Are you being ripped off?

A couple questions, how many shocks were you replacing two or four? Was that including labor?  Did you get a quote from another repair shop?

 winn 1955:

4 Shocks - Did not include labor.  No I did not get another quote. I was getting new tires installed, and was pressed for time.

Whitewolf you can always get your parts cheaper at a parts house compared to an automotive repair facility. $36.25 per shock could be a little high, but not unreasonable. There is always a big markup on the parts they sell, at any shop. If you are a do it your selfer you can take advantage of the parts house pricing. NAPA most likely quoted you dealer price from there price catalog. When I had a repair shop most of my parts were bought from NAPA. The price I paid for the shocks would have been from their price list called jobber. I would have paid about $9.00 per shock $36.00 for the four. I would have marked the shocks up times three, but every shop has their own method. Some parts are more profitable than others. Some examples would be exhaust parts. When I had my shop I would pay between $6.00 & $8.00 per muffler, and sell them installed for $69.95 to $ 79.95 with a life time guarantee. If the muffler went bad I would replace it for the cost of labor $35.00 per hour. You would get your replacement muffler for $35.00 to install it. A ten foot stick of 2 ¼ pipe I would pay $6.00. I could do a complete exhaust system for $195.00 and make $180.00 on the job. Auto air is another money maker an expansion valve would cost me $12.00 I would sell it for $45.00 plus labor. All of the parts I sold. I sold them at suggested retail. Other parts such as the ones I had to get from a dealership weren’t as profitable.

            Now let’s go to labor, I used a Chilton labor manual. I would look up the car, and the job it would give me how many hours I should charge for that particular job. Most of the time I could beat the manual, what I mean is if  the manual said to charge five hours for the job and I could get it done in three I still got paid for the five. Now; it worked the other way as well, if it said five hours and it took me eight I lost three hours labor. That’s how an auto repair shop works. Don’t go holding me to these prices I closed my shop in 1994. This is the break down of my cost; it usually worked out that all my labor went for expenses, such as my lease, paying my mechanics and so forth. My parts usually covered my profit.

   It was not an uncommon thing for my customers to come in and ask if they could bring there own parts, because they could buy them cheaper. I would have liked to oblige them but with the above explanation you can understand why I couldn’t. I would look at my customer and reply that I couldn’t do that. Then I would ask them if they went to breakfast at a restaurant would you carry in your eggs and bacon, and most of them would understand.      You ask the manager of the Tire Kingdom store why the big price difference? He tells you that his supply house charges him $85.00 for the shocks and he charges you a mark up of $60.00.  If I were the manager I would have told you that I have to charge you $36.00 per shock to meet my profit margin. Instead of telling you I had to pay $85.00 for the shocks and mark them up $60.00. Honesty is always the best policy. If you remain competitive with the other shops in the area, and he goes shopping they will usually come back for you to do the work.  White wolf I hope that the explanation helps

     It takes an unsatisfied person to make things satifactory:winn1955 

winn1955:

That was $85.00 for each shock. My price for each shock was $145.00

Thanks for the explaination. I still feel that Tire Kingdom's wharehouse should be selling to their shop at the same price that NAPA would sell them to me. Shouldn't the wharehouse be getting the shocks from  the manufacture at the same price that is charged to NAPA? Or close to it.

I am to old to do any work on my vehicles. Had wrecked my back 3 times, been rearended 3 times within 2 years. Someone was out to get me. lol

I also figured that the shocks for an 8800 lb vehicle would cost more than it would for my F150. Was I suprised to find out that was not the case.

Like I said I was pressed for time and going camping. I did not want to  pull a 27ft camper with bad shocks on the vehicle.

I do understand the reasoning behind not allowing a customer to bring in their own parts.

Thanks again for your time in this matter.

Those who give up freedom for security have neither.

Whitewolf Now I will say they ripped you off, there is no way in hell they paid $85.00 –per shock and then they charged you $145.00 per shock plus labor, That is outrageous, That is a major corporation and they have buying power. If they didn’t pay less for those shocks than NAPA I would be shocked. (Pun intended)   

We have a similar situation...can you please email me at lorislittlelambsdaycare@yahoo.com to discuss off of here!

Thanks!!!

Ann