These programs represent the fastest, most accurate ways to source Volvo mechanical and collision repair parts.

If you’ve ever received an incorrect automobile repair part, you weren’t using RepairLink^SM Shop or CollisionLink^® Shop. But you could. They’re both free!

Fast, accurate, and free. You haven’t heard those words all in a sentence about collision and repair
parts sourcing, until now. RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop online catalogs now offer the best way for independent service providers to order mechanical and body repair parts.

Independent service providers handle maintenance for over one million of the Volvo cars on US roads. Volvo makes it easy for independent shops to shorten the time between parts order and fulfillment.

Powered by OEC, RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop are fast because they tie into several existing shop management systems or most major estimating systems. The platforms then import data directly from your reports into a parts order.

The platforms streamline the parts ordering process. They eliminate multiple phone conversations, the need to describe a diagram that one party in the conversation cannot see, the back-and-forth faxing to confirm a part illustration, and other steps that slow transactions over the phone. RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop automate search and order confirmation and, unless the technician has an unusual question, complete the entire process online.

Price discounts

Both platforms show any price discounts or promotions offered by the shop’s preferred Volvo dealership. Many promotional discounts are available only to RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop users. Volvo offers OE part performance at an extremely good value, with prices that are often comparable to those you might find in the aftermarket. Once your purchasing agent approves the order, he or she transmits the order to your preferred Volvo dealer’s parts department with one click.

Detailed OE information

The process is accurate because it relies on parts data received directly from Volvo. When using RepairLink Shop, your technician and the dealer parts rep see the same part diagrams and illustrations for ordering purposes, or if the technician has any questions, for an apples-to-apples conversation.

Part diagrams in RepairLink Shop provide great detail. Your technician can see in an expanded diagram those components that need to be removed in order to get to the part being replaced. The depth of detail assists both the rookie and the veteran in identifying additional related parts that he or she may need to purchase in order to complete the repair.

Aftermarket data lag

Repair information for aftermarket shops is often sourced from a third-party provider. It may have a time lag from the date that part data enters the system compared to the date the new or updated part was originally introduced by Volvo. That time lag means your order may include some parts for which the description, part number, or other data is not accurate.

Today, a part number can be superseded and out of date in two to three months, sometimes even sooner. The age of part information is much more critical to part number accuracy today than it was just ten years ago.

Parts information in the RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop online catalogs is always current. And data accuracy is a result of the information being provided directly from Volvo.

Automatic parts order generation

The primary benefit of RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop is that they offer sourcing of higher quality OEM parts at prices that can be competitive with the aftermarket.

When ordering by phone, a purchasing agent must copy or print and fax the parts list to the dealership. With the CollisionLink Shop platform, the software extracts the parts list from the shop billing or estimating system and searches the Volvo database for any part substitutions or part number updates. It applies any applicable price discounts. All of this occurs automatically, with no manual input required from the purchasing agent, and no need to exit the shop billing or estimating system.

The purchasing agent reviews the details, then submits the parts order with one click. There is no time lost faxing back and forth between the shop and the dealership to confirm part details, and no worries about anyone writing a part number incorrectly. RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop remove the risk of human error.

Sourcing OE parts online significantly improves order accuracy by eliminating the need for verbal transmission of part description and number data. Of course, shop purchasing agents who prefer to speak to someone can use RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop to save time by checking part number details online, and then placing the order over the phone.

An aftermarket part that is delivered quickly or at lower cost is of no value if it does not fit or function as well as the OE part. The RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop online catalogs are as convenient as using an aftermarket supplier, but offer the added benefits of reduced time to populate and transmit a parts order. They offer accurate and current data for outdated, recalled, or superseded part numbers, and sharing of price discounts with repair shop purchasing agents.

Part function: Windshields

Many components that could in the past be selected based primarily on fit must now also be chosen based on safety-related performance considerations. For example, the windshield in the 2016 XC60 includes Automated Driver Assistance System (ADAS) functionality, so the glass must meet exact technical specifications for clarity, thickness, light refraction, color reproduction, and other factors. Aftermarket windshields may not only fail to meet Volvo fit and durability requirements, but may also not meet the specifications required to allow ADAS connectivity and functionality. Windshields on other Volvo models also include ADAS capabilities, but because the systems are application-specific, the glass may have different specifications for different Volvo models.

Part function: Bumpers

The software that controls sensors embedded in Volvo bumpers is programmed for the expected thickness of Genuine Volvo bumpers and of any coating over the sensor. If a bumper of the wrong thickness is installed, sensor signals to the various accident avoidance or impact reduction technologies on the vehicle will have incorrect timing. This can negatively affect safety system performance.

Volvo Genuine bumpers are pre-painted to the correct color, and quickly snap into place. An aftermarket bumper may take up to 2.5 hours to work into position, plus have to be finish painted. The extra labor and paint and materials cost wipes out any savings from purchasing an aftermarket bumper.

Part function: Brake pads

The materials in Volvo rotors, pads, and calipers are engineered to stop the vehicle in a set distance under certain conditions. Volvo brake pads are engineered to function within the exacting specifications of new systems, including Volvo Electronic Brake Assistance (EBA), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Antilock Braking System (ABS), and City Safe, the system that provides automatic braking in the event that the driver fails to respond quickly enough to an emergency braking need. Software will activate braking systems for the amount of time specified in the brake control unit algorithms. These brake control systems expect pads to function within factory-specified ranges and there’s no guarantee that aftermarket pads that do not meet the correct specifications will perform as required.

Part function: Oil filters

In a comprehensive test of the filtering efficiency (ISO 12103-1 dust filtering standard), service life, and operating characteristics of 15 different oil filters, the Volvo Genuine oil filter proved to be the winner. Factors such as outstanding cleaning efficiency, limited impact of viscosity on pressure drop across the filter, and broad working temperature range all contribute to enhanced engine wear protection and capacity for long service intervals.

Volvo brake discs (rotors), engine air filters, bumpers, structural components, mirrors, windshield wiper blades, and batteries are just a few additional examples of the many parts that offer significant safety and performance advantages over aftermarket versions. Purchase mechanical parts using RepairLink Shop, and body parts through CollisionLink Shop.

Vehicle build data direct from Volvo

Most aftermarket parts diagrams ask the technician to make several choices to narrow the options in a parts search. In RepairLink Shop or CollisionLink Shop, the technician enters the VIN and the software pulls up that vehicle’s build list directly from a Volvo database. The technician bypasses most questions in the typical aftermarket parts options funnel. RepairLink Shop or CollisionLink Shop present the correct part number, saving time, reducing potential for human error, and increasing order accuracy.

For a technician who is seeing a particular repair for the first time, RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop assist by putting guard rails around the part order decision-making process.

After-hours ordering

Independent shops have the ability, using RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop, to access Volvo part data, illustrations and diagrams, and to place orders, all after hours if desired. This 24/7 access is a huge advantage. It allows shop managers to order parts overnight and receive them as early as 9 AM the next day, rather than having to wait for an afternoon delivery of an order placed in the morning.

Insurance and estimates

Insurance providers influence what parts a collision repair facility chooses. Independent shops can use Volvo CollisionLink Shop price discounts to help keep critical parts included in the OE-sourced portion of the estimate.

Access is free to Volvo wholesale customers

As a customer of a Volvo dealer parts department, an independent shop can access RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop at no cost. The OEC technology automatically integrates with most online shop estimating and billing systems used by aftermarket facilities.

e-Commerce

Vehicle owners can go to the Volvo business-to-consumer e-commerce website at simplepart.com/volvo.html to purchase parts or accessories from a local Volvo dealership parts department. Repair shops may also purchase from the site, but it is geared to vehicle owners, not wholesale customers.

Light bulb moment

Given the higher Volvo part quality, cycle time saved through a more efficient ordering process, and accuracy gained by using the automated OE parts sourcing system, RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop are worth it. And independent shops that use RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop enjoy Volvo Genuine parts discounts that are not often offered to shops that do not use these purchasing platforms.

When you’ve had one too many deliveries of parts that were the wrong fit or function, that ‘light bulb moment’ brings you to RepairLink Shop or CollisionLink Shop. This fast, accurate, and free parts sourcing service keeps you a loyal RepairLink Shop and CollisionLink Shop customer.

Thanks to OEC for providing information for this article.