• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Parts for regular cars

Share this page

tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
So, I'm in this morning at Express Oil Change getting new oil for the big Dodge truck & mentioned that I think I need to replace the oil sending unit....manager came out & gave me a quote of $79.99 for part plus labor using the Advance Auto next door...well, I drove over to the Advance after I was finished with him...sell price for the part was $36 & change with a retail price of $63 & change...as I have a Level 4 commercial account with Advance, my cost was $32 & change.

Man, garages must really load the price of parts to increase their profit...$36 & change to $79.99 that's ridiculous!
 
Nunyas

Nunyas

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
isn't it though?
 
JamesWilson

JamesWilson

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
that's ridiculous!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep. And imagine how much worse it'd have been if you'd worn your blonde wig...






and dress.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
kennypinkerton

kennypinkerton

Yoda
Offline
Yes, businesses are usually "for-profit-organisations". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif We in the MG community are very glad you haven't figured that out yet Tony. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, businesses are usually "for-profit-organisations".

[/ QUOTE ]

Let's see, they also have a Level 4 commerciial account - that's as high as they go...so, they would've paid $32 & change..but they ran the parts price up to $79.99 plus $52 for labor...I could see selling it at Advance's retail price of $63 & change ($31 & change profit on the part)...but, 100% +...no way!
 
kennypinkerton

kennypinkerton

Yoda
Offline
I agree, and with inside information like you can provide... makes ya wonder what a steak costs the local steakhouse!
 
RomanH

RomanH

Jedi Knight
Offline
Try going to the dealer for service some time. I was quoted $850 to replace outer tie rod ends on my VW 5 months ago.
Did it myself for under $200. Dealer mark up is killer!
 
kennypinkerton

kennypinkerton

Yoda
Offline
cheap aftermarket wants $400 each for the headlamp assemblies on my wifes 1993 Eagle Talon. The originals are horribly yellowed and fogged from UV exposure. one of them is cracked from a PO accident. I've wanted to change them, but even after searching the junkyards, all the old ones are the same fogged and yellowed. I'll keep looking. I might pay 100 each for them, but no more.
 
jlaird

jlaird

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
You saw where I found elec fuel pumps wholesale from the manufacture for $3.
 
J

jayhawk

Jedi Warrior
Offline
I'd been taking my wife's Chevy to a local Firestone for regular maintenance and this last time they had a new service writer fellow who was filled with service recommendations for the car. He said it needed a "super cooling system flush" at $149.95. In the supplies section of that recommendation, was written that it would need 3 gallons of antifreeze at 12.99 a gallon. Besides the fact that I had already flushed it, If the antifreeze was mixed 50/50 and to capacity according to the manual, it would require 1.5 gallons of AF. I had recently purchased AF from my local parts place for my TR and the chevy at six bucks a gal, not on sale.
 
jackq

jackq

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
As an owner of a VW repair/resto shop....I guess I'm a Dinosaur. I usually charge what the part costs)plus shipping and tax) and just charge labor...and thats usually cheap. I've always fugured as long as my overhead is reasonable, and my Air Force retirement is coming, why shaft people that can just keep afloat and bills caught up. I'm about the last VW...foreign car repair place left and I have a huge waiting list for repairs. In the past ten days I've totally rebuilt three bug engines, installed and gone, doing a sandrail engine(1835cc. w/ dual carbs, big cam etc. )should be finished today, and four more on the bench waiting to be done. Plus three normal strip and paints and two body off restos. After these are finished...the doors get closed for good, all I'm going to do are my own cars, and a once in a while a resto to sell to pay for more toys. Customers are asking what they should do once I'm out of it??? Makes me feel bad but its time.
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
I don't mind a garage making a profit - heck, that's what its all about...& I probably would've paid their labor ($52) & even Advance's retail price ($63 & change - which they never charge anybody) just for the convenience next time I ewas in for oil change...but after I saw they marked it up over what Advance said was the retail price, I've decided to find another place to have my oil changed (even though their oil change price is competitive) just on principles.
 
vping

vping

Yoda
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
Everyone wants/gets a piece and we the consumer pay the most.
I often wonder how much something actually costs to make & sell from the manufacturer and how many hands it passes through before we buy it and what the mark up % from day 1 is?
 
kyreb1862

kyreb1862

Jedi Knight
Offline
The firearms business is another place where you see big mark ups. Most retail firearms prices average 40% over wholesale. Sometimes more depending on how hard a particular firearm is to get.
 
OP
tony barnhill

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Well, early this morning while truck was still cool I installed the new oil pressure sending unit...hardest part was stretching out over the engine (after getting the air cleanere out of the way) to reach the darned thing - on back of engine behind distributor!
 
jlaird

jlaird

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Gesh, modern engines. Don't make em for easy maintance.

Oh gosh, just had a panic attack. Tony is off on the grand tour next week and it has been two weeks since I have seen pics of Miss Agatha.

Only thing I can say is it will be over three weeks when he gets back and should be significant progress, I hope.

Sure will be nice to go out in the garage and just set and grin. And I do understand it will be quite a while till she is up and running. Heck this is like haveing a teenager out on her first date with a guy with a duck tail hair cut. Oh wait that was me and my wife now. Boy is a wonder her mom ever let her go. But then I cleaned up ok I guess.
 
Top