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Are these parts prices fair? Or am I an idiot?


Roert42

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Around here all the shops I’ve felt with used whatever parts house gave them the best time on delivery. The quicker you get the parts, quicker you get the job out the door, quicker you get paid. Autopartswarehouse is popular because they have a whole fleet of drivers that deliver and cater to shops. A lot less walk I traffic.
 


don4331

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Short answer: While prices might seem high, they look pretty much in line with business cost.

Long winded version:
How the shop comes up with the parts cost (at least how my dad's shop did it, I'm going to use my daughter's Escape starter that I replaced on weekend):

Shop rate is $140 CAD/hr.

There is a "book" rate for the actual starter replacement - 1.2 hours. That includes the time to pull the SUV into the bay, disconnect battery, r & r the starter and reconnect the battery, reset the time on the radio and drive the Escape back into parking lot.

One could get a TYC starter itself would cost $65 USD from RockAuto, but would be a week arriving and you would pay $35 CAD in shipping, taxes and exchange; so $100 CAD on hand. NAPA has AC Delco starter locally for $150CAD*, and can drop it off same day. Don't get paid for cars sitting in lot waiting on parts, customers don't want to hear their car will be down for a week, so NAPA it is. The "book" rate to replace doesn't include my overhead to quote, order the part, receive the part, pay NAPA, write up your bill, so I add 0.5 hours to my cost to cover that**. Starter cost winds up at $220 CAD over double RockAuto but you get your Escape back that afternoon.

I'm also throwing in $15 CAD for shop supplies (paper towels, hand cleaner, the covers so I didn't get your seat or floor boards dirty, etc) and environment disposal of same.

And I need to donate 5% to the honourable Justin Trudeau.

So, new starter, installed will be $425 CAD more/less; we'll call when ready. Cdn Tire price is within change of same.

*In good olde days, we got parts at wholesale price which was about 40% off retail, but internet has killed that. We might get a couple % for volume sales, but not much.

**The 0.5 hours is pretty much the same whether a starter, a brake rotor or a transmission. So, the % on inexpensive items is much higher than the big ticket ones. Now, if we are doing several items at same time (clutch, rack and pinion, brakes, and I can get it all in a single order from NAPA, I might cut the cost. But if I have to call Ford for some, NAPA for others and Canadian Tire for the rest, I won't be able to. Worst, Ford & Canadian Tire don't deliver, so I have to make a trip to pick up the parts.

If I think you and your Escape will be back again (CV boot was cut, but daughter couldn't afford SUV down all day), I might give discount. But if you waste my productive time, challenging my numbers, I will justify them in stone.

And having to stock items like power steering fluid/radiator fluid, for which there are now several different types costs overhead. So, I charge more than you could get them for retail. Prestone power steering fluid is $21 CAD/litre at Cdn Tire. $27.50 CAD liter would be low given I'm going to have to dispose of your old fluid environmentally which again costs overhead.

CAD - Canadian dollars, USD - United Stated dollars.

If you have a garage and the knowledge, then clutch and steering rack can be done, but does OP know how to determine if the flywheel needs resurfacing? the pilot bearing replaced? The tools to remove and replace the transmission? Bleed the clutch after? Can he/she do wheel alignment after replacing rack? There are advantages to dropping off the vehicle and picking it up later running like a top.
 

superj

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that is true, shops charge the book rate, no matter how much time it actually takes. and that is probably how they actually make money, by working faster than the book gives them. i forgot about that.
 

Uncle Gump

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that is true, shops charge the book rate, no matter how much time it actually takes. and that is probably how they actually make money, by working faster than the book gives them. i forgot about that.
Flat rate is definitely a game of you win some... you loose some.
 

19Walt93

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Flat rate is definitely a game of you win some... you loose some.
I ran one of the last hourly rate dealer service departments for 35 years, we did bill Chilton or Motor time but we paid the techs hourly so they could do the job right without worrying about it costing them money. Flat rate billing levels the playing field for the customer, flat rate tech pay rewards fast work and punishes the guys who take extra time to do it right. Some jobs- front end work, maintenance, etc- pay well for the tech. Major engine, transmission, diesel repairs under warranty cost techs money if they do them right. I think that's by design to discourage techs from doing the expensive repairs. If you can rebuild an engine or transmission in the time Ford warranty will pay, you're not doing mine.
 

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