Parts Mark up? Mechanics answer please!?

Question

Okay, as far as I know, mechanics are not supposed to mark up parts. My friend (who knows nothing about cars) tells me 'well thats what they do out here in CA.' I disagree. I'm from PA and I don't think it matters where you live. You do not mark up parts! I have three different parts all ACDelco, and their part numbers and they are all marked up, furthermore, I didn't even need the parts! For example, spark plug wire set for my car ACDelco #12173592 at $128.79 and the guy charged me $226.76!!! He has the same make and # on my receipt! Someone explain this please. (needless to say I'm fighting the bill.)

Answer 1

Yes, everybody marks up the price of parts. On average it is 30 to 40 percent. After all they are in the business to make money. It does sound like he marked it up too high to me though. Maybe some day when UNICEF opens up a shop you can get your parts for cost with no mark up

Answer 2

Parts wise you should have gone with like Checker, or Napa, or Shucks, for your auto parts, mechanics are doing things often to get the most money out of you, technicians are the best out there... Cause a set of spark plug wires run you up to no more than 20 bucks, new spark plugs just 35 bucks for platinum... So he's ripping you off big time... Unless these wires come with a beer tap and a keg then your being ripped off...

Answer 3

I am not sure of the prices that you are quoting here, but of course there is a mark-up of all parts. They buy them at wholesale, and sell to you at retail. The mark up on auto parts(from a parts store) runs between 30 and 55%, they need this to cover the cost of ordering and picking up the parts, stocking the part, and recovering the interest paid for there money tied up, while on the shelf.
Tho the price's for your wires is fairly steep.
If that were my shop I would be ashamed to charge some body that large of a mark up....

Answer 4

I looked up that up that spark plug wire set on http://www.rockauto.com and the price was $128.79 which is exactly the same price you quoted. The auto parts store your mechanic bought the parts from might have charged him $200 for the same ACDelco part. Profit margins vary widely at auto parts stores.

Answer 5

Shops will mark up the parts because it takes time for them to order and handle as to the amount it depends on the shop policy. Some 50% some 100%. If you think you have a case call the Ca. bureau of automotive repair in Sacramento or bar.ca.gov.

Answer 6

So what you’re saying is I, as a business company guy, have not any genuine to charge for the product that I sell? Hmmm i think you do no longer understand the way Capitalisms works. additionally there is not any regulation that publicizes you need to purchase the area your self. We provide the purchasers the alternative in the event that they might decide to locate it extra low priced or pay us for the area. maximum circumstances human beings might relatively pay the better for the area then to make the attempt to do each and all of the leg artwork and produce the area to us. to no longer point out that the time they spend finding and produce me the area is time that i could have been engaged on repairing their motor vehicle. some shops get components wholesale, others use an analogous area shops for you to use your self. numerous it comes right down to availability, how speedy you anticipate the motor vehicle to be complete and what agreements they have with the area centers. So why does he no longer charge extra labor to disguise components? ok, here is an occasion; we do what's named piece artwork. this suggests we receives a commission according to the activity, no longer how long it takes. there's a e book that the marketplace has produced that states how long it would take to make a fix. case in point, i'm changing apersistent belt on your motor vehicle. we could say it particularly is a ninety six Ford Taurus, the e book lists that it particularly is a .25 hour activity, or in different words 15 minutes. So i may be paid in user-friendly terms 15 minutes for the activity. Now permit’s say that for some reason it takes me longer then 15 minutes to do the activity. nicely now i'm dropping money because of the fact I could take longer to artwork on your motor vehicle and that i'm dropping time on the different vehicles that I could artwork on. now if I the place to charge better or could pay for the climate out of what i might make, that would decrease in to my over all take domicile pay or it particularly is possibly that i might could decrease the fee besides considering the fact which you sense the charge to too lots. the different difficulty you'll be able to desire to evaluate isn't in user-friendly terms the retail fee that he will pay, yet many area shops have a transport charge. This charge is diverse for each thing as they base it off weight and how a great way they might desire to return and forth. sooner or later, i might advise which you talk with the mechanic and see what concepts you may get the superb deal.

Answer 7

This is one of those replies that is not going to be what you want to hear so it won't get me my coveted Best Answer nod, but what I am about to say is also 100% true reality and thus needs to be said.

Why would a shop sell you parts at their cost? That's insane. You don't stay in business by not making a profit. As someone who works in the auto repair industry I can assure you that every auto repair shop and dealer service center everywhere in the world marks up parts. They have to.

The shops business plan - its ability to pay its people, bills and keep its doors open in predicated on making X percentage of profit on labor AND parts. It is a delicate balancing act how much to charge for each in order to be profitable and still be competitive.

Can you buy the same part yourself for less money? Of course you can. Shops don't get that much of a break on parts. But that's true of a lot things. You can for example, make your own hamburger at home in your own kitchen for less than the restaraunt charges you. If you have leaking plumbing you can buy a new pipe for less than what the plumber will charge you for that same pipe.

Heck, let's take your ignition wires. You say you found them for $128.79. MSRP on this part number is $220.80. Newgmpartsusa.com, an on-line parts wholesaler/retailer sells them for $167.81 - a very reasonable price compared to MSRP. They are known for offering pretty good deals so by your standards, they must be truly ripping off the public. Heck, I think you got ripped off. GMpartsdirect sells this part number for $114.83!

If you want to save money, do it yourself. If you don't want to do it yourself, let someone else do it but pay them what its worth.

Answer 8

Yes, some will mark up parts prices just because they have to order them and let them sit on their shelf space.
You can go to the auto parts store and buy the exact same part for less and take it to the mechanic, who probably will tell you they can't install it because you didn't buy it from them.
If you think about it, I bet you know somebody who works on their own car (maybe one of the guys who work at Autozone) who would install the parts for you for a reasonable fee, but no warranty. I consider mechanic shops to be a rip off, but that's because I know how to fix cars.

Answer 9

When a shop gets parts there are two prices on the invoice The shops cost and retail price if they don't mark them up you wouldn't want to pay the labor rate.Do you argue with your grocer because he marks his poducts up?

Answer 10

its true, some repair shops will mark up the price more than what they paid for it..

There isn't any law to protect the consumer from these thing especially if you sign a contact agreeing to the work and price.

sorry but it is true.