Diff end plate gasket

Post by **Chris_C** » 04 Aug 2006 09:13 pm

Tbh, I've always been fine with Kings Soton, apart from when one certain guy works... All the others are dead good, especially the main one, who seems to take a genuine intrest.

Kings IoW are the same, just without the dodgy geezer, but I've only seen him twice in all the times I've been to the Soton one. I'd go with Carl, the other Kings isn't that far up the road.

Is always useful to have the part number to hand as well

Post by **SteveP** » 04 Aug 2006 11:10 pm

Chris_C wrote:Is always useful to have the part number to hand as well

Yes, I still need to get VADIS so I can go into the dealers armed with a part number, they're pretty hopeless othewise I must say!

Post by **Chris_C** » 04 Aug 2006 11:18 pm

Erm, well, it was last seen in a certain blue saloon the same colour as yours... you just forgot to pick it up

Post by **Nick C** » 04 Aug 2006 11:20 pm

Carl wrote:I've used Kings in Winchester - much more helpful than Kings in Southampton (despite being part of the same group). Where's the one in Eastleigh?

That's who I meant, just wrote Eastleigh instead for some reason...

Post by MJ » 04 Aug 2006 11:37 pm

I back Foggys support of Kastners Exeter. Although I havn't had much dealings with the parts dept (they sort their own thing out when servicing) they've always been very helpfull and friendly, and get stuff in the next day if it's not in stock.

In generall they're all very friendly and havn't had any problems with the work they've done on any of our Volvo's

Post by **Nick C** » 08 Aug 2006 05:07 pm

I've now been informed by three different dealers that the gasket is no longer available - has anyoe got a spare, or a template I could use to make a new one? part number is 3462511

Post by **mac** » 16 Aug 2006 09:24 am

Update - Update.

Diff.cover gasket 3462511. I have now been back to my local dealer who now agrees that said gasket is 'unavailable'.

I asked the dealer to seek an explanation from Volvo, and have e-mailed them myself. I have had no reply from Volvo but my local dealer has responded thus:-

"I have been in touch with Volvo regarding the diff gasket part no 3462511.
They inform me that the shelve life of parts which volvo have to keep is 15 years.I presume the vehicle is over 15yrs old & therefore Volvo say they no longer produce or have to produce this part." (text reproduced exactly).

This I suspect is the future of Volvo under Ford !!

I have also approached 'Nordic' and 'Brookhouse' (both excellent suppliers) and neither are able to obtain.

It would seem the only remaining option is to use an existing gasket or cover to produce a template and make our own. If anyone has a gasket (even used) I would be happy to produce a template and investigate sources of suitable gasket material.

Mac.

Post by **Nick C** » 16 Aug 2006 09:48 am

mac wrote:It would seem the only remaining option is to use an existing gasket or cover to produce a template and make our own. If anyone has a gasket (even used) I would be happy to produce a template and investigate sources of suitable gasket material.

I bought a sheet of gasket cork from Frost Restorers Equipment (http://www.frost.co.uk/) last week, and will be trying it out this weekend - hopefully the old one won't be so badly perished that i can't use it as a template! The sheet is big enough to make a few, so if anyone else wants one, pm me and I'll cut a few more.

Post by **SteveP** » 16 Aug 2006 09:50 am

You should be able to take the old gasket off in one piece, mine was fairly brittle but if I'd tried it should've come off in one piece.

Also, If it's 15 years and the last of 300's were in 1991... then that's cutting it rather fine...

Post by **Chris_C** » 16 Aug 2006 01:08 pm

Cutting it fine?!?!? Kar's registered on 11 June '91 ffs... and there are a few J plates knocking about, ok, I know they would have sat in a field for a while, but can you class them as 15 years old until the end on the month?

Post by **SteveP** » 16 Aug 2006 01:14 pm

Looks like we need to lay the smackdown on Volvo parts dept....

Post by **foggyjames** » 16 Aug 2006 07:35 pm

Actually, Ford's historic part coverage is better than Volvo's!

cheers

James

Post by **Chris_C** » 16 Aug 2006 08:37 pm

Yeah, there historic is... but only cos they set up that warehouse 6 months ago. Problem is Ford arn't used to having to support 15 yr old cars, theirs are usually in a reddish brown dust pile at that age. Bad forward planning, didn't have proceedure set in place... heirachy not working... as ever.

I've replied to macs post on VOC, basically raising the problem, I'd like to see what the VOC say, sometimes they can be useful, others they'll be sitting there ignoring it as they have either classics or brand new. As Steve has said, thats our problem, we arn't classics yet. But, I do think that all the break off clubs (us, TBricks, FOTV3, 480club-europe, VPC (although non of them have got to the 15 year cut off yet)) might have to get together, and use the considerable numbers we would then have. Basically, we all come under the wing of the VOC, but I reckon there are gonna have to be some people organising, if they don't. Lets see what the next few weeks bring. If anything did get invovled, from the article he posted, it looks like Brad360 (sorry to point the stick at you dude...) knows the Aussie version of the VOC, so they might be able to show support as well. As I say, I think we need to come up with some kind of theory

We have a useful thing in the amount of countries 300mania serves, as do the VOC and others I expect.

Post by **Chris_C** » 16 Aug 2006 08:45 pm

On a similar note... and I don't know how true this is without checking, I remember a business/management/law lecture at uni, and I'm sure that there is an anti monopoly law that states that if the original drawing for parts are requested, all effort has to be made to make those drawing freely available to the dude who requested. I.e. so that mintex etc can make brake pads that fit proper. Maybe if we could get the entire set of drawings

(and a big warehouse to store them) or one a part by part basis, i.e. diff plate gasket, we could share the wealth? Might run into trouble reproducing the drawing to make it freely available, engish law is weird and I wouldn't know, but could have a dude responsible for gaskets etc maybe?

Or then if that gets too involved, you'd have to bloody declare yourself as a business... f*cking hell, someone try and think of a good use for the info above that may be wrong

Post by **pettaw** » 17 Aug 2006 05:12 am

Yeah, this a problem I've been aware of for some time, parts gradually expiring, but I didn't think it would ever go for diff end plate gaskets, as so many of them seem to leak....

Anyway, I've replied on the VOC too, with my tuppence. Trouble is I don't know how many of the 'top brass' actually read the VOC forums. Oooh actually I have a thought. Mac how about an article for Jack Cluer to go into Technical Driver?

Anyway, here's what I wrote on VOC:

I'm afraid this has been going on for quite some time. Over a year ago I got a warning from a guy who was the parts team leader at a big dealers in London, and who was running 300s himself, that Volvo were gradually getting rid of all their 300 parts, so be warned.

Consequently, if a part was available, provided the cost wasn't from another planet, I would normally buy anyway, even if I wasn't 100% sure if I needed it cos you could be fairly certain it wouldn't be available in a year's time.

I've got the last rad for a 360 with A/C cos I heard the dealer ring up dealer support and the lady said "Ahh now that part has expired, but we appear to have one on the system, would you like it?" And all the sunroof parts have also expired, but I have to say this one has surprised me, cos its a very common part, and virtually all 300 series have some sort of leak or drip from the rear diff.

The other one that's no longer available, are the bushes for the rear springs. Luckily they seem to be fairly strong and I've not had an MOT failure on those yet, but I dunno where I'm gonna get them from if they do go.....calling Dai!

If they're starting to expire common parts like the diff end gasket, then its likely they're gonna start expiring a lot of things, so yeah I do think some sort of 'stand' would be good.

BTW I've never found any truck e-mailing VCUK, might as well shout at them from your lounge window, be about the same amount of us:) It's much better to e-mail Global Customer Relations in Sweden, they're extremely friendly and helpful and at least you get a reply in about 2 days.