Hi there.

im curious about others experiences with this issue.

do shops generally make part of their money by OVERCHARGING for the parts for a repair? I continue to get estimates on work I will get done on my 2000 montero where the parts are ridiculously expensive compared to the ones I see on sites like rock auto. And this is not a question of quality since even the most expensive versions online are so much cheaper.

I can only assume shops take advantage of the fact most folks have neither the time nor inclination to purchase the parts themselves (and I assume some shops would not allow that) as well as assuming they are getting the best price possible for the parts from the shop. I don’t mind paying for the labor since I don’t have the ability to do the work myself but I’m curious if others have experienced this.

my shop wants 312$ for the control arm and ball joint on the lower right front. I have seen the same on Rock auto for 80$. Seems not right. Opinions?

thank you all. You have helped save me much grief before.
dan

 

In the area that I live in, the shops will locate the parts needed from the local parts stores. Whoever has the part wins and they don't care about the cost, since you will be billed for the parts. I will say that Rock auto has the lowest price 95% of the time. Auto Zone, Advanced auto, Napa, etc all have high prices and they are usually double to triple the cost of rock auto.
I would suggest that you order your own parts and wait the several days for delivery and then take your vehicle and parts to the shop that you favor. I've never had a shop turn down a job because I brought the needed parts..
It actually saves them the time and trouble of locating the parts.

 

Be very careful about this, I have had every single shop I've went to decline user provided parts. The reason is twofold, protection for the shop, if they install the parts regardless of quality and they fail, the customer could get angry and cause trouble or the parts straight up not the right one(s) which happens way too often and then there's a delay in repair which can make the customer irate. Secondly, kickbacks, when they purchase the parts from local auto parts stores they save money AND they get bonuses if they spend X amount of money per month at a particular parts store. I used to work for a popular automotive parts retailer so I have insider knowledge.

Edit:
I've lived in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida and my experience has been the same. However rural areas may likely be different.
Machine shops are different, if you need a part pressed out/in like a ball joint, bearing, or driveshaft carrier bearing, they more than likely will do the work. I've enlisted the help of several machine shops over the years.

 

Interesting. I understand that other areas may be different. But it is also necessary to have a little knowledge about
ordering parts. I have been fooled and mislead by sellers, so you need to do your research and do it well.
As stated, it does work around here (which is not anywhere near a city, thank God) but if I don't have the correct parts, the guys at the shop are not impressed.
Bottom line: you need to start turning wrenches and figure out your vehicle. It will be very useful in the future.
Just trying to be helpful.

 

No worries, we've all had different experiences. I would just hate it if he bought hundreds in parts and they turned it down, returning parts ordered online is sometimes more difficult then it should and could cost him a restocking fee as well. I recommend OP asking around to see if any shops would use customer purchased/supplied parts before purchasing them and bringing them in.

 

I agree with the post from Naeos_Valkarian. The shops do prefer to source their own parts. The fact is - not only they get kickbacks from parts stores, they often get the parts at a cost that is significantly lower than the list price or even Rock Auto price. Depending on the volume of business they do with a particular store, the arrangement is often - more parts purchased = gets you into a different (lower) price bracket for future purchases. At that point the shop can charge customer full price for the part and make few extra $$, or to lower the part price and thus lower the total cost of repsir and attract more customers with a better price for services vs their competitors.
I've had mixed results with providing my own parts. Often the shop will have you sign a waver that their warranty dies not apply, etc. If you think a shop is overcharging you for parts, you can try to shop around for a better price, negotiate with them a discount (it helps to know the parts prices from local stores and then tell them - they should be able to get a better price), or as about providing your own parts for them to work with. At any rate you need to be prepared to walk away from them, since they may not want to deal with you in the future. If that is the case, count your blessings -they probably were not a good shop anyway.

 

Thank you!

 

While reading all the posts and thinking some more about the parts cost situation, one other thought on the subject:
In all reality, there are not that many Monteros (and Mitsubishi) out on the streets in this country. As a result, there are less parts being available. Perhaps that contributes to the higher prices vs more common car brands (Toyota, Honda, Kia, etc,).

 

I’ve had much success with going to mechanics that work out of their garages at home so I’m going to go with that. Another question: is there a big difference between the quality of economy and daily driver parts on rock auto? Thx