I'm sure I'm not the first person to say Dealerships are over priced.

EddieWalker · Dec 11, 2018

My experience with auto dealerships has always been bad. I try to avoid them in every way possible. But so far, my experiences with tractor dealerships has been pretty good overall, with a few exceptions that I blame on the way the company is run and not the local dealership. Case has a horrible policy on maintaining parts for their older equipment. Branson is even worse!!! New Holland construction seems to be able to get anything, but they like to package it so you have to buy a lot of extras that you will never need. A cylinder rebuild kit used to run about $30 ten years ago and it just contained a variety of seals that you picked out what you needed and threw the rest away. Now the the kit has gown to include a new piston that you have to use and about four times as many seals. The parts guy said that it simplifies how many parts kits that they have to keep in stock so each kit covers a lot more cylinders. The last time I priced a kit, it was close to $150 Fortunately the parts guy has become a friend and he told me where they take their cylinders to have rebuilt. Their mechanics don't even do them there, they send them out. The cylinder rebuilding business is a mess, it's dirty, parts are laying around everywhere and the people working there are always covered in grease. It's a place that does a lot of work and they don't care what they look like. Most of the time, the cost of seals is less then $10 since they just buy exactly what they need. Labor is usually $100. You just take off the cylinder and bring it to them. In a week, it will be done and you bring cash to pay for it. No checks, no plastic. Easy Pleasy!!!

Buggs67 · Dec 11, 2018

I think a lot of us here are like me, a little older and raised by depression-era parents. We know the value of a buck (or now I should say $20) and the value to do-it-yourself. And we are less likely to pay for convenience.

The younger generations are more convenience and got-to-have-it-now oriented. many of them (members of my family) don't even shop for products. They want it, they go to Amazon and buy it. No cost-benefit, do-I-need-it analysis. My own younger brother does this; he buys pre-shredded packaged salad "cuz when I want a salad I just want it. I don't want to "make"it". Same thing for oil changes; he drives to a quick lube, waits while they change it and drives home. In the same time he could've changed it at home and saved $$$ (and known what oil and filter he got). This wouldn't bother me as much if he wasn't always crying poverty.

And on the subject of dealerships ... what pisses me off is the local mechanics who mark up the parts they get from AutoZone, local pats stores etc. I was going to do the rear brakes on my wife's Subbie but it needed rotors and I didn't have time/inclination to do it. He charged $80 for rotors (didn't even consider turning them). I called the local parts store and the rotors would have cost me just over $40. In addition to charging $90/hr for labor (at book rate) and stupid charges like "chemicals, supplies, disposal". Total cost over $350. I did the front brakes on my Mazda for: $17 to turn the rotors, $35 for pads, 1 hour busting knuckles (I already had a can of brake clean.

In defense of my local Kioti dealer; his price compared to on-line was only slightly higher for hydraulic and fuel filters and his price for my rear blade and 5 gal of UTF were more than competitive. Perry Power Equip in Loysville, Perry Cty, PA.

Industrial Toys · Dec 11, 2018

Being in business, marking stuff up is the easiest money I ever make. Great if I buy wholesale, but if I need to buy retail, I don't mark it up, but charge for my time procuring the stuff.

A friend once worked at numerous car parts places. Different people would pay vastly different markups, often just on the whim of the counter person. I guess I don't need to say what a customer with a perceived attitude would pay?

I ALWAYS ask, as politely as possible, "What pricing level is that?", BEFORE the invoice is generated. Then, if you think you are paying full pop, you could say, "let me think about it", and they might lower the price. Of course that would never work at a JD dealership!