dealership rates!

[TheDon]

I was messing with my wheels again today because I skidded 30 feet to a stop... damn wild life.. but yea.. I had a nasty thump from the flat spotting and my stupidity(I didnt torque the wheels down all the way on sunday)... I noticed my left front wheel has some wear on the left shoulder, more than the passenger side wheel.

So I called my dealership, Central FL Eurocars about rates for an alignment.. 14 months ago I paid 109$ after tax... now.. its $199!!!! But with the coupon they sent out recently its $119 before tax... gay... no discount for MBCA members(what a waste of money MBCA sucks major azz.. bunch of old farts)

I think the tire is worn because I like to corner... a lot... I have about... 8k on the new wheels

[G-Benz]

Originally Posted by TheDon

...14 months ago I paid 109$ after tax... now.. its $199!!!!

They raised the fee due to the increased fuel costs necessary to operating their gasoline-powered alignment machine!

[TheDon]

pfft.. dealerships suck... MBCA sucks... everything sucks except the pre 1993 cars

[AdvisorGuy]

Not defending dealerships even tho I work for one, but do you think dealerships are immune to increases in costs of doing business that other types of business are not immune to ? Increases in : salaries,insurance, benefits, utilities, franchise fees,EPA fees, disposal fees, free oil, power steering & washer fluid to people who drive in the door that can't top off their own $hit ? free car washes ? etc ?

Just a little breaksdown for ya:
Each car that gets washed costs us $7.00.
Each loaner car costs us roughly $50 per day in lease & maintainence and stolen full size spares, not to mention damages to those cars. Being in ANY business costs money babe.

I'd sit here and defend the pricing structure about as quickly as I'd defend paying my urologist's fees - last visit with no insurance cost me $385.00. Of the 45 minutes I spent at the office, 8 of those minutes were actually with the doctor. That works out to $48 per minute for the doctors time.
When I bought my 83 123 chassis in 2003, deisel was $1.20 per gallon. Now it's $4.00 - 350% in 5 years.... I don't know about you, but my salary sure hasn't gone up 350%....

[pawoSD]

How exactly does it cost $7 to wash a car? I can wash my car at a self serve for $3.50, or at an automatic wash for between $3 and $7 depending how many "frills" I want. If you're operating it yourself there's no way it costs $7 per car.

[AdvisorGuy]

Hand washed... You really think someone who brings in their A8, RS6,RS4 or R8 wants their car "machine-washed" ? Same when I worked for the Benz dealer back in Jersey. All hand washed. Let the guy with the SL63 see his car getting "machine-washed" ... I worked at an Audi dealer in Jersey that had a single-car machine wash and people *****ed about it - we got nailed on CSI surveys because cars weren't "washed properly." They were in the process of removing it and switching over to hand-wash when I left there 2 years ago. While you may not be that petty, the majority of the people I deal with are. When you factor in water, electricity,cleaners,personnel,etc - $7.00 is about average.

[E150GT]

man. I wouldn't work to wash cars all day for only 7 bucks. As far as the dealer prices, I'm sure service is a huge part of their income. I won't pay it, but I don't blame them for trying to make a buck. As for me, I went to a tire shop and they aligned my car for 25 dollars. No appointment needed.

[AdvisorGuy]

Originally Posted by E150GT

man. I wouldn't work to wash cars all day for only 7 bucks. As far as the dealer prices, I'm sure service is a huge part of their income. I won't pay it, but I don't blame them for trying to make a buck. As for me, I went to a tire shop and they aligned my car for 25 dollars. No appointment needed.

You missed it completely... Average cost per car - salary and equipment factored in averages to $7.00 per car. So depending on the workload, we're spending $1500-$2000 per week just washing cars, whether they're cash or warranty services being performed.

[E150GT]

yowsers

[catmandoo62]

hey i even wash my rusty old 92 chevy pickup by hand.car washs just do not remove all the road grime.

[AdvisorGuy]

Most people on this type of forum are car people, or at least mechanically inclined. The stupidity I deal with on a daily basis would astound you. I could write a book. If you were one of my typical customers and you called me about driving your car like a wild man and flat-spotted a tire: "Doesn't my lease cover that ?" would be the response. I could start a whole thread about it. Some of you might get a good laugh.

[tankdriver]

I would never let anyone else wash my (newer) car, let alone some minwage teenager.

I would also never get work done at a dealer if I could help it. Find a good indy for the alignment.

Also, if you're working the corner extra hard, up the psi some.

[Hatterasguy]

I honestly don't know how our local MB dealer can make money charging $100 or whatever they charge per hour. They must have a few million in cars sitting outside, plus the building itself is probably worth $4m. Throw in all the staff who are not $8 kids, those SA, and techs get paid pretty well...the profit margin is probably pretty slim.

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I honestly don't know how our local MB dealer can make money charging $100 or whatever they charge per hour. They must have a few million in cars sitting outside, plus the building itself is probably worth $4m. Throw in all the staff who are not $8 kids, those SA, and techs get paid pretty well...the profit margin is probably pretty slim.

60% of the profit in a dealership comes from service and parts.

[Hatterasguy]

Makes sense, there is a lot of margin on parts.