Dealer part prices going up... or just for me?

Except for oil filters and other common consumables, I've had good luck
over the years buying parts from Saturn dealers. But yesterday I got
a new tensioner assembly for my 92 SL1 and was shocked at what they
wanted: $141. A couple months before, I'd done the idler pully, and that
was $40... plus $30 for a new serpentine belt. I griped a little at the time,
as the prices seemed out of whack for what were simple little maintenance
items, but bit the bullet and bought them anyway.

Are these truly typical prices, or is my particular Saturn dealer (Saturn
of Gaithersburg) starting to gouge long-time parts customers?

Tim.

 

"Dealer part prices going up"

Going up? They've always been up. I seldom ever buy from a dealership.
Their markup is crazy.

 

I don't mind paying maybe 20 or 30% more, especially if it's not a generic
Delco/GM part that fits 100 different models and is already on the shelves
of every local parts store. (Like the alternator, for example, I bought
that from a rebuild shop because I knew it was the same alternator that
Saturn sold for 30% less). Nothing sucks like tearing your car apart and
then finding that the part you bought doesn't fit, and that's one of the
reasons I bought these parts at the dealer. Not having to wait a week
for the NAPA place to order it and get it is another reason.

But... up until a few months ago it was just 20 or 30% more. Now it's
more like 300% more. I compare the prices I paid last month to the prices
that I paid 4 years ago, at the same dealership for the same parts,
and they've all more than doubled, some have tripled.

I know, in the end it's my fault for paying those prices. Maybe I'm just
looking to comiserate with other who are in the same boat . Or hear
that it's official Saturn policy to jack up prices by a factor of 3 on
parts for their older models. Or that no, it's just my dealership. Maybe
I'm a conspiracy theorist

Tim.

 

No, Tim ...it's not just Gaithersburg...
Here in KC the dealerships just recently jacked the prices on a number of
items and accessories...it happened in April. The reason I know is because I
deal with several dealerships nationwide, and watched them all start raising
prices on items that month. Some parts went up ridiculously (a few almost
doubled in price...)

In my previous Saturn I got an alternator from the dealership - rebuilt -
and warranted for 3 years. $300 - they installed it. As you can guess,
almost to the day, 3 years later - it failed. So I went to a friend at
AutoZone, he got me a brand new alternator for $86 with trade-in core and a
LIFETIME warranty. I bought a Chilton's manual, put it in myself, and it ran
stronger, longer and better than the rebuild. It was still with the car when
I traded it, and still going strong...

As far as the accessory/serpentine belt goes, that is one I would pay for
the OEM for. I bought an aftermarket, and it whined a bit on startup - even
with tension adjustments and dressing. The pattern on the belt was not
precisely the same...perhaps this was a factor. I guess it is a matter of
certain preferences. Some things are worth the extra, and others I would go
aftermarket. The spin-on tranny filters are a definite Saturn only part
IMHO, because many others I got leaked (but the Fram is not bad - just
harder for me to find...)

 

It's satisfying to do work on one's own car. You save money and learn
invaluable skills for future repairs. Sure, a pro mechanic can do the job
quicker but a shadetree has all weekend to do the job and is in no hurry.
Plus, I like to get my money's worth out of the $400 worth of Craftsman
sockets/wrenches/drivers I own. I kinda feel sorry for the people who live
in apt's and can't wrench on their rides in the parking lot, so they end up
in the Autozone parking lot trying to swap out a starter. I should open a
"Christine" (stephen king film) style Darnell's Garage and rent out bays.
But I'd be a bit nicer than 'ol Darnell: "That Plymouth Fury is a turd,
son."