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

[TractorGuy]

Car dealerships are no different and it's been like that since the beginning of time.

I was a auto tech for 25 plus years before I became a machinist. I have and probably always will maintain and repair my own vehicles and machinery. That said, we tried to patronize the dealer we purchased the wife's car from.

I let them do a rear brake job and the tech chattered the rotors. They had to resurface them again to get the zzzzz noise out it made when she stopped and now the rotors are warped. I could have purchased all new pads AND ROTORS for a $100 less than they charged and will have to do that before the useful life if the pads is over.

Her traction control light came on due to the rear hub sensors failing. They quoted $1100 to replace the hubs. I purchased both hubs from Rock Auto for $150 for the pair. It took me all of 45 minutes to replace them and that includes the time it took to look up the proper test procedures and torque specs on the internet.

Needless to say we will limit what we take the car to the dealership for. Will probably continue to let them change oil and rotate the tires. I will check the air and cabin filter before we take it in since I can buy them for less than half what the dealer charges.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Anyone complaining about tractor parts hasn't owned an airplane. Though I do find that certain Mahindra parts are a bit heinous in price, and my local dealer (2.5 miles away) closed, so it's 45 miles to the nearest.

 

[Code54]

Want to see crazy prices from dealers - check out the aviation industry. A $2 tractor bolt is now $20..... Oh and the nut is another $8..

 

[fried1765]

Car dealerships are no different and it's been like that since the beginning of time.

I was a auto tech for 25 plus years before I became a machinist. I have and probably always will maintain and repair my own vehicles and machinery. That said, we tried to patronize the dealer we purchased the wife's car from.

I let them do a rear brake job and the tech chattered the rotors. They had to resurface them again to get the zzzzz noise out it made when she stopped and now the rotors are warped. I could have purchased all new pads AND ROTORS for a $100 less than they charged and will have to do that before the useful life if the pads is over.

Her traction control light came on due to the rear hub sensors failing. They quoted $1100 to replace the hubs. I purchased both hubs from Rock Auto for $150 for the pair. It took me all of 45 minutes to replace them and that includes the time it took to look up the proper test procedures and torque specs on the internet.

Needless to say we will limit what we take the car to the dealership for. Will probably continue to let them change oil and rotate the tires. I will check the air and cabin filter before we take it in since I can buy them for less than half what the dealer charges.

Just took my 22 year old Mercedes E-320 (112K miles) in for rough idle issue.
Went to a private repair shop (not Mercedes dealer)
They said I need a new Mass Airflow Sensor, but they did not have time to get it since Thanksgiving was next day.
Their estimated MAF cost was $389+ tax.
I checked it out on the internet when I got home.
The EXACT same Bosch (made in Germany) part is $115 on line, with no tax.
Checked U-Tube, and installation is simple.
So ..... what will I do?

 

[alflen52]

one thing to consider is that it cost,s all these dealers a lot of money just to keep the door,s open.and they are almost all subject to the seasons.that and the fact that the manufacturers are not all that forgiving to dealers.when an item is shipped ,whether it is a tractor or a part ,they get their money right away.

 

[Jchonline]

I will buy from the dealer as often as I can. With Kubota we also have a very reliable parts supply chain that allows some level of competition. For instance a dealer in PA has an entire parts website and ships all of the the country (Messicks). I like the idea and try to help dealers out when I can. However I am not going to pay $5 for a bolt I can get for $1.50 from the local hardware store.

 

[Ortimber]

Most dealers (tractors, cars, etc) don’t make a ton of money on the sales of the machine. They make sustainable income on parts and service. This is how they are able to keep the doors open.

 

[EddieWalker]

The last two experiences that I had at dealerships where both pretty bad. Ford told me that the reason my car wouldn't start was because the key had gone bad and that I needed to buy a new key for $600. His logic was that there is a chip inside the key fob that wasn't working anymore and it needed to be replaced. I declined, but had to hire a tow truck to get it from the dealer to my house. The tow was going to be about a hundred bucks, but when he showed up, he said that he gets these calls all the time and it's just a weak battery. He jumped it, and it started right up. I put a new battery in it and never had another problem. The tow truck driver said no charge, but I gave him $40 cash that I had in my wallet anyway. Then I had a problem with a hydraulic drive motor on my Case dozer. It cost me $250 to have it trailer-ed to the dealer, where they said that the the hydraulic drive motor was bad and they would only replace it with a new one for $25,000 plus labor. I have three of them on my dozer!!! Since that wasn't an option, I paid another $250 to have it brought home. It weighs 40,000 pounds, so this is the only way to move it. Then I went and talked to the guys at New Holland, that I really like and get along with. They told me about a place in Lone Star that they ship all their hydraulic units to have work on. They charged me $3,000 to rebuild it, and I did all the labor taking it out and putting it in, which wasn't that big of a project. The guy at Case suggested that I sell it at an auction so there would be no follow up or complaints when somebody else found out what was wrong with it. I got the feeling that's how they handle a lot of problems.

As for parts, I used to go to Napa all the time, but now I find even better prices online. Amazon, Ebay or just searching for the model number online. My Century/Branson dealer told me something similar. He can sell me the factory replacement part, or he can sell me the part that works just as well for half the price. He lost his Branson agreement dealership years ago, but still supports his customers that bought from him. Now he sells Mahindra, LG and Zetor. When I'm ready to buy my cab tractor, I'll talk to him just because he has been good to work with on parts.

 

[Jstpssng]

Want to see crazy prices from dealers - check out the aviation industry. A $2 tractor bolt is now $20..... Oh and the nut is another $8..

You can save quite a bit, just down to Harbor Freight and buy a replacement and a spare... what could possibly go wrong?

 

[pmsmechanic]

I tell myself that dealers need to make a living too.... but there is a limit! I buy many parts during the course of a year for customers. I can often find parts online at half price compared to the local NAPA store.