Back to mark-up. A new BMW radiator for a 540 or 740 costs 185 dollars from the dealer if he sells it at suggested list price. Now if you work for parts companies that sell that radiator for 220 and suggest a retail price of $600 you may see what goes on in small, know nothing, shops.

Take that radiator for your 89 300e, I just looked on my suppliers site and MB list is $184, my cost is 147 for a Behr and 132 for a Nissens (which is the better radiator - thicker reinforced plastic). I don't have a calculator but looks like I don't get my average on that one. Looks like radiators aren't such a money maker, I just looked at fastlane (same source with same options). Looks like you save 1.84 of list price. I'm not BSing you, BS don't walk on the internet. Check me out.

No one that knows what they are doing on MBs is selling that radiator for $528 (300% on the Nissens). Your, buy it locally, know nothing specific, shop might do that if he has the wrong general supplier.

The point here is local parts suppliers apply some sort of BS list to whatever they have for sale and you get some nice guy who says he doesn't need to charge list and gives you a break by only charging 428 for that 184 dollar radiator.

__________________
Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician