The guy below specializes in consumer protection / lemon law and goes after bad shops / cars.

Please watch the whole thing.

Can Mechanics Profit From Parts Markups? - Lehto's Law Ep. 4.34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dauHFla0TlY

I always marked up the parts I installed when I ran an Auto Shop, why not ? .

If you want free, go to the local Trade School, they often will do the work cheaply or free and you get to buy the parts you want used .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Sorry, can't watch the vid here on my Home Computer.

Places like NAPA will deliver parts to the shop but they only may come once or twice a day. Often the Shop has to send someone to pick the parts up and that persons time and the vehicle expenses have to be paid for.

Worse then the markup itself some Automotive Shops give the Mechanic a small percentage of the Parts markup (encourgaing them to replace parts) + the extra money they get if the do the flat rate time faster. This encourages Mechanics to look for more jobs especially if it is easy work like changing belts once they get a hold of your Car.

Then there is stuff like this: One of my neighbors took his car that had a miss to a Shop and they sold him a fuel injection system cleaning job. When they were done the Car still had the miss. The guy was told and believed that his car needed the fuel injectors cleaned any way.
The shop never attempted to trouble shoot the problem properly.

When I showed up the Car was parked on the Street and my Friend (who went to the same Diesel Mechanics Trade School as me) was standing there and the guy related the story in the previous paragraph.

I ask the guy some of the driving history. The History was that his Wife would jump in the Car, start it and immediately take of to work which was only one mile away. While I was telling the guy that it was likely that the Spark plugs are carboned up because his Wife did not warm up the Car and the drive was too short for the Engine controls to take it out of the excess fuel it gives you when the Engine was cold my Friend yanked off one of the Spark Plug Wires.

When he yanked off the Spark Plug Wire nothing happened! Nothing happened because that Plug was not firing.
They Car owner paid my Friend to change the Spark Plugs and the Car ran fine. After that they guy was told that he needed to get his Wife to warm the Car up or at least take it on the Freeway to keep the plugs from fowling up. I never saw him again so I don’t knew if he followed the instructions.

There is a book I read about automotive repair rip offs. It said that often the Servie Writer; the person that writes up your job order is not a trained mechanic but a sales person.

Another Story: my Girl Friend took her Car to a Transmission Shop saying her transmission was noisy. The Shop wanted to sell a transmission R&R with a rebuilt transmission. She did not have the Money nor a Credit Card so she said she could not do that.
This was on our first date. So I drove her car (the transmission place did not test drive the Car) no unusual noises. Then I ask her when she had the noise and where was she driving?
She and her Mother had been site seeing in a local hilly area. After that I speculated that driving slow in the hilly area had put them in 2nd gear and the Car is noiser in 2nd Gear.

On the next date we drove in that hilly area and what I said seemed to be the case.

So I told her that I could not find anything obviously wrong. I also told her that if there was something wrong let the transmission fail (she had AAA so she could get a free tow) because they were not going to rebuilt her transmission they would just install a rebuilt one.
The transmission never did fail even after 5 years. But, the Car got totaled in an accident.

In that Book they said Transmissions Shops have been know remove the original transmission and clean it off and re-install it or even do the cleaning without removing the transmission.

My Mother was told that they installed a New Carburator on her Car. The Cost of the New Carburator was 3 times more then a rebuilt. That had happend only 3 hours before I arrived on the scene. There was no practical reason to install a new Carburator.

I told her that under the state law she could demand her old part back. She went back to the Shop and did that and they admitted they had installed a rebuilt carburetor (they could not give the old Carburetor back because they had turned it is a core when they got the re-built carburetor) and refunded a lot of the money.

And this was a place she had gone to for years and trusted.

Anyway a percentage of parts mark up is the least of your worries. If you know what needs to be replaced go to the local Auto Parts place and ask the cost of the part. That way you at least have some idea to go by.

From the forum we also know that some people pay more for the same parts at their local Mercedes Dealer then others have at other Mercedes Dealers.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Sorry, can't watch the vid here on my Home Computer.

Places like NAPA will deliver parts to the shop but they only may come once or twice a day. Often the Shop has to send someone to pick the parts up and that persons time and the vehicle expenses have to be paid for.

Worse then the markup itself some Automotive Shops give the Mechanic a small percentage of the Parts markup (encourgaing them to replace parts) + the extra money they get if the do the flat rate time faster. This encourages Mechanics to look for more jobs especially if it is easy work like changing belts once they get a hold of your Car.

Then there is stuff like this: One of my neighbors took his car that had a miss to a Shop and they sold him a fuel injection system cleaning job. When they were done the Car still had the miss. The guy was told and believed that his car needed the fuel injectors cleaned any way.
The shop never attempted to trouble shoot the problem properly.

When I showed up the Car was parked on the Street and my Friend (who went to the same Diesel Mechanics Trade School as me) was standing there and the guy related the story in the previous paragraph.

I ask the guy some of the driving history. The History was that his Wife would jump in the Car, start it and immediately take of to work which was only one mile away. While I was telling the guy that it was likely that the Spark plugs are carboned up because his Wife did not warm up the Car and the drive was too short for the Engine controls to take it out of the excess fuel it gives you when the Engine was cold my Friend yanked off one of the Spark Plug Wires.

When he yanked off the Spark Plug Wire nothing happened! Nothing happened because that Plug was not firing.
They Car owner paid my Friend to change the Spark Plugs and the Car ran fine. After that they guy was told that he needed to get his Wife to warm the Car up or at least take it on the Freeway to keep the plugs from fowling up. I never saw him again so I don’t knew if he followed the instructions.

There is a book I read about automotive repair rip offs. It said that often the Servie Writer; the person that writes up your job order is not a trained mechanic but a sales person.

Another Story: my Girl Friend took her Car to a Transmission Shop saying her transmission was noisy. The Shop wanted to sell a transmission R&R with a rebuilt transmission. She did not have the Money nor a Credit Card so she said she could not do that.
This was on our first date. So I drove her car (the transmission place did not test drive the Car) no unusual noises. Then I ask her when she had the noise and where was she driving?
She and her Mother had been site seeing in a local hilly area. After that I speculated that driving slow in the hilly area had put them in 2nd gear and the Car is noiser in 2nd Gear.

On the next date we drove in that hilly area and what I said seemed to be the case.

So I told her that I could not find anything obviously wrong. I also told her that if there was something wrong let the transmission fail (she had AAA so she could get a free tow) because they were not going to rebuilt her transmission they would just install a rebuilt one.
The transmission never did fail even after 5 years. But, the Car got totaled in an accident.

In that Book they said Transmissions Shops have been know remove the original transmission and clean it off and re-install it or even do the cleaning without removing the transmission.

My Mother was told that they installed a New Carburator on her Car. The Cost of the New Carburator was 3 times more then a rebuilt. That had happend only 3 hours before I arrived on the scene. There was no practical reason to install a new Carburator.

I told her that under the state law she could demand her old part back. She went back to the Shop and did that and they admitted they had installed a rebuilt carburetor (they could not give the old Carburetor back because they had turned it is a core when they got the re-built carburetor) and refunded a lot of the money.

And this was a place she had gone to for years and trusted.

Anyway a percentage of parts mark up is the least of your worries. If you know what needs to be replaced go to the local Auto Parts place and ask the cost of the part. That way you at least have some idea to go by.

From the forum we also know that some people pay more for the same parts at their local Mercedes Dealer then others have at other Mercedes Dealers.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Full disclosure, I didn't watch the 19 minute video.

The purchaser is told the cost of the parts the mechanic is supplying before they agree to the repair. If they don't like the cost, they're free to decline the repair or go elsewhere. All liability for the cost of the parts rests on the purchaser at that point. No, not evil, not at all.

Yes shops should absolutely mark up the parts they sell, as well as refuse to install discount or any kind of reduced quality parts. They're warrantying the repair, they're accepting the risk of that part working properly and having to replace it if it doesn't. Nothing at all wrong with limiting that risk as much as reasonably possible, and getting paid for accepting that risk.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

I think the video makes the point well. The mechanic is entitled to make a reasonable markup. How would you expect him to stay in business otherwise?

I didn't watch the video however, In my experience working at a dealer, the parts department would discount/wholesale parts sold to local mechanics, then the local mechanics would mark the parts price back up to somewhere around what the consumer would pay at the dealer. We would also recommend local shops, outside of the dealership if someone declined service and often purchase parts from other dealers in the area in the same manner.

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--------------------------------------------
Old Blue - 83 240D 6 speed manual trans, OM648
Green Machine - 2001 Europa G500
87 300SDL Bought on Peachparts. Low-ish miles..?

Family Truckster - 2012 VW Touareg TDI

Patchouli Wagon - 2004 E500 - SOLD
333k mile 97 BMW 750il V12. - SOLD
The Californian - 85 300TD - SOLD
Daily Super Sedan - 03 Audi S8 -SOLD

Local mechanic told me parts mark up was necessary for him to stay in business. He'd install my parts but I would have to pay his margin as an add on. He was one of the best so I'd take him stuff that I or others couldn't fix. We always agreed on the price and work before hand and he never charged for his mis-diagnosis. He also wouldn't diagnose for free and let me take his info and do the repair myself. I'm sorry he's retired.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Face it, nobody is going to watch a 19 minute video.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Hard to find parts or used parts I will round up for my Indie... mostly when they work on a domestic vehicle for me I let them get the parts and take their usual markup. ...but then I probably am their biggest customer.....if you take away businesses I am certain I am.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I've worked in several repair industries. I was a mechanic in a shop, worked at a marine industrial park, machine shop, and I landscaped. All those places we marked up parts and materials. If a yard of soil cost $15, we billed $18 to the customer, same deal with auto and boat parts. Profit margins are slim and hidden costs add up fast. Markup on parts and materials is just another way to keep the doors open. Don't like it? Work on your own car...

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1984 300TD -- summer daily driver
Many others that aren't Mercedes...

This is completely normal and commonplace. Garages buy wholesale and then charge "list" for the price. I worked at napa for a few years and sold to just about every garage within a 30 mile radius like that. That's why a lot of places do not like you bringing your own parts (not to mention they have no control over quality etc).

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Also, it's handy when when Mitchell or AllData has the MSRP of the part in the system, so it's super quick to give written quotes.

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1997 E300 Diesel - 222K miles

When I need help I use a trusted general mechanic indy. He is always pleased to have me provide the old and often obscure parts for my 35yo W123. He just notes "Customer supplied parts" on the work order to cover his butt.

All services technically buy parts at reduced prices. Usually cheaper than an individual can source the same parts from the same supplier. Normal policy in the business world.

There was a time where many things where kept in an active in house inventory a long time ago. So much variety became the norm it became impossible. In the day that inventory sat on the shelves. There had to be a profit on selling it. To justify the cost of stocking it.

Automotive service today is not what it was in the past. Try to find an ethical repair shop if you use them. This is where you can save money big time.

Rip offs have become the rule rather than the exception. Skill levels are all over the place as well. It also has reached the point where you should limit their use of after market parts in some areas of the cars. Too many of them are built and priced to just sell. With very limited service life expected. Absolute junk in many cases.