut my strut towers to replace my strut mounts. I knew I should have questioned FCP when I saw that parts had no manufacturer identified on them. I paid twice as much as the aftermarket crap and thats what i got anyways.
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Contact FCP. They have a lifetime guarantee.
But if FCP has to order the parts from Volvo (since you wanted OEM) and that is what Volvo sends them as a factory part, why are you mad at FCP?
Yes I realize it's a pain to go through the whole process again, but as Art said, the car has been out of production for almost a 1/4 century. You can't expect Volvo to be producing support parts forever. I think they are only legally required to do so for 10 years.
I've found FCP to be very supportive regarding defective parts.
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I did contact FCP. Why would I want another set of strut mounts from them? My bet is they were not OEM at all. Just bagged with a Volvo label on it. Like I stated the part has no manufacturer Id on it.
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You may have misunderstood what I meant.
When I've ordered "Volvo" parts from FCP, they order the part from Volvo and pass it along. FCP never touches it other than receiving it from Volvo and adding it to my order. So it sounded to me like your issue is with whatever Volvo is issuing.
I'm kind of surprised that they'll only swap parts. I've received store credit for items that were out of warranty but then returned.
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Yes lifetime warranty for a credit after you buy the parts again after 1 yrs time.
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I was told that fcp parts are lifetime?
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Sure does sound like we are in a shopping dilemma on these parts.
Lot of work to source them can be truly an enigma and when are finished we find out it's an enima!
I have left mine alone over the years for this very reason. One of the days, I expect to see a hood scoop to rise up where there are no carburetors or air cleaners!
Maybe I should look into making a jock strap to bolt over the top of the strut nuts! (:(:-(:-)
Phil
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