OT - general dealer gouging. Options

[mepstein]

I take all my cars to a local indie shop that I’ve known for 20 years. No BS, just good service. His lot is always full and his guys are always busy.

I once needed my car for an appointment but it wasn’t completely done. Owner handed me his car keys and said to come back the next day. Now the owners son runs the shop with the same excellent customer service (stayed late to fix my daughter’s car so she could drive back to college the next day) I’ll keep going there until I can’t drive anymore.

[iankarr]

This topic is one of my big buttons (yea, I have a few, don't we all). Started many years ago when I was 16 and not long after my Dad had bought the 914. It had a leak on the master cylinder so we took it to the only German car dealer in town. Can't remember all the details since it's been many years ago, but I do remember they stripped a new aftermarket shift knob, tore a section of carpet, and left the inside floorboard around the master cylinder trashy, and charged about triple what a new MC cost at the time. I swore I'd never let anyone work on anything I owned ever again. It all comes down to knowledge, tools, determination, time and primarily confidence.

Knowledge is the easy part, especially today with internet search capability. Even before, there were decent enough books and manuals, so there's really no excuse to say you don't know how to do a job. Info is out there if someone wants it. Tools can be expensive, but I tend to look at them as an investment. If you buy a tool, at the end of the day you have something that will retain at least part of it's investment value. It may even appreciate. Also, you never know where a tool can come in handy. Rental is also an easy enough option. Determination for me was easy since I was mad as hell with my dealer experience. Just the feeling of accomplishment after a repair is worth at least a good feeling inside. Time can be challenging, but it's never been insurmountable. If a car needed repair, we always had backups so never really needed a job done crazy fast. As for the value of my time, I always enjoyed working on cars, so it wasn't like I felt time was wasted or could be better spent elsewhere. Usually it really all boils down to one thing. Confidence. Better to say lack of confidence. Pride usually keeps people from admitting they're scared of %#^&ing up, but this is really the biggest hurdle. I remember how scared I was when first starting to work on an engine. Start small, research, think, learn, test, and ask questions. If you break it, learn from what you did wrong, and do it right the next time. Preying on customers ignorance, pride and lack of confidence is a huge weapon used by many unscrupulous businesses.

So, yes I hear stories from friends about price gouging not just from car dealers but just about any service whether for their car, water heater, washing machine, or just name it. I usually just reply with well why in the %^#& didn't you try to fix it yourself and leave it at that.

Dan

100% this. I look at screw ups as tuition to classic car university. No better thrill than doing it yourself and gaining confidence in new things. The very definition of growth. And the reason why I make those videos

[wonkipop]

@wonkipop
Valeo is an OE supplier for a lot of HVAC components. The heater core on 996/997/991/987/986 etc is valeo.

The problem with dealer parts, is that there are several more hands that part passes through and each one is adding a markup.

yeah, the dead one coming out of the car is Valeo. most french cars run Valeo. its good gear up there with bosch.
there is also a brand called VEMO (a chinese partner/division of Valeo). they did OEM for Audi. the VEMO stuff is good quality chinese manufacture. i could have got hold of a VEMO unit here in melbourne for $200.

i can't believe the renault spares division can give people a hiding to the extent they are trying on here. think the reason is they are gradually pulling out of aus again.

EDIT - just to be clear, this was the price for the part from renault, not for putting it in.
i expect them to have a reasonable markup and happy to pay it for convenience of being in stock and easy to get. but 2.5 times the cost! thats a bit rich?