Hello,

I would like to hear some opinions about choosing replacement parts, both for Volvos and in general.

I was chastised a couple years ago by a local hardcore Volvo mechanic for having replaced my plug wires and distributor cap with cheap stuff from Autozone. "If you're going to do the work yourself," he said, "you shouldn't use cheap parts." That sounds like good avice, but premium parts can be pretty expensive, and genuine dealer parts even more so. And I can't help but think I'm getting ripped off half the time. I mean, is there really a difference between Bosch Premium plug wires and generic ones? Should I really pay my local dealer $100 for front shocks that aren't even gas-charged, when I can get KYB brand gas-charged shocks from Advance for $47.77?

What rules of thumb do you employ when buying parts?

Thanks in advance for your helpful replies,

David