Refused service for bringing my own (OEM) parts

[Zee09]

I can see all sides of this..
Personally if I didn't like the quality of the parts I wouldn't install them..

Customers tend to forget the rules when something fails and it's your fault.. Too much drama....

 

[grasscutter]

I never thought a repair shop should make a profit on the parts. The $100-$120 per hour shop time should be enough.

They shouldn't be in business to sell parts for a profit. The customer should only have to pay whatever the shop paid for the parts.

Automotive repair is supposed to be a SERVICE business. You provide a service and the customer pays the labor cost for the service.

 

[The_Jeff]

Customers bringing their own parts also tend to be a headache.

Yup this. My dad didn't bring his own parts but he presented himself as a know-it-all and drove the guys bonkers. He loved reading codes and telling the guys what to do, for example. He even cleared the codes.

There are typically too few (good) mechanics to go around and they have the ability to be choosy over their customers.

There's also an increased chance that the car was previously DIY- molested and there's an untold story that might be relevant but kept secret out of pride, embarrassment, etc

 

[researcher]

I think the biggest and MOST important part of this discussion is that it's a Mitsubishi with a CVT. Chances are good that's the Nissan CVT! And here the shop wants to use a UNIVERSAL transmission fluid? Are you nuts?! We all know how fragile that Nissan CVT is and picky on what fluid it uses. Here @Whammo is using the OEM fluid but the shop still says no?

Hey I can agree with all the arguments about customer supplies the wrong part. But in this case, the shop IS WRONG! Using some universal ATF is asking for trouble. Or is that the point? A customer asks to use OEM (even if they supplied it) fluid and the shop refuses, then the customer uses their service, miles down the road the transmission dies.. Oh look, the shop can claim it was a bad CVT but they can replace it for lots of $$$

Either way this shop is ridiculously incompetent. It's one thing to say no customer supplied parts, but this shop isn't even wanting to use the CORRECT ATF fluid!! Lacking in the IQ dept, definitely..

 

[The Critic]

I never thought a repair shop should make a profit on the parts. The $100-$120 per hour shop time should be enough.

They shouldn't be in business to sell parts for a profit. The customer should only have to pay whatever the shop paid for the parts.

Automotive repair is supposed to be a SERVICE business. You provide a service and the customer pays the labor cost for the service.

I was once advised that an independent auto shop could forego parts markup, but they’d have to increase their hourly rate by 40-50% to maintain the same overall profit margin.

 

[grasscutter]

I was once advised that an independent auto shop could forego parts markup, but they’d have to increase their hourly rate by 40-50% to maintain the same overall profit margin.

I think it's totally unethical to mark up the price of parts. If the independent shop had to increase their labor rate by 40-50 percent to remain in business, then that's what they should do to remain ethical.

 

[GON]

The issue is a shop taking a unnecessary risk, it is not about profit on parts.

i'm not so sure the center of gravity is the potential profit a shop makes on parts. Any competent shop uses processes to service a vehicle. I don't think there is a way to efficiently design and execute a process with customer supplied parts.

Why take the unnecessary risk. Shops with solid proccess are always busy.

 

[The Critic]

I think it's totally unethical to mark up the price of parts. If the independent shop had to increase their labor rate by 40-50 percent to remain in business, then that's what they should do to remain ethical.

Restaurants mark up a can of coke. How do you feel about that?

 

[grasscutter]

I think if the customer wants to supply the parts, then the shop shouldn't have to back up the parts.

The customer simply pays the labor again to replace the failed parts.

 

[grasscutter]

Restaurants mark up a can of coke. How do you feel about that?

They're in business to sell you a product, not to provide a service.

 

[dishdude]

I never thought a repair shop should make a profit on the parts. The $100-$120 per hour shop time should be enough.

They shouldn't be in business to sell parts for a profit. The customer should only have to pay whatever the shop paid for the parts.

Automotive repair is supposed to be a SERVICE business. You provide a service and the customer pays the labor cost for the service.

The shop needs to make a certain margin to keep the lights on. There is a cost to buying and reselling parts, I see no issue with a reasonable markup on parts. If there's a comeback due to a bad part, they may or may not get labor partially reimbursed - they might have to eat the entire thing.

 

[Astro14]

I think it's totally unethical to mark up the price of parts. If the independent shop had to increase their labor rate by 40-50 percent to remain in business, then that's what they should do to remain ethical.

Open your own shop.

Advertise that you don’t mark up parts.

Let us know how you make out.

Particularly when you have to eat the hours in labor when a part fails.

 

[CKN]

they probably mark up the parts about 100%

They have to mark up parts to stay in business. I'm not sure if it's 100%. But markup of parts is how places stay in business.

 

[GON]

Open your own shop.

Advertise that you don’t mark up parts.

Let us know how you make out.

Particularly when you have to eat the hours in labor when a part fails.

I think if a customer always brought the right parts, all needed parts, and the parts always worked--- it would be a great business model for a shop to exclusively offer to bring your own parts.

Way to many outliers with parts. There is a reason many shops/dealerships have dedicated parts personnel. We all know exactly how hard it is just to try and figure out all the parts needed for a job, are the parts quality, will the parts arrive in time, will the parts arrive undamaged, and does the part actually work.

 

[grasscutter]

The shop needs to make a certain margin to keep the lights on. There is a cost to buying and reselling parts, I see no issue with a reasonable markup on parts. If there's a comeback due to a bad part, they may or may not get labor partially reimbursed - they might have to eat the entire thing.

I think they should make all the margin off the labor. If the you want the customer to use your provided parts, then they shouldn't have to pay the mark up for them.

 

[CKN]

I think it's totally unethical to mark up the price of parts. If the independent shop had to increase their labor rate by 40-50 percent to remain in business, then that's what they should do to remain ethical.

Don't open up your own business of any kind-because you don't understand business models.

 

[grasscutter]

Open your own shop.

Advertise that you don’t mark up parts.

Let us know how you make out.

Particularly when you have to eat the hours in labor when a part fails.

If you're providing the customer the part, then you SHOULD eat the labor and the cost of the part. Repair shops have to do that all the time.

 

[Astro14]

I think they should make all the margin off the labor. If the you want the customer to use your provided parts, then they shouldn't have to pay the mark up for them.

Customers are often wrong on parts and the price of the parts is the same to the customer.

I have a business account with Advance and Auto Zone - with that, I pay half what you do for parts.

So, whether you bring me a $300 alternator, or I buy it at $150 and mark it up, you’re getting the same price.

You’re not getting ripped off.

You’re paying me instead of Advance.

That’s part of what keeps me in business.

 

[Astro14]

If you're providing the customer the part, then you SHOULD eat the labor and the cost of the part. Repair shops have to do that all the time.

Not how it works at all.

Again, since you seem to know how it all works, open your own shop and let us know how you make out.

If I install a part from Advance, and it fails, Advance replaces the part and pays me book rate to replace it.

That’s why I don’t want customer provided parts. You bring me junk, it fails. You blame me. I’m out several hours.

No way I’m taking your part.

 

[grasscutter]

Customers are often wrong on parts and the price of the parts is the same to the customer.

I have a business account with Advance and Auto Zone - with that, I pay half what you do for parts.

So, whether you bring me a $300 alternator, or I buy it at $150 and mark it up, you’re getting the same price.

You’re not getting ripped off.

You’re paying me instead of Advance.

That’s part of what keeps me in business.

I wish I could charge my customers extra when the price of gasoline goes to $6 per gallon. I wish I could charge them extra for the cost of trimmer line, 2-cycle oil, or when an object in their yard trashes my mower blade, but I can't. I have to tally all that into my labor rate and still try to remain competitive.