What is it with dealer pricing?

[godfried]

Had a small loss of coolant. Turned out to be the radiator leaking. Dealer quoted almost £450 for a replacement. Had it done at my local indy, who fitted a new one for £170.
I know it is not the OEM part but if that failed in the first place why on earth would I replace it with the same crap unit?

[zollaf]

how old is the rad. is it the original to the car. bear in mind a genuine vag part will come with a 2 year parts and labour warranty.

[patomlin76]

Been there, done that.

My best experience with a dealer was the "It'll cost you £500 for parts and fitting of a new passenger air-bag, sir"...

when all the problem was, as highlighted by my independent VW specialist, a loose connection under the passenger seat. Fixed and cleared fault for FREE.

Now if you're not savvy about these things, or just not interested in cars, that would have been £500 down the drain.

[Crasher]

What is it with dealer pricing?

Have you any idea how much those glass palaces cost to run? One single diagnostic machine alone costs £6K and a fortune each year for the software. I think the £100 ish they charge per hour is far better value for money than the £623 I paid out yesterday for two emergency X rays and overnight care on my workshop cat at the PDSA and the £77 I paid later for a 10 minute consultation with the normal vet, takes the ****!

[gireada2005]

OK , so they charge 100 quid an hour to do the job,so why vw dealers but different locations vary in prices.Done my cam belt for 399 incl water pump after a lot of phone calls that they quote me 500,525,and even 599,for the same job.That is something i don't understand.

[zollaf]

a franchised main dealer can charge what they want, so it does vary across the country. different dealers will have special offers on to try to get trade. they, as well as everyone else is being affected by this recession, some more than others.

[Crasher]

Overheads vary across the country. It costs much more to run an Audi dealership in London than it does in Nottingham. Why is it OK for other things to vary like this and not Audi dealers?

[Eshrules]

what warranty has the indy garage offered with their radiator?

the cost of offering extended warranties with parts alone (most of the time) is worth the extra price of a job

[Stuart W2]

Have you any idea how much those glass palaces cost to run? One single diagnostic machine alone costs £6K and a fortune each year for the software. I think the £100 ish they charge per hour is far better value for money than the £623 I paid out yesterday for two emergency X rays and overnight care on my workshop cat at the PDSA and the £77 I paid later for a 10 minute consultation with the normal vet, takes the ****!

So that would make your workshop overheads even more expensive than a franchised dealer then Crasher? ;)

[STEWY L]

hope the cat, he or she, pulls through,
it speaks volumes when you are prepared to go to those extremes,
fingers crossed at this end,
regards,
stewy.

[Crasher]

So that would make your workshop overheads even more expensive than a franchised dealer then Crasher? ;)

Not quite but my overheads are terrifying, over £12K a year for insurance alone makes me weep. I take home less than a time served VAG master tec half my age but I love my job and my business. The wife supports me and the cats!

[Stuart W2]

Not quite but my overheads are terrifying, over £12K a year for insurance alone makes me weep. I take home less than a time served VAG master tec half my age but I love my job and my business. The wife supports me and the cats!

Well I hope the cat's OK, especially after those horrific bills, but unfortunately I doubt if the taxman will allow the vets' bills as a tax-deductible workshop expense, but you never know :D

[zollaf]

unless the workshop has a rat problem, then the cat would be tax deductable. :) hope the cats ok.

[Crasher]

I came in on Sunday afternoon to feed him as no one had been in but I could not find him and he always shows up, tail curled over his back saying hello. I could not find him and was about to give up when I heard a squeak but I could not find him to start with. I looked down the side of the building and I could see him lying on a bank on his side and he was struggling to get to me, dragging is bottom along and obviously in great pain. I scooped him up and put him in his basket and rushed him off to the out of hours emergency Vets to Pets place that is in with the PDSA. The quoted me £500 ish to look at him and do some x rays which showed he had a broken pelvis, probably after being knocked over by a car, the bill came to £623 when I picked him up at 7am the next morning, good work if you can get it especially in a cheap to run location.. He is now in a cage in my spare room where he will have to stay for six weeks and I am trying to convince Mrs Crasher to allow him to stay at home permanently if the other two much older cats will accept him.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd20/Crasher1964/Freelandercat.jpg

[vwolf]

God bless you and him. Hope he pulls through.

[zollaf]

you big softy crasher. :)
i have a handlight just the same as yours, bet youv'e lost it no end of times. i need to paint mine bright orange. funnily enough i was at my local mot station and they had one that was bright orange. i said what a good idea, bet you never loose it, to which he explained it belongs to huw and they found it under an mot he had dropped off.
mine went missing for 3 months, found it under a car that lives most of the time in london.

[DSG4ME]

Your care of those animals and other things in your profile speaks volumes as to the sort of fella you are Crasher,

Keep up the good work :approve:

[Crasher]

i have a handlight just the same as yours, bet youv'e lost it no end of times

That was my third! I have given up and gone back to a lead light, but a mega bright 3xLED one that does not get red hot like the old ones.

[zollaf]

think i am heading the same way. :)