So I got a mass airflow sensor replaced...sure, coulda done it myself but I had to have the car towed and then diagnosed anyway (engine stall was intermittent and unpredictable).

The guy bought the part from AutoZone next door. The MAF is $150 plus an $80 core charge, which is negated as long as you turn in the old sensor (the one being replaced).

When I came to pay the bill and pick it up, the total sounded high so I asked the cost of the part. He said $230. I knew it should be $150, so I began a minute-long line of questioning that ended up with..."how much did you pay autozone today?"

"150"

"Then I'm paying 150."

He was trying to convince me that he was indeed not trying to steal $80. Should I never use that place again?

Btw, I did only pay $150. ;-)




FUCK sorry please move to the garage

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 4:08 PM. Reason : damnit]

7/10/2008 4:07:32 PM

shops always mark up parts

7/10/2008 4:21:55 PM

it isn't shady, it's how they make money dude.

you can't order a $3 miller lite at a bar and say "this miller lite 6-pack only cost $6 at the food lion next door. i'm only paying $1 for this beer."

Quote :

"the total sounded high"

thats why you get a quote beforehand

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 4:32 PM. Reason : .]

7/10/2008 4:31:09 PM

Yeah if you dont buy the part they are gonna mark it up some, $80 might be a little steep though. Basically its to cover their time of having to order it, pay for it, etc. When our customers bring us things they want repaired and we tell them we are going to have to send it back to the manufacturer because we cant are you sure you dont want to just do that? Most of the time they would rather just pay us to do it than have to deal with it. So we send it off, get it back, tack on whatever amount we decide to, and call them to come pick it up. Next time as for a quote and estimate first, then when they say its the MAF sensor go down to Autozone yourself, buy it, bring it to them, and then they should only charge you for labor.

7/10/2008 4:40:37 PM

when i worked in an autoshop we had an account with a parts store and got discounts off of the shelf price anyway. we marked up the parts a little sometimes but often not at all if you werent a dick to us. so if they marked up a part almost 50% more than sells for that is pretty shady,

7/10/2008 4:56:49 PM

all shops mark up parts. you are going to be a cheap bastard about it then you should fix it yourself.

7/10/2008 5:37:00 PM

Quote :

"..."how much did you pay autozone today?" "150" "

sorry buddy shop has to make money some how. they have to pay the guys the bills and everything else its all ways cheaper if you cut out the middle man.

its like going to a bar the owner paid .85 cents for the beer, you have to pay their mark up and then you tip them

7/10/2008 9:11:44 PM

They did make money. They charged an hour of labor for ten actual minutes of work.

But I understand that and was perfectly fine paying for an hour of labor.

He was trying to claim that the $80 core fee needed to be paid - NOT for the inconvenience of ordering the part or anything like that. When in fact, they never had to pay the core fee because they gave autozone MY old sensor.

In other words, a phantom $80 was almost created.

7/10/2008 9:26:27 PM

Obviously most of you fools have never heard of parts+labor.

He should NOT have been marking up the price of the part. Yes that's some shady shit. You charge LABOR to make your money, you don't go swindling on the parts. If he wanted the extra 80 bucks, he should have upped his hourly labor rate.

7/10/2008 10:14:01 PM

A reasonable parts markup is understandable. I'm a part time farmer who sells directly to the public, so I understand the need to make a business profitable. However, a 53% markup is ridiculous considering the fact that the labor is the main part of a mechanic's business. It sounds like the guy thought he could just pocket the core charge without the customer knowing what was going on.

7/10/2008 10:56:36 PM

^^ That's exactly what I described, yes. But he didn't get away with it.

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 11:03 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2008 11:03:18 PM

100% parts markup is acceptable. Ask any dealership.

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 11:10 PM. Reason : .]

7/10/2008 11:10:07 PM

People, it was not a parts markup. He deliberately said it was "for the core change fee."

7/10/2008 11:14:15 PM

Almost every shop will mark up the parts that are purchased from a parts store. That is just common practice.

7/10/2008 11:18:00 PM

Hahahahahahaha.

Ok thread's done. They tried for the swindle, I dodged.

7/10/2008 11:24:06 PM

sounds shady like u said... any mochanic would have stood his ground on a reasonable markup charge. this guy knew he was wrong based on the fact that he gave in.

7/10/2008 11:56:09 PM

^thats a shady m0chanic right thurr

7/11/2008 1:51:39 AM

Quote :

"Almost every shop will mark up the parts that are purchased from a parts store. That is just common practice."

They shouldn't be doing this, and should be called out on it. It's not "trying to make a profit", that is fucking swindleness right there.

You don't mark up on parts, plain and simple. It's a shitty way of doing business. Charge the labor rate you NEED to charge and be up front about it.

7/11/2008 4:08:32 AM

^ you're an idiot, most parts tores sell to the public below retail, there is nothing wrong with charging retail to cover the time of looking up the part and ordering it, either that or make up for it in labor

hell i know a lot of places we used to order from that we could get the parts at half the price that anyone else off the street would, and we still charged full price, what the hell are you gonna do about it? go buy the part yourself for the same price?

7/11/2008 7:24:03 AM

i say, as long as you can charge a fair amount to the customer, then be it.

if i get a part a $5, but it sells for $20 in stores. im selling that SOB for $20.

unless i know you, then its $25

7/11/2008 12:13:00 PM

Quote :

"what the hell are you gonna do about it? go buy the part yourself for the same price?"

The difference here is that the guy could buy it personally for $80 less than they tried to charge him.

I think it's reasonable to charge the same price that the customer could get it elsewhere regardless of your cost. It's normal for plumbing or electrical companies to buy pipe or wire in bulk and sell it to their customers at the going rate from Home Depot or Lowes. I see nothing wrong with that. They do have to pay for warehouse space to store all that stuff and it's their loss when some crackhead cuts their fence and steals a ton of copper. Any money that the customer loses on supplies is saved by the fact that they aren't paying $75 an hour for the contractor to drive to Home Depot and buy the stuff (yes, you do get charged for them to drive to the parts store.)

I know people in other industries who typically markup their supplies 10% above cost (typically Home Depot prices), but that's a nominal fee IMO.

[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 12:38 PM. Reason : l]

7/11/2008 12:32:02 PM

Almost any shop will charge up to %50 over cost of a part. When at AAA, we would get a $400 over the counter part for around $200, then charge the customer $470. This way when someone complained about how expensive it was, we would 'be nice guys' and knock the price down $50.
You aren't fixing the car yourself, you are paying someone to do it. If you can get the part yourself and fix it, then do that. You can't just get the part yourself and have any decent shop put it on, as they 'can't take liability' fo your part and 'have to honor thier waranty'.

It is just the way it is. Is it underhanded to charge people more just because they don't know better? Yes, but that is the way it is.

7/11/2008 12:46:49 PM

^ Underhanded and sleazy. Sure, it is what it is. But I caught 'em on it.

7/11/2008 1:08:12 PM

Quote :

"unless i know you, then its $25 "

c'mon man, i drive a civic.


haha on the subject of pricing (and I've no clue about brand vs. value on this)- replaced distributor on my D15B2

honda = $600
advance auto = $300

Rock Auto = $150






we all know which one I bought

7/11/2008 1:16:02 PM

and you know some shops will buy the rock auto part and sell it as a honda original part.

7/11/2008 1:47:41 PM

^^^^That's why when I have to take it to a shop, I usually by my own parts and pay to have them install/R&R. Sometimes if I can't get a part in because of shipping (and I need the car ASAP), can't find a place that has it in stock, some shops will honor the prices I provide.

[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .]

7/11/2008 1:51:53 PM