This is to let everyone know of my dissatisfaction with New and Used Volvo Parts.com otherwise known as Franks Foreign Auto. I would also like to warn everyone of the poor quality overdrive solenoids being produced by SCANTECH.

2 months ago I purchased a new SCANTECH overdrive solenoid from New and Used Volvo Parts.com. I installed the part and two months later the overdrive solenoid ruptured. This caused 4 quarts of transmission fluid to gush out from the solenoid. Fortunately, this failure occurred in my driveway and not out on the road, or my transmission would be toast.

Anyway, upon trying to get a refund, the unfriendly folks at New and Used Volvo Parts.com / Franks Foreign Auto, told me that I could not get my money back. They said that they could check with the manufacturer and attempt to get me a replacement part. I then explained that the SCANTECH part is of inferior quality and construction and that I did not trust the part enough to put a replacement back on my vehicle. They refused to give me a refund and said that "electrical" parts are non-refundable.

So I wanted to inform everyone of the following lessons I have learned:

1. New and Used Volvo Parts.com / Franks's Foreign Auto is not a good place to do business with. They will not get another cent of my hard earned money.

2. SCANTECH overdrive solenoids are of poor quality and construction. I will never purchase another SCANTECH part.

3. It is recommended to use Volvo OEM equipment only.

I wish everyone on the Brickboard well and I hope that this information can help others avoid similar problems.

If yo do not want Scantech ask for Denso brand.I think this is the one Volvo uses.Can you please detail where the selonoid ruptured to allow the fluid to come out ? I tried to open up some used ones to no avail.The "rubber top" would come up and expose the wires.Nothing more than that.Thanks.

I do not know the technical terms for the parts of the overdrive, but I will try to describe them the best I can.

1. The main body of the overdrive solenoid is metal and consists of a flat surface with two circular grooves cut into it for the o-rings, and a hollow metal body that holds a rubber plug and internal valve/spring mechanism. This flat surface mates with the transmission.

2. There is a rubber plug part of the overdrive solenoid that fits into the metal body. Within the rubber plug is a metal valve and spring that open and close to engage and dis-engage the overdrive. Transmission fluid passes through this valve and back into the transmission.

3. There is an electrical wire that attaches to the top of the rubber plug and connects to a wire coming down from the transmission gear selector.

My $104 ScanTech overdrive solenoid had a catastrophic failure due the the rubber plug totally coming unbonded from the metal body of the solenoid. It appeared that the rubber plug was only held in place by some form of adhesive. When the adhesive failed, the internal pressure of the transmission fluid popped the rubber plug up and out of the metal body like a cork that had popped out of a bottle. When the rubber plug popped out, large quantities of transmisison fluid were pumped and squirted from the solenoid. Fortunately, this occurred while I was backing out of my driveway. I happened to hear a gurggling noise and noticed that I had left a reddish streak of liquid down the driveway.

The Volvo original overdrive solenoid appears to be made of a more substantial materials for the main body and rubber plug. The Volvo part also appears to be constructed with more of a metal lip at the top to help keep the rubber plug in place.

I hope this helps you understand what happened to my part. Unfortunately, I am unsure if you can proactively identify a problem with the part. In my case, the part failed suddendly, with no warning signs. Right now I have an original Volvo overdrive solenoid from a 1989 240 that I pulled from the junkyard for $5 and it functions perfectly and appears to be in very good condition.