Car ?'s

Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Cad said:
Wouldn't the three different vendors part have to fit the same spot in the car though? Shouldn't they be compatible? How can they have 3 different starters that aren't compatible but fit the same model of car?
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no fucking idea bro. I'm only repeating what I was told, asked the same question in fact. GM is about half a shit show anyhow. Always has been.
 
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Kirun said:
OE parts are always best, but aren't 100% necessary in every case (depends on the area of the car/truck, obviously) and you'll save a ton by using aftermarket.
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My Tundra that I loved sadly ate rotors like they were tic-tacs. I had to drive from 2K ft up to 5.6k ft and down to 2K ft every day to get to Vegas. Rotors would get so bad when I braked the front would shudder. Replaced the brakes and rotors with aftermarket racing ceramic pads and cross drilled ceramic rotors. Cost was about twice the regular OEM parts and I had to break them in first which I was only able to do cuz I lived in nowhere but I never had a problem again. For the most part, I use OEM - or I pay someone to use OEM.
Also ---really hope I'm wrong but it looked like my wife's car is leaking oil. Did I mention I hated it? I'll know Monday for sure as I have something clean under it to check for drips.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Kajiimagi said:
For the most part, I use OEM - or I pay someone to use OEM.
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Not saying OEM parts are a bad idea, but mechanics that insist on OEM parts have a financial incentive to do so. They mark up parts based on what they cost to begin with, so more expensive parts = more money in the mechanic's pocket without them having to do anything. I think this trickles down from the parts stores as well. Most of their business is selling parts to mechanics, and if their parts cost more, both them and their customers (mechanics) make more money and pass the bill along to you.
 
Kirun

Kirun

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BrutulTM said:
Not saying OEM parts are a bad idea, but mechanics that insist on OEM parts have a financial incentive to do so. They mark up parts based on what they cost to begin with, so more expensive parts = more money in the mechanic's pocket without them having to do anything. I think this trickles down from the parts stores as well. Most of their business is selling parts to mechanics, and if their parts cost more, both them and their customers (mechanics) make more money and pass the bill along to you.
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Mostly false.

OEM parts markup at a dealership is actually very minimal (except on shit that is already cheap - like gaskets, clips, etc. But stuff like alternators, engines, etc.? Yeah, those markups are really small). They make their money on labor and "upselling" you services you don't really need or are easily done yourself - which they then get to sell you MORE labor on.

The reason Bob's Mechanic shop charges out the ass for OEM parts is because it's harder/more expensive for him to get supplied with OEM parts than the dealership. But Bob's Mechanic shop is using the SAME parts/labor formula recommended by the manufacturer as the dealership is, I promise you - they virtually all use the same software when calculating that stuff.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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If it's so small, try showing up to your mechanic with the parts you bought online and see how happy they are about that.

Here's what Gemini says...

1. The Parts Matrix (Sliding Scale)​

Most independent shops and dealerships use a sliding-scale parts matrix built into their shop management software. Instead of applying one flat percentage to everything, the markup percentage decreases as the cost of the part goes up.

  • Low-cost items ($1 – $10): Might be marked up 100% to 300%+ (e.g., a $2 drain plug washer or bulb billed at $6–$8) because the administrative time to order, receive, and stock a small part costs more than the part itself.
  • Mid-range parts ($50 – $250): Typically marked up 50% to 100% (e.g., an alternator bought at wholesale for $150 might be billed to the customer at $250–$300).
  • High-cost components ($1,000+): Often marked up 20% to 40% (e.g., a transmission or engine assembly) so the final bill stays competitive and doesn't price the customer out of the repair.
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Kajiimagi

Kajiimagi

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Kirun said:
Mostly false.

OEM parts markup at a dealership is actually very minimal (except on shit that is already cheap - like gaskets, clips, etc. But stuff like alternators, engines, etc.? Yeah, those markups are really small). They make their money on labor and "upselling" you services you don't really need or are easily done yourself - which they then get to sell you MORE labor on.

The reason Bob's Mechanic shop charges out the ass for OEM parts is because it's harder/more expensive for him to get supplied with OEM parts than the dealership. But Bob's Mechanic shop is using the SAME parts/labor formula recommended by the manufacturer as the dealership is, I promise you - they virtually all use the same software when calculating that stuff.
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Approaching this from a different angle. Does the mechanic (the one doing the actual work in a larger shop) still get paid a flat rate based on a labor/cost book? I.e. if the book says a brake job should take an hour and the labor rate is $100 you get that if you do it in 10 minutes or 5 hours? When I got out of high school I was looking at a school that did a double ASE cert in gas and diesel and it was explained like that. That BS plus not wanting to be greasy was why I got into construction.
 
Fucker

Fucker

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BrutulTM said:
If it's so small, try showing up to your mechanic with the parts you bought online and see how happy they are about that.

Here's what Gemini says...
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That is 100% about liability. No one is going to put parts on of unknown quality. Could be Chinese trash that is broken and new, or used and broken, or any number of things. They don't want to deal with the parts, and they don't want to deal with the customer that brought them in.

My shop will put on parts that I bought because they know me, know I will buy the right thing the first time, buy quality, and agree that labor is on me if they are defective.
 
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