Being ripped off by dealers

[Ordinary Person]

I own a few tractors but my New Holland, ancient TC48DA, burnt out its starter motor... or, more accurately, I over-cooked things.

Two things are relevant here... 1. I had issues about 3 years ago & "determined" the starter was at fault, bought a new one but kept the old, for no particular reason.

2. Today, with a definitely burnt out starter, I looked for a replacement & on eBay it's $108 & a few cents.... from New Holland dealer it's $542 & a few cents, but, being a scrooge & having the old starter available, I installed it just for fun... & it cranked the engine!!! So it wasn't the problem back then & I couldn't prove it.

Back then 3 years ago... New Holland wanted a ton of cash for a replacement & it cost me $80 on eBay. I've just checked my buying history.

I don't want to sit & preach to anyone but buying from main dealers is a complete rip-off. Just beware & think before you buy.

 

[grsthegreat]

All depends. Some of the starters i tried to purchase on ebay never laster a year. All some kind of chinese knockoff. With all the effort to replace starter, id rather purchase an OEM unit.

i also tried purchasing a brand new Norelco replacement head for my electric shaver. Looked exactly like original, even packaging looked the same as at drug store. Cost 25% of the store cost. It quite literally pulled the hairs out of my face. Returned to amazon, purchased a store bought one, and the unit was like new. Ive come to the conclusion that most stuff on ebay and amazon are ripped off Chinese copies.

 

[Eagle1]

Not really the dealer completely. Normal for most OEM:
Engineering - specs part.
Purchasing buys part from someone at $x. Sell part to factory at $x + profit lets say $2x
Machine is built and factory sells spare parts to dealer at $2x + profit lets day $4x
Dealer sells part to customer at $4x + profit somewhere $5x to $8x
Pretty much how everyone does it.
Now the cheap ones often figure out the original supplier and buy at their price $x then sell it $2x or $3x and you get a bargain. If you can buy from the supplier you can get it for close to $x.

BTW the dealer mostly incurs the highest cost and lowest profit margin along that chain.

I know some small engine shops that buy from ebay and amazon and charge based on the OEM prices. Increases their profit from 50% to 400% easy.

 

[sea2summit]

Rape is a pretty strong word. For one they have to pay a guy more than $15/hr to do the job. They have admin folks setting up the schedule with you, making sure the parts are available, and billing also probably more than $15/hr. They have a facility cost to store the parts, tools, equipment, shelter the maintenance area, and land for all of that probably not in an inexpensive part of the area probably valued in the millions of dollars. They have to pay taxes on the property and facilities. They have utilities costs for that huge structure, just multiply your utilities bill by 20 and that’s probably close. Insurance….don’t even get me started.

If you can get that part, have knowledge, time, and tools yes you can absolutely do it cheaper. Those folks probably aren’t making a ton of money off one repair, they need lots of volume to cover costs.

 

[seville009]

With the internet though, it’s pretty easy to search the part and find prices. Most dealers, in my experience, are not yoo far off from the lowest price i find on the internet.

I buy stuff on Amazon (general household supplies, etc) and it’s amazing how much of a difference in pricing there is for the same item. I don’t know jow many people actually buy the higher priced listed items.

Buyer beware…..,

 

[5030]

Never replaced a starter or alternator. I get them rebuilt. Most of that stuff today is Chineseum anyway.

 

[JasperFrank]

Since we get everything from China now, I can't get a good replacement part. A new alternator I got two years ago, has failed. That's $80 I will never get back, or the 2 hours it took to replace it. Supply chains don't care. The original, Japanese made alternator lasted 27 years. This is the future...

 

[5030]

Japanese made (Denso) is good stuff...if you can find it. Actually, some of the Chineseum stuff is good so long as they have oversight in production. No over sight means Amazon junk.

Good example are the pair of fuel polishing units I bought for my M9's. I could have bought genuine Raco for a hundred bucks a toss or a Chinese knock off for 30 bucks. Bought the Chinese knockoff but used genuine Raco spin on filters. The Chinese knock off base is identical in every way to the Raco. Work flawlessly and no way can you tell the difference. The Chinese are good at copying stuff but like I said, no oversight equals junk.

 

[claggstractors]

Since we get everything from China now, I can't get a good replacement part. A new alternator I got two years ago, has failed. That's $80 I will never get back, or the 2 hours it took to replace it. Supply chains don't care. The original, Japanese made alternator lasted 27 years. This is the future...

and this future sucks to be honest. Sometimes I spend an hour or two just searching out good quality bearings to rebuild stuff with instead of replacing it with Chinese junk.

 

[5030]

and this future sucks to be honest. Sometimes I spend an hour or two just searching out good quality bearings to rebuild stuff with instead of replacing it with Chinese junk.

I get all my replacement bearings from Detroit Bearing. They carry Timken as well as the FAG lines among others.

 

[Raul-02]

New Holland dealer it's $542 & a few cents,

Back when I was in manufacturing every nickel we spent at factory resulted in $0.25 at retail.
Womens shoes are marked up 450%
Most retailers say they mark up 50% but that's marketing speak for 100% because they are looking backwards.

 

[crashz]

Amazon is very convenient for the consumer but nearly everything I get is name brand and nearly store cost. But no parts anymore. Ordering parts through Amazon and Rock Auto has been a nightmare to me. Even Autozone parts are higher quality.

I buy parts in the following order:
- If I need it to fix a front line piece (my trucks, tractor, wife's car), dealer first then maybe NAPA.
- My daily driver POS - Autozone or other box store stuff.

I have literally received no-name parts in name brand boxes from Amazon. Name branded parts from Rock Auto that failed within a few months (Moog ball joints, KTM Struts, etc.). Done ordering parts from either of those two. I'll scrounge boneyards first.

'Nother thing: Dealer pricing seems hit or miss. Maintenance items, especially filters, are usually very reasonable. And WAY better quality. All depends.

 

[rScotty]

Never replaced a starter or alternator. I get them rebuilt. Most of that stuff today is Chineseum anyway.

I keep my old starters and alternators going by rebuilding them as necessary. It's hard to get more than $50 into a "good as new" type rebuild unless it has been deliberately cooked.

First step is that same as anything .... taking one apart and figuring out what all the parts did.
rScotty

 

[m1garand762]

Some dealers are out for your money. My local kubota dealer is a crook I drive past home an hour to go to the next closest dealer and save approximately 30 percent. My local car dealer on the other hand is fair to me on parts. Go figure

 

[buckeyefarmer]

i also tried purchasing a brand new Norelco replacement head for my electric shaver. Looked exactly like original, even packaging looked the same as at drug store..

Lol, I just bought some. Didn’t come in norelco box like the last time. Definitely clones. I haven’t tried them yet.

 

[ruffdog]

Some retailers are now selling counterfeit parts with labeling that mimics factory parts. If it is cheap, it probably is cheap. One example is Bobcat fuel filters.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

To reiterate what has been said often:

Shop the dealer! Some are total crooks, some have good service departments, some are terrible​

Caveat Emptor--fancy Latin for "Let the buyer beware"​

Sometimes a rebuild, from a decent shop, is the best bet for both time and economy​

You get what you pay for; if it's too good to be true, it's not all that good.​

 

[HayFarmer]

I have bought two starters from DB Electrical in the past ~15 years. The first is still going strong. The second, on the second use, had the solenoid fry shut and the starter smoked before I could get the battery disconnected. They sent me a new one. Fortunately I could use the other tractor while they sent me a new one. Also, the old '70 and '80s Fords are easier to change starters than some of the new tractors.

I do buy many OEM parts from Messick's. Better than dealers near me, in service and available parts, but price about the same.

 

[Loaderman22]

I bought bearings from Napa. They were special order and the box clearly says "Made in Japan" on the outside. Multiple places... I open the box and the bearing has "Made in China" engraved in the race. So Japanese boxes to transport Chinese bearings?

 

[grsthegreat]

The box is made in japan..
or the napa label was.