Rant on expensive parts on cheap cars.

[Baba Ganoush]

But aren't you then stuck with Chinese aftermarket? Except for some engine internals that's the way it is on my bitchin camero. anyway.

Nope. Junk yards and eBay are full of good factory parts for them (thanks cash for clunkers). They built like 4 million Rangers between 98-11 and they're basically identical throughout those years so even the aftermarket parts are decent, cheap and plentiful. Simplicity is beautiful.

Nowadays they drastically alter designs every two years or less, killing the parts market. It's ridiculous. I'll be driving a Ranger for a daily for as long as I can. It pays me in the end. I get offers weekly on which ever one I'm driving because I keep it CLEAN. I'm just going to keep buying them, haven't sold one yet.

[LaserSVT]

I bet my 1200 watt stereo really drags it down. Maybe that's why I'm getting 8 mpg.

Ah so thats why my old Silverado only gets 15 mpg on the highway. All this time I thought it was its building like aerodynamics.

[LaserSVT]

I think you're missing his original point. It wasn't about the part going bad, it was about the price of the part to replace it. He's suggesting it should not have been a $300 part. Or, more technically, that too many pieces are either interdependent, or only sold as assemblies with shit you don't need.

Thats was my exact point. Why do I have to get it as an assembly and even then, why is it so expensive. Like lets look at an LQ engine. Water pump is 5x the size and is $50. Thermostat and housing is $15. Water temp sensor is another $20. Thats $85 for a complete system for a truck. And while GM oil pressure sensors and fuel level sensors suck their water temp sensors never fail so why force me to buy one. Or more directly, the consumer.


But its like it was pointed out to me earlier. Dealers and makers make a crap ton on parts so why sell them cheap if they are the only place you can get it.

[Craizie]

Thats was my exact point. Why do I have to get it as an assembly and even then, why is it so expensive. Like lets look at an LQ engine. Water pump is 5x the size and is $50. Thermostat and housing is $15. Water temp sensor is another $20. Thats $85 for a complete system for a truck. And while GM oil pressure sensors and fuel level sensors suck their water temp sensors never fail so why force me to buy one. Or more directly, the consumer.


But its like it was pointed out to me earlier. Dealers and makers make a crap ton on parts so why sell them cheap if they are the only place you can get it.

I lost my OEM intake when I was putting my 14 GT back to stock to trade in... You cant buy the intake box without the MAF, which is $450. His solution was for me to try to sell it afterwards...

[Tremor14]

And you're still trying to sell it.

[Baron Von Crowder]

Thats was my exact point. Why do I have to get it as an assembly and even then, why is it so expensive. Like lets look at an LQ engine. Water pump is 5x the size and is $50. Thermostat and housing is $15. Water temp sensor is another $20. Thats $85 for a complete system for a truck. And while GM oil pressure sensors and fuel level sensors suck their water temp sensors never fail so why force me to buy one. Or more directly, the consumer.


But its like it was pointed out to me earlier. Dealers and makers make a crap ton on parts so why sell them cheap if they are the only place you can get it.

dealers' wholesale parts markup is generally in 10-15% range. The ones that make any money wholesale do it with volume and kick backs at the end of the year.

[Forever_frost]

I bought an extended warranty for the first time with my truck. Rock popped up and put a hole in my a/c evap coil. $1800 in repairs, paid for itself with one trip to the shop.

I had an 08 Ram 1500 with the lifetime bumper to bumper warranty and within 2 years, the exhaust system fell out from under it. Seemed that bumper to bumper didn't involve the exhaust system.

That said, my Edge has been in the shop a few times. The Sync system died (like all of it. Dead. Nothing worked) and Ford paid for that. Then the TPM went out, covered. Then this past week it started stuttering and jerking hard at 108k miles. Still have 17k miles of warranty left and it covered a coil pack, plug, some sensor and a strut.

I can't complain about Ford's 125k mile warranty at all.

[lowthreeohz]

Ah so thats why my old Silverado only gets 15 mpg on the highway. All this time I thought it was its building like aerodynamics.

but i bet it'll pull a pontoon boat better than anything else on the road.

[Ruffdaddy]

At some point, logistics and inventory play a role in the pricing as well. It costs a lot of money to set up individual part numbers, stock items and distribution for piece parts than for an assembly.

Why would a company, especially a low price point company, increase their cost to maintain parts when they dont have to?

If parts were as common as they used to be it would be a different story

[stephen4785]

WTF is it with these damn expensive parts on cheap cars? When wheel bearings went from $9 to $390 because they are now a hub with a sensor in them I didn't make a stink. When the $16 TPS sensors became part of a $900 electronic throttle body, I still understood the changes. But then $200 steering racks became these $1200+ electronic bitches and I really thought GM lost their mind. Now doing a water pump that should have been all of $30 is almost $300..... on a Malibu! WTF? Now it has a sensor in it and its worth $300? They are making cars to be thrown away. That's all I can figure.]

I think the local parts houses are getting out of control. Our shop discounts have gone from saving 20-30% down to 1% oe a lot of times negative 60%. You can get that wp on rockauto for $134. Still too damn high but Autozone, Oriellys, Napa, etc... charges 2-3 times higher then what I can find online. Iv had pretty good luck with using XL parts. Im not sure if you have an XL house down there but it might be worth a shot.

[Chili]

I think the local parts houses are getting out of control. Our shop discounts have gone from saving 20-30% down to 1% oe a lot of times negative 60%. You can get that wp on rockauto for $134. Still too damn high but Autozone, Oriellys, Napa, etc... charges 2-3 times higher then what I can find online. Iv had pretty good luck with using XL parts. Im not sure if you have an XL house down there but it might be worth a shot.

Local brick and mortar parts stores have much more significant overhead costs than online stores who ship from a large centralized warehouse (or even drop ship from the manufacturer so no inventory costs).

[Baron Von Crowder]

Local brick and mortar parts stores have much more significant overhead costs than online stores who ship from a large centralized warehouse (or even drop ship from the manufacturer so no inventory costs).

meh, XL is reasonable, autozone was 45 bucks on a serp. belt for my truck, XL was 19.99, DELIVERED.

[Chili]

meh, XL is reasonable, autozone was 45 bucks on a serp. belt for my truck, XL was 19.99, DELIVERED.

I was just referring to his general comparison of brick and mortar (Autozone, Oriellys, Napa, etc) vs online prices.

[4king]

Good luck on any warranty through rock auto, they have terrible customer service. I ordered 3 belts for my dsm all Continetal brand and received 1 continental, 1 good year, and 1 with no markings. I emailed them and the first response was that I could send them back for a refund but shipping would not be refunded and I had to pay for the items to be shipped back to them. OK on 2 4 dollar belts no thanks

If you have a commercial account we price match everyone but we also can check competitors on hands. So if you tell me 1800radiator has a Mercedes radiator for half my cost and I have it in stock, and 1800 has a 3 day Ship delay, yeah I'm not going to budge that mutch on price

I'm really starting to get sick of working at an autoparts store, 90% of walk in customers know zero about a car and only seem to come in to waste my time to ask me how to fix things.

Every Friday I have to explain to 3-4 different customers about doing plugs on their 04-07 triton 5.4 motors. On a weekly basis I have Mobil mechanics calling and asking about a broken spark plug on a triton because they've never heard of the plugs being difficult before. One of them did the plugs for $120 as quoted, broke 2 of them, spent 2 days working on it, only to come back in to check the codes to see bank 2 temp over limit. I pop the oil cap and it's pure milk shake. Customers response, oh its been like that a couple months now but it started running bad last week so I wanted him to change the plugs. Good god man

My car runs funny can you do the scan thingy? No I don't have a check engine light but can you do the scan anyways

Can you take out my battery and charge it for me, it wouldn't start this morning. No I don't want a new one it just needs to be charged. It says you charge them for free here will you take it out of my car

Monday night customer bought a battery from Firestone and installed it themselves, yeah that's a red flag right there. Come in to ask me to tighten it down because they couldn't figure out how to do it. Ahhhhhhh!!!!!

Last weekend alone I had 3 customers claimed they bought wiper blades from me recently (they couldn't remember when) and now they weren't working and wanted new ones for free. No receipts, couldn't remember what ones they got but they demanded I replace them for free. Blades are falling apart from age, yeah go ahead and cuss me out for your $10 blades I'm not giving you free ones and installing them in the rain for you

The only comparison I can think of for running a parts store is like going into cvs with the flu and demanding that they give you medicine for free because you need it, or expect the pharmacist to stitch up your wound for free. Hey I've been coughing up blood lately can you guys do one of them free health scan things for me

[Stephen]

Good luck on any warranty through rock auto, they have terrible customer service. I ordered 3 belts for my dsm all Continetal brand and received 1 continental, 1 good year, and 1 with no markings. I emailed them and the first response was that I could send them back for a refund but shipping would not be refunded and I had to pay for the items to be shipped back to them. OK on 2 4 dollar belts no thanks

If you have a commercial account we price match everyone but we also can check competitors on hands. So if you tell me 1800radiator has a Mercedes radiator for half my cost and I have it in stock, and 1800 has a 3 day Ship delay, yeah I'm not going to budge that mutch on price

I'm really starting to get sick of working at an autoparts store, 90% of walk in customers know zero about a car and only seem to come in to waste my time to ask me how to fix things.

Every Friday I have to explain to 3-4 different customers about doing plugs on their 04-07 triton 5.4 motors.

My car runs funny can you do the scan thingy? No I don't have a check engine light but can you do the scan anyways

Can you take out my battery and charge it for me, it wouldn't start this morning. No I don't want a new one it just needs to be charged. It says you charge them for free here will you take it out of my car

Last weekend alone I had 3 customers claimed they bought wiper blades from me recently (they couldn't remember when) and now they weren't working and wanted new ones for free. No receipts, couldn't remember what ones they got but they demanded I replace them for free. Blades are falling apart from age, yeah go ahead and cuss me out for your $10 blades I'm not giving you free ones and installing them in the rain for you

The only comparison I can think of for running a parts store is like going into cvs with the flu and demanding that they give you medicine for free because you need it, or expect the pharmacist to stitch up your wound for free.

thanks a lot asshole! I thought my questions were brilliant! ill just go see matt on preston now lol


I also bought blades yesterday! ill be back without a receipt!! haha