Dealer Parts Dept. Rant

Delta

Delta

Joined
Apr 20, 2014
Messages
3,464
Location
Franklin County, PA
So, I was bored and went for a drive today. Decided to stop by the most local dealer to me today to pick up a serpentine belt, drain plug, drain plug washer, and oil filter for the WRX. I knew the prices would be slightly higher than an online authorized site, but boy I was completely wrong.

Gave them my vin and the short list. Feller goes back for like 10 minutes and comes back out. Don't have the belt or drain plug. Can be here in a couple days. What? They were going to sell the belt to me for $86 and the plug $11! Nope, just give me the oil filter and washer. That was $14 in itself.

I know dealers are there to make money, but holy smokes! I hate to be that guy, but I went online and found the same belt from Subaru waay less

https://www.subarupartsdeals.com/oem-parts/subaru-2014-2021-subaru-serpentine-belt-23780aa111

I can order the belt, plug, washer, and another filter PLUS shipping less than the belt was before tax. I shouldn't be like this, but that dealer has lost my parts business. It's a second car that even if I have to wait on a part, it won't affect me that much. The next closest dealer is an hour away up and over a couple mountains. A very pretty drive, but not worth it for the occasional filter and washer.
 
I recently ordered drive belt tensioner and 2 belts from Mazda dealer and they shipped to my house.

Will install next week on my daughter’s 2018 CX5.
 
Local Jeep dealer parts dept a long time ago quoted me $86 for a mopar radiator cap and $300 for a pair of hood struts. They told me to go to Rockauto lol. They did come in with a good price for the factory steel bumper for my JLU though, and oil filters they are less than Walmart for a mo-349.
 
Delta said:
So, I was bored and went for a drive today. Decided to stop by the most local dealer to me today to pick up a serpentine belt, drain plug, drain plug washer, and oil filter for the WRX. I knew the prices would be slightly higher than an online authorized site, but boy I was completely wrong.

Gave them my vin and the short list. Feller goes back for like 10 minutes and comes back out. Don't have the belt or drain plug. Can be here in a couple days. What? They were going to sell the belt to me for $86 and the plug $11! Nope, just give me the oil filter and washer. That was $14 in itself.

I know dealers are there to make money, but holy smokes! I hate to be that guy, but I went online and found the same belt from Subaru waay less

https://www.subarupartsdeals.com/oem-parts/subaru-2014-2021-subaru-serpentine-belt-23780aa111

I can order the belt, plug, washer, and another filter PLUS shipping less than the belt was before tax. I shouldn't be like this, but that dealer has lost my parts business. It's a second car that even if I have to wait on a part, it won't affect me that much. The next closest dealer is an hour away up and over a couple mountains. A very pretty drive, but not worth it for the occasional filter and washer.
Click to expand...
I can see why the prices are so high, I will try and make this story short. My Dad called me last Friday and wanted me to go to a dealership to look at a used car and drive it, the last time I was in a car dealership was in 1990. This place was no nice and perfect, including the bathroom, there was no shower. I wanted to move into this place, I was saying to myself, am I in a Movie, is this real. My dad drove the car and that was all he could talk about; the car was a Genesis G90. I just could not get over how nice and beautiful this Dealership was.

I was also shocked that the salesman was busy with other people, and he just gave my Dad the key to the car and said go down this road, make a right at the next street, and it will take you back to the dealership. We started driving, and there was a blinking thing, my Dad forgot to put on his seat belt, he tried to play it off. He said the salesman distracted him, ok whatever.
 
Sounds like that dealer is into that lean operations garbage. Imagine if a subaru was your only car and they were the only dealer, or you had an extended warranty with them. You'd be walking while they wait for parts!
 
Factory dealer parts pricing was a topic of one of Car Care Nut's recent videos. As I haven't been to the parts counter recently, I thought he was talking about isolated incidents.

Guess I'll have to research the MSRPs beforehand before my next trip as I've never paid over MSRP at the go-to Honda dealer.
 
duck__dodgers said:
Factory dealer parts pricing was a topic of one of Car Care Nut's recent videos. As I haven't been to the parts counter recently, I thought he was talking about isolated incidents.

Guess I'll have to research the MSRPs beforehand before my next trip as I've never paid over MSRP at the go-to Honda dealer.
Click to expand...

Ironically I watched the same video just a couple days.

I remember paying a little over $12 for an oil filter and drain plug washer at the Toyota dealer a while back. Looks like the Subaru dealer is up to the same shenanigans.

I did know the MSRP on the belt before walking in ($45) so that's why I didn't even bother ordering it at $86.
 
Brian123 said:
I can see why the prices are so high, I will try and make this story short. My Dad called me last Friday and wanted me to go to a dealership to look at a used car and drive it, the last time I was in a car dealership was in 1990. This place was no nice and perfect, including the bathroom, there was no shower. I wanted to move into this place, I was saying to myself, am I in a Movie, is this real. My dad drove the car and that was all he could talk about; the car was a Genesis G90. I just could not get over how nice and beautiful this Dealership was.

I was also shocked that the salesman was busy with other people, and he just gave my Dad the key to the car and said go down this road, make a right at the next street, and it will take you back to the dealership. We started driving, and there was a blinking thing, my Dad forgot to put on his seat belt, he tried to play it off. He said the salesman distracted him, ok whatever.
Click to expand...

Well this dealer split off from a Mazda/VW building into a nice brand spanking new building next door, so I guess they're trying to pay off the building. I might be a schmuck, but not that big of a schmuck!
 
eljefino said:
Sounds like that dealer is into that lean operations garbage. Imagine if a subaru was your only car and they were the only dealer, or you had an extended warranty with them. You'd be walking while they wait for parts!
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure Subaru does their dealer parts stocking via PartsEye like Mazda does with us. This outside program uses basically garbage AI to set our stocking levels. It will absolutely run us out of fast moving parts will continuing to order slow moving inventory until we override it.
 
bdcardinal said:
I am pretty sure Subaru does their dealer parts stocking via PartsEye like Mazda does with us. This outside program uses basically garbage AI to set our stocking levels. It will absolutely run us out of fast moving parts will continuing to order slow moving inventory until we override it.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right when they don't even have a drain plug in stock :unsure:
 
Delta said:
Sounds about right when they don't even have a drain plug in stock :unsure:
Click to expand...
Part of being a parts manager is reviewing your fast moving inventory and making sure there is enough depth on hand to take care4 of your customer base. All dealers are different in quantity levels. But also keeping in mind that parts on the shelf collecting dust is the owner's money being wasted.
 
I went to my dealer for a replacement cabin filter. They wanted around $50. for it. I said no thanks. Went down the street to WM for $18
 
Delta said:
So, I was bored and went for a drive today. Decided to stop by the most local dealer to me today to pick up a serpentine belt, drain plug, drain plug washer, and oil filter for the WRX. I knew the prices would be slightly higher than an online authorized site, but boy I was completely wrong.

Gave them my vin and the short list. Feller goes back for like 10 minutes and comes back out. Don't have the belt or drain plug. Can be here in a couple days. What? They were going to sell the belt to me for $86 and the plug $11! Nope, just give me the oil filter and washer. That was $14 in itself.

I know dealers are there to make money, but holy smokes! I hate to be that guy, but I went online and found the same belt from Subaru waay less

https://www.subarupartsdeals.com/oem-parts/subaru-2014-2021-subaru-serpentine-belt-23780aa111

I can order the belt, plug, washer, and another filter PLUS shipping less than the belt was before tax. I shouldn't be like this, but that dealer has lost my parts business. It's a second car that even if I have to wait on a part, it won't affect me that much. The next closest dealer is an hour away up and over a couple mountains. A very pretty drive, but not worth it for the occasional filter and washer.
Click to expand...
It depends on the dealer and the service. My parents purchased a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica with very low mileage. It was wearing the inside tires really bad. The local repair shop that is really good couldn't do the alignment due to having to calibrate the sensors. Three other shops said it's dealership only. The local Dodge dealership was $160 for a four wheel alignment vs $150 from the inde repair shop. The problem is that many indie shops can't spend tens of thousands on proprietary software.
 
Sounds like my dealer where we don’t keep hardly anything in stock mainly the Toyota franchise which where I work because we can’t keep most things in stock as it’s not allowed by Toyota so they have to be ordered. For any other brand we have tons and tons and tons of stuff in stock and things rarely have to be ordered.
 
I was in a Honda dealership getting re-call work done. The parts manager came over to the shop manager and asked him " where's the shop at". Shop manager was just shakin his head...so I ask him what was that all about ??? He said the Parts manager been here for years and still has no idea where the shop is. Bunch of morons work here , including the mechanics !!!!!! The morale of this story is STAY AWAY FROM DEALERSHIPS ! If you don't get screwed by the mechanics, you'll get screwed on parts prices....
 
I try to buy my Hyundai parts from discount online Hyundi/Kia "dealers". I was looking at a high pressure fuel pump cam follower for the GDI fuel system. I usually find the part# at the Hyundai stores and then go search Kia pricing since they are the exact same parts in a Kia box, for 15 to 20% less. The Kia part was $35, if I remember right I think $69 was listed as Kia MSRP. Hyundai MSRP I would guess would be on the online sites would be $85-90ish. When I brought my car to the dealer to have them install my new cryogenic dual clutch I asked the parts lady what they want for a HP fuel pump cam follower they came out with $149 for the part. WOW.

I also found a local Kia dealer charging 50% more from an online Kia dealer list MSRP and called the local dealers "Mothership" Office. A Local dealer family name that has almost EVERY car manufacters dealerships some where in Minneapolis/St Paul and suburbs ( IE 30+ dealerships) to complain on price gouging. He said he would look into it and never called me back.......go figure. Two big names who own 75% of Minnesota's largest citys dealerships........... Luther and Walser I called Luther. Of course there are ZERO dealerships in MN that do the discount online internet sale. Most are dealers from Florida, and Arizona,
 
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