Refused service for bringing my own (OEM) parts

[dishdude]

Because counterfeit parts never show up at the shop when the shop orders them?

They can't even keep counterfeit parts out of commercial airplanes!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...for-global-fake-components-scheme/ar-AA1WUmWd

 

[HowAboutThis]

I have a vehicle that doesn't have a dealership in the area so I often order OEM parts to bring to a shop so I'm not dealing with their O'Reilly / Autozone crap. I called and asked if they'd swap my transmission fluid and filters (with brand new gasket). They said they'd only do the service with their provided parts (which would be universal fluid and aftermarket filters) because they don't make any money off customer parts. I thought my request was reasonable (and a simple job with all the parts in my back seat). I suppose a lot of people bring shady parts off Amazon but I felt weird being denied this service. Why lose a customer over this? Is this a common experience these days?

Sometimes their insurance won't cover warranties and such for reasons like this. Or it's just an easier blanket policy. It would seem reasonable for them to cover labor but not warranty parts. But it's also potential liability if the part caused some other issue, you sued, and their insurance didn't cover it.

Next time, maybe tell them you want OEM and see if they'll order from a dealership and have it delivered instead of you bringing it in? Or just find another shop.

But yeah, I don't blame them but I also think it sounds silly they wouldn't do it. But customers are ridiculous so it wouldn't shock me they got burned doing it in the past either.

 

[D1dad]

Because counterfeit parts never show up at the shop when the shop orders them?

My shop that i do use is constantly being sent the wrong parts by the local parts stores. I bring my own parts because I don't want the white box GARBAGE they'd order. I did just use advance autos "updated' stab links and they were twice the weight and quality as what came off of my daughters Buick. I was in absolute shock how well they were built.
Sometimes.....aftermarket can be better.

 

[D1dad]

Sometimes their insurance won't cover warranties and such for reasons like this. Or it's just an easier blanket policy. It would seem reasonable for them to cover labor but not warranty parts. But it's also potential liability if the part caused some other issue, you sued, and their insurance didn't cover it.

Next time, maybe tell them you want OEM and see if they'll order from a dealership and have it delivered instead of you bringing it in? Or just find another shop.

But yeah, I don't blame them but I also think it sounds silly they wouldn't do it. But customers are ridiculous so it wouldn't shock me they got burned doing it in the past either.

Oem is expensive enough without the local shop marking it up 200%

 

[CleanSump]

Don't like how a business operates then go someplace else.
No one is stopping you from taking your parts and going to another shop.
Some people here just do not understand the free market concept as opposed to their "i'm entitled" dream.
Yes, you're entitled to go someplace else. Thank you - shop owner 2026.

 

[BrendanC]

what about asking the shop to order OEM only parts

 

[fozzdesy2001]

I was told it was all about the warranty of the parts. and liability

 

[CKN]

Its painfully obvious many on here have zero business acumen. Hot tip- take you Saturday and spend it underneath your vehicle- then when you find out you didn't do it right- spend your Sunday doing the same thing.

 

[CleanSump]

Its painfully obvious many on here have zero business acumen. Hot tip- take you Saturday and spend it underneath your vehicle- then when you find out you didn't do it right- spend your Sunday doing the same thing.

And when the cheap Chinese part fails or never works correctly, blame the guy who installed it.

 

[IndyIan]

Its painfully obvious many on here have zero business acumen. Hot tip- take you Satirday and spend it underneath your vehicle- then when you find out you didn't do it right- spend your Sunday doing the same thing.

Not that I'm some sort great mechanic, but I can't say I've had to do a job twice very often? I do spend a good amount of time looking at youtube and the applicable forum before I start through, so I pretty much know what the potential problems are.

I do try to stay away from mechanic shops with lots of expensive overhead, where they need to mark up parts significantly to be profitable? I'm all for them pocketing their shop discount, and they rarely charge more for parts than what I can buy them for, but if a shop needs $250-300+/hr in income(parts markup plus shop rate) per tech, to work on my cars, then I'm at the wrong place... I'm not driving a McLaren or a helicopter....

 

[MCompact]

I have a couple of indie shops that will install my parts; I only do it in rare circumstances.

 

[k1xv]

This topic reminds me of the Kinky Friedman song

"We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You"

 

[The_Jeff]

I don't blame a shop denying service with customer provided parts. They deserve to make a fair profit and have to stand behind their work with their parts. If something goes wrong using your parts, you are on the hook not them. If you don't like their policy , either find some other desparate shop or do it yourself.

The issue is the customer won't take the bad news well. Their car is basically in for surgery and the mechanic has to tell the customer, many times a day, that it didn't go well and they found other problems while they were in there, which will cost more. Many trust the mechanic and agree to pay, more people are pragmatic and know they can't get better results now if they tow a half broken car somewhere else. But mister "I bought this fuel pump on eBay" is going to spit and argue and threaten lawsuits, complaining on yelp, etc. not worth it to take on as a customer, and the mechanic knows this better than anyone.

Same as if someone brings in a rusted out heap for hours of electrical diagnostics, mech knows they won't pay the bill before the customer even does.

 

[CKN]

Not that I'm some sort great mechanic, but I can't say I've had to do a job twice very often? I do spend a good amount of time looking at youtube and the applicable forum before I start through, so I pretty much know what the potential problems are.

I do try to stay away from mechanic shops with lots of expensive overhead, where they need to mark up parts significantly to be profitable? I'm all for them pocketing their shop discount, and they rarely charge more for parts than what I can buy them for, but if a shop needs $250-300+/hr in income(parts markup plus shop rate) per tech, to work on my cars, then I'm at the wrong place... I'm not driving a McLaren or a helicopter....

Yes-parts markup is part of profitability-and always has been- for quite sometime in the vast majority of the auto repair business.

 

[JMJNet]

I have a shop that I can bring my part.
One time, I had to pay him 3x because the part that I brought were bad.
Good thing he is very reasonable of only charging me 1 hour rate.
This was a rear wheel bearing for FWD Toyota which have the electronic speed sensor built in.
So apparently all the aftermarket parts (SKF and Raybestos) do not have working speed sensor.
After 2x like that I bought the OE from Toyota stealership.

 

[D1dad]

Not that I'm some sort great mechanic, but I can't say I've had to do a job twice very often? I do spend a good amount of time looking at youtube and the applicable forum before I start through, so I pretty much know what the potential problems are.

I do try to stay away from mechanic shops with lots of expensive overhead, where they need to mark up parts significantly to be profitable? I'm all for them pocketing their shop discount, and they rarely charge more for parts than what I can buy them for, but if a shop needs $250-300+/hr in income(parts markup plus shop rate) per tech, to work on my cars, then I'm at the wrong place... I'm not driving a McLaren or a helicopter....

Well said! That’s where I’m at as well. I make a good living and a mechanic and the shop owner should make one as well. But don’t be greedy. Back in the old days, one would have to walk in to Napa to discover how much a part was. Now days it takes 5 seconds to discover that you were just charged $500 for an alternator from autozone that list for $269. There’s my issue. A shop pressing the “add to cart” button doesn’t justify the mark up. You can be profitable with the $200 an hour you charge for the work, without charging what equals out to be $2000 an hour ordering parts. My mechanics shop added about 20% on a cv shaft and I was fine with that. It equaled out to about $20 on a napa part. Make money, but you don’t need to make it all off me. I priced control arms directly from a Nissan dealer online and they were $280 a piece. I called a dealer for a price for them to do the whole job, parts, labor and alignment. The parts came in at almost $1300. That’s highway robbery. And I told them as much. My son just got a quote for a spill and fill on his sentra cvt out in San Diego. $449 for $80 worth of fluid and an hours work. Come on man!

 

[B6_Dolphin]

I have a good repore with the SAs and Service Manager at my local Audi dealer. Historically, I have bought brand new vehicles through them, too. If I need OEM parts & service out-of-warranty, my local Audi Club NW provides a discount for parts & service.

Otherwise, I had two instances where I bought parts from other vendors, and they agreed to install them - a "Black Optic" trim panel for the SUV ordered though AliExpress that is part of the rear bumper, which required R&R of the bumper, (Yes, the fit and finish of the Chinese part was remarkably good!) They also installed Black badges (vs. the original chrome badges) on the hatch.

In the other case, I changed my Coupe's tail lights to the Euro-spec, ordered through a German vendor, and my dealer has worked with this specialty vendor before and performed the work. I've no issues with either non-dealer-sourced part since they were installed.

 

[CKN]

Well said! That’s where I’m at as well. I make a good living and a mechanic and the shop owner should make one as well. But don’t be greedy. Back in the old days, one would have to walk in to Napa to discover how much a part was. Now days it takes 5 seconds to discover that you were just charged $500 for an alternator from autozone that list for $269. There’s my issue. A shop pressing the “add to cart” button doesn’t justify the mark up. You can be profitable with the $200 an hour you charge for the work, without charging what equals out to be $2000 an hour ordering parts. My mechanics shop added about 20% on a cv shaft and I was fine with that. It equaled out to about $20 on a napa part. Make money, but you don’t need to make it all off me. I priced control arms directly from a Nissan dealer online and they were $280 a piece. I called a dealer for a price for them to do the whole job, parts, labor and alignment. The parts came in at almost $1300. That’s highway robbery. And I told them as much. My son just got a quote for a spill and fill on his sentra cvt out in San Diego. $449 for $80 worth of fluid and an hours work. Come on man!

That's actually competitive for transmission service. FYI. Call around for a transmission service at Independents and see if you can get it done for $ 250.00 ish. ( 80.00 +150.00 for labor) and report back here. C' mon man- do it! I get so tired of these posts about " I can do this in my driveway- for less" with zero consideration for business overhead.

 

[Rmay635703]

I’ve heard of very, very few shops that would have at one time, allow a customer to bring in their own parts. And when the shop denies a customer that option, the shop mgr/owner would ask the customer…”would you bring in your own steak to a restaurant and ask them to cook it?”

If restaurants stopped selling steaks altogether and only sold grilled zucchini,
yes.

If car dealers made it a practice to sell only replacement parts pulled from a junkyard, same as above. (Many “new” parts are worse than junkyard quality)

So the gotta take our cardone parts only should be illegal.

I’ve had to have the rh front wheel bearing replaced every oil change for the last 2 years (some under warranty)
Because of this nonsense.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I don't really blame them for not wanting a customer supplied part - too many variables.

However $200 and hour and 3X markup on parts - and they still pay there techs little and upsell un-needed services - no wonder no one wants to work there and auto repair is one of the least trusted professional services by the public.

It used to be a respected occupation.