Good thought!

I know my philosophy has some holes in it, and they're growing. My approach to having an all-240 fleet has been to keep the spares in the garage, and for road trips, nothing but a cell phone and this glove-box kit of diagnostic help, and no tools beyond the Volvo-issued kit with the spare tire.

Most want to carry the parts that let them down in the past. If I were to do that, I'd carry an alternator brush/regulator. I've been burned by my own neglect to check the maintenance records at least, before driving cross-country. Silly things like brake pads (twice).

Last time I was shocked to find I could not get 240 parts from a Volvo dealer (without special order) -- and I'm talking about brake pads that were no different between at least 1975 to 1993! This has given me sympathy toward the OP who is picturing being stranded in rural America (Ford country?) with no furrin parts within easy reach. My daughter had an unexpected 3 days and 2 nights in Wyoming and that was a Delco part she needed for the 245!

I saw where the Bosch fuel pressure regulator was on back-order at the retailer. Our technology becomes out-of-mass-production, which is a different category of auto part.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"...real expertise is never appreciated. People would always rather muddle along in their own dim, blundering way than have someone else point out where they were going wrong--even if that other person is clearly brighter." -Jeff Lindsay