Central VA, just a bit north of Richmond
Ahh, where all the history comes from. Lots of important things have happened around there.
I would think that proximity to DC would mean a pretty high cost of living in that area.
The cost of living doesnât skyrocket until you get north of Fredericksburg. But Northern Virginia (counties immediately outside of D.C.) and the rest of the state are very different.
Iâm surprised how expensive real estate is in the Richmond area. Around the University of Richmond.
Yes, the Tuckahoe area / West End of Richmond is fairly pricey. My brotherâs house is about 200 yards from U of Râs campus/property. For what they paid, they couldâve gotten a larger house on a lot about double the size of what they have, out where I live. They seem to like it though. It is a convenient location.
I used to be a fan of bigger lots, but changed my mind. I like smaller lots now for a couple of reasons, first the owner has the option of less time on yard work if they choose a simple landscaping design. Of course if they enjoy gardening, they can have a complex design which will put them out in the garden for hours, even with a small lot. Second reason, an area with small lots means there are other neighbors close by if your immediate neighbor begins to misbehave, loud noises, smoke, odors, whatever, those will bother the other neighbors too. With small lots, the principle of strength in numbers will make it easier to force the neighbor to clean up their act.
I get the entire thing about labor rates, parts markups, and so on. The only thing to me on this particular example is whether someone is being charged full retail for a different part that does not fit their car in the first place.
Just my opinion, but that comes across as dishonest and is not something I would ever do nor have I ever done. I get the point about the bill being the same no matter which road is taken to get there but it is distasteful to me. Lying to mollify someone is still lying.
If this turns out to be true (exception below) then I wonder what the OP and the average consumer would think of this shell game being played. Rhetorical question.
Another rhetorical question might be if someone was charged for full synthetic motor oil and they were given dino oil instead.
Exception might be if the 2012 is a late production model and for whatever reason there was a late year change where Ford used the 2013 part on the last of the 2012s. That is an unknown to me.
Retail or list price from the manufacturer is irrelevant to the independent shop. I need part #ABC123 to fix your car, the dealer charges me wholesale $80 for a part that has a retail price of $100. But to meet my numbers I will sell it to you for $114. Thereâs no lying or deception going on. Itâs all above board business.
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Sore back too, replaced starter solenoid on mine. Removed solenoid, picked up a universal unit at the shop, get back home, found I did not have any 1/4-20 bolts. Hop in the car, trip to the hardware store. Installed the solenoid, Room for only one hand.
Oh well three hours and less than $20 vs $200 and a months wait for the shop to do it.
Back to automotive shops, when I worked as a pump jockey/ grease monkey in the 60s we have a flat rated manual, that was what we charged for labor.
I still have to respectfully disagree. The markup I donât mind. In this case 51 dollars with a 100% markup is not an issue.
Itâs what appears to be charging the roughly 160 dollar price of a 2013 part when the 2012 is 51 dollars. Thatâs over 300%.
I wonder what customers would say about this if they were told or found out later this was going on? Why play games; just lay it out up front and see where it goes.
An old boss of mine once told me; âXXX, the problem with you is that youâre just too dxxxxd honestâ. So I guess that lousy character trait is going to follow me to the end.
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Belt tensioner part number 6E5Z-6A228-B fits 2.0-liter engines 2003 to 2013 and has a MSRP of $76.
2014 Transit Connect was not available with the 2.0 L engine, different tensioner.
So I âbuyâ a technicianâs labor for $35/hour and âsellâ it for $140/hour and thatâs a 300% markup. Whatâs the difference?
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Iâd prefer shops just charge retail (or close to it) for the parts and then charge whatever they have to charge in order to remain profitable for the labor. That way I wouldnât look at an invoice and wonder why they charged me twice what I could get the same part for myself (which they obviously receive a discount on, so can get it for less than I can). I have no idea what the shopâs overhead is, so I wouldnât have any idea what their labor rate needed to be. But you can look up parts prices pretty quick.
I rarely take a vehicle to a shop, so itâs generally not an issue. I do recall taking the wifeâs Toyota to the dealership and seeing a new oem cat converter quoted at twice what I could get the part for plus $150/hr labor several years ago. So I declined the service on the parts cost alone. The service advisor asked me why I declined and I told him. They agreed to match the price I had on the converter and I let them do the work.
The difference is, theoretically, I can buy the parts myself. I canât buy your technicianâs labor unless I go through your shop, right?
It is this kind of nitpicking by customers which has led the company which I work for to stop breaking down prices as time and materials, and just quote a single price for the work to be done. So instead of telling a customer that they need Part A for $210, Part B for $150, and $200 worth of labor, now we just say itâs $560 total, without itemizing anything. Either the customer agrees to the price, or they can call someone else.
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I so very much wish the automotive industry would adopt this practice, but sadly even the members of the industry still insist on breaking things down separately.
Donât be so sure. Shops generally get a small discount from dealers, but from a retailer/wholesaler you can probably buy a part cheaper than I can.
Once a friend of the business owner needed some work, and we let him bring his part to install. I saw the part and the receipt on the seat. He had bought a Denso part # 123-4567 as a cash customer for $58 from the same supplier we used. My cost for that same part was $63.
Thatâs because as a walk-in you throw money on the counter, buy the part, and thatâs it. For me (the shop), I order electronicallyâfor which the wholesaler has to pay a feeâand expect the part delivered to me within the hour, which costs them a car, driver, gas, etc. Also they have to maintain bookkeeping and invoicing and carry my purchases for a month before they get paid. They also have to manage warranty coverage and labor claims, have an outside sales rep, etc.
Comparing what you buy vs. what the shop buys is really more than apples and orangesâŠ
How is it ânitpickingâ to notice that I was going to be charged $1200 for the exact same part that I could get for $600 before the labor charges even began?
If 600 bucks is a ânitâ, then I guess Iâll be a âpickerâ all day long.
Iâd have no issue with the non itemized charging. But, if one estimate was $600 more than the other guyâs, well, pretty obvious who gets the business, all else being equal.
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A markup that small, I wouldnât even care. The markup gets noticeable if the part is several hundred dollars, though.
The same thing happened at that dealership with an oem grill (wife hit a goose, long story but the goose lived). I had called an oem wholesaler and the grill was $300. The dealership wanted $600. After the dealership told me the price, I said, âOk, thank youâ and attempted to end the conversation, intending to just order it from the wholesaler (that is also a Toyota dealership). The guy started probing as to why I didnât want to order, so I showed him the price for the grill on my phone. So, they sold me the grill for $300 (although I never asked them to match the price). No labor involved, so I assume they mustâve had some sort of profit margin.
If theyâd have priced it at $350, I probably wouldâve just bought it. Meh, $50 bucks, less hassle for me and I can get it the same day. But I can wait a few days for an extra $300.
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+1
