Buying Parts Through the Repair Shop

[Shel_B]

I'm having a local shop do a repair for me, and they will be getting the needed parts through Toyota. As a general rule, do repair shops get a discount when buying parts through the dealer and will the customer (in this case, me) be paying about the same as I would if I bought the parts through the dealership myself? Would the repair shop even buy the parts through a dealership, or might they get them from some wholesaler or warehouse that supplies the dealership?

 

[B1974]

They are probably getting the parts from a wholesaler or getting a jobber price from the dealer. Either way they will give you a mark up on the parts to increase their own profit. In my experience that's the way they all shops work.

 

[Shel_B]

They are probably getting the parts from a wholesaler or getting a jobber price from the dealer. Either way they will give you a mark up on the parts to increase their own profit. In my experience that's the way they all shops work.

Will I be paying about the same price as I would if I bought the parts from the dealer? Thanks!

 

[B1974]

Probably, you can always price out the dealer price but it'll be close.

 

[Hyundai Respecter]

Will I be paying about the same price as I would if I bought the parts from the dealer? Thanks!

Probably more. But it depends on the shop. Some have huge mark ups. Firestone is one of them. They marked up a ball joint for one of my cars (before I learned how to do it myself) 100% and they got the part at Autozone.

 

[ZeeOSix]

What part(s) ate they? $50 or less or $1000 worth if bought from a Toyota dealer?

 

[Shel_B]

What part(s) ate they? $50 or less or $1000 worth if bought from a Toyota dealer?

Engine mounts, roughly $500 from Toyota.

 

[RooflessVW]

It'll probably be close to cust. counter retail or a little over.

 

[R18Civic]

I almost did this. The only gm dealer in the area I trusted wanted $500 for a hub assembly. Parts stores and RA it is.

 

[skyactiv]

Depends on the dealer. When I owned a VW GTI, t asked the parts guy if he could sell me an intake manifold I needed at the cheaper online price other dealers offered. He set up an account for me called "Mikes Garage". I got better pricing on parts that way.

Olathe Toyota is a dealer long known for selling OEM Toyota parts online at wholesale prices to the public.

 

[Shel_B]

Olathe Toyota is a dealer long known for selling OEM Toyota parts online at wholesale prices to the public.

There are several Toyota dealerships with good reputations that sell online. In this instance, I want the 100% parts and labor warranty that the repair shop offers. I can't get that if I supply the parts.

 

[Shel_B]

I almost did this. The only gm dealer in the area I trusted wanted $500 for a hub assembly. Parts stores and RA it is.

Neither RA nor the local parts store that I frequent carries the parts that I want, and even if they did, buying from them wouldn't give me the warranty I'd like.

 

[aquariuscsm]

When "reputable" repair shops buy parts from a dealer, they get them at a discount and then charge you the retail price (what the dealer would charge you if you walked in and bought them). A dishonest crooked one will try to rape you on parts markup. Watch your back.

 

[Shel_B]

When "reputable" repair shops buy parts from a dealer, they get them at a discount and then charge you the retail price (what the dealer would charge you if you walked in and bought them). A dishonest crooked one will try to rape you on parts markup. Watch your back.

Thanks for the advice. I've known these people a while - it's the shop my suspension/brake guy uses for his car. My original question was just to get an understanding of what's usual and customary.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Thanks for the advice. I've known these people a while - it's the shop my suspension/brake guy uses for his car. My original question was just to get an understanding of what's usual and customary.

A good reputable shop will also go over the invoice with you as well, showing you parts cost, labor cost, shop materials, etc.

 

[D60]

I don't know about OEM parts sourced from a dealer but from other threads I've read it's not unheard of for indys to mark up parts as much as 100%. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, good or bad. Shops have to have some mark-up or they'd have to close their doors.

 

[drtyler]

I almost did this. The only gm dealer in the area I trusted wanted $500 for a hub assembly. Parts stores and RA it is.

On the other hand, your car would have been repaired properly at the GM dealer.

 

[R18Civic]

On the other hand, your car would have been repaired properly at the GM dealer.

Still would've spent less on 3 hub assemblies then a 500 dollar part + labor.

 

[bdcardinal]

Most shops get 20-25% off MSRP, at least through my work. There are some OE parts that they can source from wholesalers. I have caught a couple shops wanting parts warrantied that weren't purchased from us in the correct time-frame. I also have caught shops charging massive upcharges to customers, like a quart of "Motorcraft" 5W30 blend for $15.52ea.

 

[The Critic]

Usually 20% off MSRP for shops. Parts margin of 50% is fairly common. So, $80 part gets sold to you at $160.

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