MORE than expensive - outrageous!
07-31-2003, 04:02 AM
#31
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
I have tried to follow this thread and have yet to read "WHY" a $28. part
retails for $193.
You see, the "parts business" is one of the most lucrative businesses
around. ALL auto parts are subject to the rule of "doubling". The
manufacturer of the part (a Honda subcontractor) charges his normal selling
price plus at least 100% since this is a "spare" part. (This is true of ALL
auto parts suppliers.) Then add another 100% for the factory markup; then
another 100% for the dealer markup.
Therefore $193. /2 /2 /2 = $24.+ which is the price of the part that the
manufacturer paid on the assembly line. The only modifier to this universal
gouging is when some independent manufacturer begins making similar
replacement parts because there's money to be made e.g. brake pads, air/oil
filters, etc. This forces everyone on the gravy train to restructure their
pricing to be competitive.
Obviously, the Honda rotor is not replaced often enough to entice someone to
make their own replacement part. I paid $20.+ for a PCV valve which was no
available at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart had a shelf full of other car makes for
under $5.
Bottom line, it's the way capitalism works, if you need prescription drugs
it's gonna cost you. If you want a infrequently replaced part it's gonna
cost you. If you shoot all of the "gougers" you will be living alone.
"expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
news:300720032225491946%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
> In article <3F289927.86AF51C6@spam.now>, Eric <say.no@spam.now> wrote:
>
> > Had you shopped around, you would have had other choices. The ignitor
can be
> > obtained new from Honda for $150, http://tinyurl.com/il7p. Other
options
> > might
> > have included buying one from a wrecking yard or from someone parting
out
> > their
> > wrecked car. Why, you probably could've picked up an entire used
distributor
> > for one of those units for $20.
>
> It's been several years since I saw an '81 Honda in a wrecking yard.
> They've all been crushed, melted down, and have gone to meet their
> maker (or some other car maker).
>
> I don't have time to shop the Internet for parts when the car is
> broken. Besides, I have a long-term relationship with my mechanic and
> would not think to save $50 off him. It's a pay me now pay me later
> thing, if you know what I mean.
>
> > It is unfortunate that the sales manager laughed. That's no way to
treat
> people
> > who are their bread and butter.
>
> Honda will pay for that. Not in terms of the billions they rake in,
> but in my terms -- one car at a time over the long haul. Obviously the
> guy did not consider me to be a future prospect. He will never know
> it, but I will undo a few sales for him before he ever gets a whiff of
> them. I am reminded of the dealer arrogance of the 1960's when the
> American manufacturers thought they could pawn anything off on the
> public. It's no coincidence that that was the time when I my first
> import and said goodbye to Detroit forever.
retails for $193.
You see, the "parts business" is one of the most lucrative businesses
around. ALL auto parts are subject to the rule of "doubling". The
manufacturer of the part (a Honda subcontractor) charges his normal selling
price plus at least 100% since this is a "spare" part. (This is true of ALL
auto parts suppliers.) Then add another 100% for the factory markup; then
another 100% for the dealer markup.
Therefore $193. /2 /2 /2 = $24.+ which is the price of the part that the
manufacturer paid on the assembly line. The only modifier to this universal
gouging is when some independent manufacturer begins making similar
replacement parts because there's money to be made e.g. brake pads, air/oil
filters, etc. This forces everyone on the gravy train to restructure their
pricing to be competitive.
Obviously, the Honda rotor is not replaced often enough to entice someone to
make their own replacement part. I paid $20.+ for a PCV valve which was no
available at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart had a shelf full of other car makes for
under $5.
Bottom line, it's the way capitalism works, if you need prescription drugs
it's gonna cost you. If you want a infrequently replaced part it's gonna
cost you. If you shoot all of the "gougers" you will be living alone.
"expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
news:300720032225491946%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
> In article <3F289927.86AF51C6@spam.now>, Eric <say.no@spam.now> wrote:
>
> > Had you shopped around, you would have had other choices. The ignitor
can be
> > obtained new from Honda for $150, http://tinyurl.com/il7p. Other
options
> > might
> > have included buying one from a wrecking yard or from someone parting
out
> > their
> > wrecked car. Why, you probably could've picked up an entire used
distributor
> > for one of those units for $20.
>
> It's been several years since I saw an '81 Honda in a wrecking yard.
> They've all been crushed, melted down, and have gone to meet their
> maker (or some other car maker).
>
> I don't have time to shop the Internet for parts when the car is
> broken. Besides, I have a long-term relationship with my mechanic and
> would not think to save $50 off him. It's a pay me now pay me later
> thing, if you know what I mean.
>
> > It is unfortunate that the sales manager laughed. That's no way to
treat
> people
> > who are their bread and butter.
>
> Honda will pay for that. Not in terms of the billions they rake in,
> but in my terms -- one car at a time over the long haul. Obviously the
> guy did not consider me to be a future prospect. He will never know
> it, but I will undo a few sales for him before he ever gets a whiff of
> them. I am reminded of the dealer arrogance of the 1960's when the
> American manufacturers thought they could pawn anything off on the
> public. It's no coincidence that that was the time when I my first
> import and said goodbye to Detroit forever.
07-31-2003, 05:36 AM
#32
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
Falling asleep through expensive's post...
> The igniter really does look like a $19.30
> part.
You are too much. Your ignorace around cars astounds me. Keep thinking
age has nothing to do with it
--
"If you can't change a tire, you're not allowed to have a beard. It's the
most basic part of a car: If you don't know that much about a car, you
really shouldn't be driving, should you?" - Jimmy Kimmel
Dan**** (10:38:51 PM): I have more respect for you than ever before
> The igniter really does look like a $19.30
> part.
You are too much. Your ignorace around cars astounds me. Keep thinking
age has nothing to do with it
--
"If you can't change a tire, you're not allowed to have a beard. It's the
most basic part of a car: If you don't know that much about a car, you
really shouldn't be driving, should you?" - Jimmy Kimmel
Dan**** (10:38:51 PM): I have more respect for you than ever before
07-31-2003, 05:36 AM
#33
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
Falling asleep through expensive's post...
> The igniter really does look like a $19.30
> part.
You are too much. Your ignorace around cars astounds me. Keep thinking
age has nothing to do with it
--
"If you can't change a tire, you're not allowed to have a beard. It's the
most basic part of a car: If you don't know that much about a car, you
really shouldn't be driving, should you?" - Jimmy Kimmel
Dan**** (10:38:51 PM): I have more respect for you than ever before
> The igniter really does look like a $19.30
> part.
You are too much. Your ignorace around cars astounds me. Keep thinking
age has nothing to do with it
--
"If you can't change a tire, you're not allowed to have a beard. It's the
most basic part of a car: If you don't know that much about a car, you
really shouldn't be driving, should you?" - Jimmy Kimmel
Dan**** (10:38:51 PM): I have more respect for you than ever before
07-31-2003, 09:59 AM
#34
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"SusanR" <sam3r@msn.com> wrote in
news:ru2Wa.1065$V_4.47722@eagle.america.net:
> what about a couple having trouble conceiving a baby and going for in
> vitro fertilization? For about a fraction of an ounce of sperm and a
> speck of an egg the couple will pay $15,000 and up.
>
> you can't judge the cost of a part on its weight, that's patently
> ridiculous!
>
> I once had to have the motor mounts replaced on my old Nissan.
>
> They're just a tiny piece of metal sandwiched between two pieces of
> rubber but only available from the dealer. One of them was $93.
>
> its not just the mileage on a car, its also the age.
>
>
> --
> SusanR
> sam3r@msn.com
> "Max" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:BS%Va.6790$dk4.315872@typhoon.sonic.net...
>> This is about the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
>>
>> Putting aside the ignorant ridiculousness of comparing completely
> unrelated
>> items based on weight, consider this:
>>
>> In your apple laptop most of the weight is the battery, LCD, case,
> keyboard
>> etc.
>>
>> Actuall electronics are probably less then 10 ounces, not even, but
>> we'll stick to 10 ounces. Divide 10 by 1.25 you get 8, so divide your
>> 2400 by 8 you get $300. Now you are twice the idiot because Apple
>> clearly ripped you off too. Never buy Apple computers again!!!
>>
>> Then for kicks and gigles ask how much similar part costs for any
>> other make.
>>
>> Looks like you are walking from now on.
>>
>> -M
>>
>>
>>
>> "expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
>> news:300720031914480532%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
>> >
>> > I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>> >
>> > While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda,
>> > which has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a
>> > $100 tow, the Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know
>> > what it was, so it was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>> >
>> > Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>> > sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After
>> > getting home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to
>> > see what was inside. Just a few electronic components not much
>> > unlike the kind I see in computers.
>> >
>> > The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with
>> > my notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces =
>> > 112 ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90.
>> > 90 times $193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>> >
>> > That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>> > expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization,
>> > was $2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems
>> > like a reasonable price for the part.
>> >
>> > So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>> > parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went
>> > into the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part
>> > and the price. He simply laughed.
>> >
>> > There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what
>> > the price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I
>> > retire), Honda is not on my shopping list. And something the
>> > manufacturer does not count on... I will carry that part on my
>> > dashboard as a conversation piece. I should be able to turn a few
>> > people away from Honda with it. It shouldn't make much of a dent in
>> > Honda's sales, but, as everyone knows, the landscape is littered
>> > with the corpses of companies that abused their customers.
>> >
>> > $193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
>>
>>
>
>
People overlook that the parts are manufactured,then
warehoused,inventoried,and taxes paid on them,every year.
Those costs have to be added to the cost of manufacture and the profit
margin.
TANSTAAFL
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
news:ru2Wa.1065$V_4.47722@eagle.america.net:
> what about a couple having trouble conceiving a baby and going for in
> vitro fertilization? For about a fraction of an ounce of sperm and a
> speck of an egg the couple will pay $15,000 and up.
>
> you can't judge the cost of a part on its weight, that's patently
> ridiculous!
>
> I once had to have the motor mounts replaced on my old Nissan.
>
> They're just a tiny piece of metal sandwiched between two pieces of
> rubber but only available from the dealer. One of them was $93.
>
> its not just the mileage on a car, its also the age.
>
>
> --
> SusanR
> sam3r@msn.com
> "Max" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:BS%Va.6790$dk4.315872@typhoon.sonic.net...
>> This is about the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
>>
>> Putting aside the ignorant ridiculousness of comparing completely
> unrelated
>> items based on weight, consider this:
>>
>> In your apple laptop most of the weight is the battery, LCD, case,
> keyboard
>> etc.
>>
>> Actuall electronics are probably less then 10 ounces, not even, but
>> we'll stick to 10 ounces. Divide 10 by 1.25 you get 8, so divide your
>> 2400 by 8 you get $300. Now you are twice the idiot because Apple
>> clearly ripped you off too. Never buy Apple computers again!!!
>>
>> Then for kicks and gigles ask how much similar part costs for any
>> other make.
>>
>> Looks like you are walking from now on.
>>
>> -M
>>
>>
>>
>> "expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
>> news:300720031914480532%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
>> >
>> > I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>> >
>> > While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda,
>> > which has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a
>> > $100 tow, the Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know
>> > what it was, so it was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>> >
>> > Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>> > sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After
>> > getting home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to
>> > see what was inside. Just a few electronic components not much
>> > unlike the kind I see in computers.
>> >
>> > The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with
>> > my notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces =
>> > 112 ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90.
>> > 90 times $193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>> >
>> > That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>> > expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization,
>> > was $2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems
>> > like a reasonable price for the part.
>> >
>> > So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>> > parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went
>> > into the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part
>> > and the price. He simply laughed.
>> >
>> > There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what
>> > the price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I
>> > retire), Honda is not on my shopping list. And something the
>> > manufacturer does not count on... I will carry that part on my
>> > dashboard as a conversation piece. I should be able to turn a few
>> > people away from Honda with it. It shouldn't make much of a dent in
>> > Honda's sales, but, as everyone knows, the landscape is littered
>> > with the corpses of companies that abused their customers.
>> >
>> > $193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
>>
>>
>
>
People overlook that the parts are manufactured,then
warehoused,inventoried,and taxes paid on them,every year.
Those costs have to be added to the cost of manufacture and the profit
margin.
TANSTAAFL
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
07-31-2003, 09:59 AM
#35
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"SusanR" <sam3r@msn.com> wrote in
news:ru2Wa.1065$V_4.47722@eagle.america.net:
> what about a couple having trouble conceiving a baby and going for in
> vitro fertilization? For about a fraction of an ounce of sperm and a
> speck of an egg the couple will pay $15,000 and up.
>
> you can't judge the cost of a part on its weight, that's patently
> ridiculous!
>
> I once had to have the motor mounts replaced on my old Nissan.
>
> They're just a tiny piece of metal sandwiched between two pieces of
> rubber but only available from the dealer. One of them was $93.
>
> its not just the mileage on a car, its also the age.
>
>
> --
> SusanR
> sam3r@msn.com
> "Max" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:BS%Va.6790$dk4.315872@typhoon.sonic.net...
>> This is about the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
>>
>> Putting aside the ignorant ridiculousness of comparing completely
> unrelated
>> items based on weight, consider this:
>>
>> In your apple laptop most of the weight is the battery, LCD, case,
> keyboard
>> etc.
>>
>> Actuall electronics are probably less then 10 ounces, not even, but
>> we'll stick to 10 ounces. Divide 10 by 1.25 you get 8, so divide your
>> 2400 by 8 you get $300. Now you are twice the idiot because Apple
>> clearly ripped you off too. Never buy Apple computers again!!!
>>
>> Then for kicks and gigles ask how much similar part costs for any
>> other make.
>>
>> Looks like you are walking from now on.
>>
>> -M
>>
>>
>>
>> "expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
>> news:300720031914480532%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
>> >
>> > I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>> >
>> > While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda,
>> > which has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a
>> > $100 tow, the Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know
>> > what it was, so it was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>> >
>> > Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>> > sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After
>> > getting home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to
>> > see what was inside. Just a few electronic components not much
>> > unlike the kind I see in computers.
>> >
>> > The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with
>> > my notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces =
>> > 112 ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90.
>> > 90 times $193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>> >
>> > That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>> > expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization,
>> > was $2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems
>> > like a reasonable price for the part.
>> >
>> > So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>> > parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went
>> > into the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part
>> > and the price. He simply laughed.
>> >
>> > There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what
>> > the price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I
>> > retire), Honda is not on my shopping list. And something the
>> > manufacturer does not count on... I will carry that part on my
>> > dashboard as a conversation piece. I should be able to turn a few
>> > people away from Honda with it. It shouldn't make much of a dent in
>> > Honda's sales, but, as everyone knows, the landscape is littered
>> > with the corpses of companies that abused their customers.
>> >
>> > $193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
>>
>>
>
>
People overlook that the parts are manufactured,then
warehoused,inventoried,and taxes paid on them,every year.
Those costs have to be added to the cost of manufacture and the profit
margin.
TANSTAAFL
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
news:ru2Wa.1065$V_4.47722@eagle.america.net:
> what about a couple having trouble conceiving a baby and going for in
> vitro fertilization? For about a fraction of an ounce of sperm and a
> speck of an egg the couple will pay $15,000 and up.
>
> you can't judge the cost of a part on its weight, that's patently
> ridiculous!
>
> I once had to have the motor mounts replaced on my old Nissan.
>
> They're just a tiny piece of metal sandwiched between two pieces of
> rubber but only available from the dealer. One of them was $93.
>
> its not just the mileage on a car, its also the age.
>
>
> --
> SusanR
> sam3r@msn.com
> "Max" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:BS%Va.6790$dk4.315872@typhoon.sonic.net...
>> This is about the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
>>
>> Putting aside the ignorant ridiculousness of comparing completely
> unrelated
>> items based on weight, consider this:
>>
>> In your apple laptop most of the weight is the battery, LCD, case,
> keyboard
>> etc.
>>
>> Actuall electronics are probably less then 10 ounces, not even, but
>> we'll stick to 10 ounces. Divide 10 by 1.25 you get 8, so divide your
>> 2400 by 8 you get $300. Now you are twice the idiot because Apple
>> clearly ripped you off too. Never buy Apple computers again!!!
>>
>> Then for kicks and gigles ask how much similar part costs for any
>> other make.
>>
>> Looks like you are walking from now on.
>>
>> -M
>>
>>
>>
>> "expensive" <common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote in message
>> news:300720031914480532%common_sense@emodgnik.com. ..
>> >
>> > I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>> >
>> > While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda,
>> > which has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a
>> > $100 tow, the Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know
>> > what it was, so it was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>> >
>> > Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>> > sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After
>> > getting home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to
>> > see what was inside. Just a few electronic components not much
>> > unlike the kind I see in computers.
>> >
>> > The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with
>> > my notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces =
>> > 112 ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90.
>> > 90 times $193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>> >
>> > That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>> > expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization,
>> > was $2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems
>> > like a reasonable price for the part.
>> >
>> > So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>> > parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went
>> > into the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part
>> > and the price. He simply laughed.
>> >
>> > There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what
>> > the price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I
>> > retire), Honda is not on my shopping list. And something the
>> > manufacturer does not count on... I will carry that part on my
>> > dashboard as a conversation piece. I should be able to turn a few
>> > people away from Honda with it. It shouldn't make much of a dent in
>> > Honda's sales, but, as everyone knows, the landscape is littered
>> > with the corpses of companies that abused their customers.
>> >
>> > $193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
>>
>>
>
>
People overlook that the parts are manufactured,then
warehoused,inventoried,and taxes paid on them,every year.
Those costs have to be added to the cost of manufacture and the profit
margin.
TANSTAAFL
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
07-31-2003, 10:05 AM
#36
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco_@_interbaun.com> wrote in
news:3F28B236.3E25B55C@_interbaun.com:
> expensive wrote:
>>
>> In article <bo1Wa.14905$2l1.1386@news02.roc.ny>, Dave M.
>> <gadget@frontiernet.net> wrote:
>>
>> > That part should not ever fail for the life of the car, but you
>> > should tally the cost of maintanence to this point. My gripe would
>> > be the reliability failure. Your not supposed to get stuck in a
>> > Honda.
>>
>> I'm neither happy nor unhappy with the cost of maintenance so far.
>> It's always sapping but not killing me, sort of like a tapeworm.
>> I've had to purchase expensive parts before, but I've never felt
>> truly ripped off like I do this time. These are hard times for me.
>> $193 for a $27 part and embarrassing treatment by the sales manager
>> was just a bit much for me to bear. I think I got drilled pretty
>> good by Honda, and it's going to take a long time to get over it.
>
> ------------------------------
> That guy's response sould be rewarded with a 21 gun salute, with
> blindfold, at dawn. But I think it's a credit that you were able to
> even GET the part you needed in a timely fashion, for a car of that
> age. I'm not saying that your car is THAT old, just that lots of car
> makers wouldn't have been able to come up with that part at all. I
> agree it is awfully expensive, though. 'Curly'
>
> ------------------------------
A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
news:3F28B236.3E25B55C@_interbaun.com:
> expensive wrote:
>>
>> In article <bo1Wa.14905$2l1.1386@news02.roc.ny>, Dave M.
>> <gadget@frontiernet.net> wrote:
>>
>> > That part should not ever fail for the life of the car, but you
>> > should tally the cost of maintanence to this point. My gripe would
>> > be the reliability failure. Your not supposed to get stuck in a
>> > Honda.
>>
>> I'm neither happy nor unhappy with the cost of maintenance so far.
>> It's always sapping but not killing me, sort of like a tapeworm.
>> I've had to purchase expensive parts before, but I've never felt
>> truly ripped off like I do this time. These are hard times for me.
>> $193 for a $27 part and embarrassing treatment by the sales manager
>> was just a bit much for me to bear. I think I got drilled pretty
>> good by Honda, and it's going to take a long time to get over it.
>
> ------------------------------
> That guy's response sould be rewarded with a 21 gun salute, with
> blindfold, at dawn. But I think it's a credit that you were able to
> even GET the part you needed in a timely fashion, for a car of that
> age. I'm not saying that your car is THAT old, just that lots of car
> makers wouldn't have been able to come up with that part at all. I
> agree it is awfully expensive, though. 'Curly'
>
> ------------------------------
A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
07-31-2003, 10:05 AM
#37
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"'Curly Q. Links'" <motsco_@_interbaun.com> wrote in
news:3F28B236.3E25B55C@_interbaun.com:
> expensive wrote:
>>
>> In article <bo1Wa.14905$2l1.1386@news02.roc.ny>, Dave M.
>> <gadget@frontiernet.net> wrote:
>>
>> > That part should not ever fail for the life of the car, but you
>> > should tally the cost of maintanence to this point. My gripe would
>> > be the reliability failure. Your not supposed to get stuck in a
>> > Honda.
>>
>> I'm neither happy nor unhappy with the cost of maintenance so far.
>> It's always sapping but not killing me, sort of like a tapeworm.
>> I've had to purchase expensive parts before, but I've never felt
>> truly ripped off like I do this time. These are hard times for me.
>> $193 for a $27 part and embarrassing treatment by the sales manager
>> was just a bit much for me to bear. I think I got drilled pretty
>> good by Honda, and it's going to take a long time to get over it.
>
> ------------------------------
> That guy's response sould be rewarded with a 21 gun salute, with
> blindfold, at dawn. But I think it's a credit that you were able to
> even GET the part you needed in a timely fashion, for a car of that
> age. I'm not saying that your car is THAT old, just that lots of car
> makers wouldn't have been able to come up with that part at all. I
> agree it is awfully expensive, though. 'Curly'
>
> ------------------------------
A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
news:3F28B236.3E25B55C@_interbaun.com:
> expensive wrote:
>>
>> In article <bo1Wa.14905$2l1.1386@news02.roc.ny>, Dave M.
>> <gadget@frontiernet.net> wrote:
>>
>> > That part should not ever fail for the life of the car, but you
>> > should tally the cost of maintanence to this point. My gripe would
>> > be the reliability failure. Your not supposed to get stuck in a
>> > Honda.
>>
>> I'm neither happy nor unhappy with the cost of maintenance so far.
>> It's always sapping but not killing me, sort of like a tapeworm.
>> I've had to purchase expensive parts before, but I've never felt
>> truly ripped off like I do this time. These are hard times for me.
>> $193 for a $27 part and embarrassing treatment by the sales manager
>> was just a bit much for me to bear. I think I got drilled pretty
>> good by Honda, and it's going to take a long time to get over it.
>
> ------------------------------
> That guy's response sould be rewarded with a 21 gun salute, with
> blindfold, at dawn. But I think it's a credit that you were able to
> even GET the part you needed in a timely fashion, for a car of that
> age. I'm not saying that your car is THAT old, just that lots of car
> makers wouldn't have been able to come up with that part at all. I
> agree it is awfully expensive, though. 'Curly'
>
> ------------------------------
A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
--
Jim Yanik,NRA member
remove null to contact me
07-31-2003, 10:11 AM
#38
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
Electronics pricing by weight? That's about the best laugh I've had in
a long time.
Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
a long time.
Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
07-31-2003, 10:11 AM
#39
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
Electronics pricing by weight? That's about the best laugh I've had in
a long time.
Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
a long time.
Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
07-31-2003, 10:23 AM
#40
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>
>While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda, which
>has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a $100 tow, the
>Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know what it was, so it
>was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>
>Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After getting
>home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to see what
>was inside. Just a few electronic components not much unlike the kind
>I see in computers.
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
>So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went into
>the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part and the
>price. He simply laughed.
>
>There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what the
>price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I retire), Honda
>is not on my shopping list. And something the manufacturer does not
>count on... I will carry that part on my dashboard as a conversation
>piece. I should be able to turn a few people away from Honda with it.
>It shouldn't make much of a dent in Honda's sales, but, as everyone
>knows, the landscape is littered with the corpses of companies that
>abused their customers.
>
>$193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
This whole doller per unit of weight thing has got to go... A
pentium 4 3.2 Ghz costs about $600. It weight about 500 grams. Thats
$120 / gram. Convert to ounces youself. maybe you should buy a
Buick? I know you gave up Detriot long ago, but you said you're near
retirement age... i doubt you'll live long enough to see that car
start to fail and blow up.
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>
>While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda, which
>has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a $100 tow, the
>Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know what it was, so it
>was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>
>Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After getting
>home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to see what
>was inside. Just a few electronic components not much unlike the kind
>I see in computers.
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
>So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went into
>the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part and the
>price. He simply laughed.
>
>There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what the
>price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I retire), Honda
>is not on my shopping list. And something the manufacturer does not
>count on... I will carry that part on my dashboard as a conversation
>piece. I should be able to turn a few people away from Honda with it.
>It shouldn't make much of a dent in Honda's sales, but, as everyone
>knows, the landscape is littered with the corpses of companies that
>abused their customers.
>
>$193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
This whole doller per unit of weight thing has got to go... A
pentium 4 3.2 Ghz costs about $600. It weight about 500 grams. Thats
$120 / gram. Convert to ounces youself. maybe you should buy a
Buick? I know you gave up Detriot long ago, but you said you're near
retirement age... i doubt you'll live long enough to see that car
start to fail and blow up.
07-31-2003, 10:23 AM
#41
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 02:12:06 GMT, expensive
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>
>While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda, which
>has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a $100 tow, the
>Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know what it was, so it
>was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>
>Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After getting
>home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to see what
>was inside. Just a few electronic components not much unlike the kind
>I see in computers.
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
>So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went into
>the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part and the
>price. He simply laughed.
>
>There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what the
>price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I retire), Honda
>is not on my shopping list. And something the manufacturer does not
>count on... I will carry that part on my dashboard as a conversation
>piece. I should be able to turn a few people away from Honda with it.
>It shouldn't make much of a dent in Honda's sales, but, as everyone
>knows, the landscape is littered with the corpses of companies that
>abused their customers.
>
>$193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
This whole doller per unit of weight thing has got to go... A
pentium 4 3.2 Ghz costs about $600. It weight about 500 grams. Thats
$120 / gram. Convert to ounces youself. maybe you should buy a
Buick? I know you gave up Detriot long ago, but you said you're near
retirement age... i doubt you'll live long enough to see that car
start to fail and blow up.
<common_sense@emodgnik.com> wrote:
>
>I'm very angry. And for good cause.
>
>While zooming along the freeway in my '81 Honda (my second Honda, which
>has 109,000 miles on it), I suddenly lost power. After a $100 tow, the
>Honda mechanic replaced the igniter. I didn't know what it was, so it
>was explained to me that it replaces the points.
>
>Okay, so the repair bill was $193 for just the part! It's a little
>sucka that ain't much bigger than your average rotor. After getting
>home, I took the old igniter and pulled off a little cap to see what
>was inside. Just a few electronic components not much unlike the kind
>I see in computers.
>
>The whole gizmo with the cap on weighs 1.25 ounces. Comparing with my
>notebook computer at 7 pounds, that's 7 pounds times 16 ounces = 112
>ounces; divided by 1.25 ounces I get a factor of close to 90. 90 times
>$193 comes to approximately $17,000.
>
>That's pretty astounding. And I thought Apple computers were
>expensive! Listen, my Apple notebook, a marvel of miniaturization, was
>$2,400. Dividing $2,400 by 90 I get about $27, which seems like a
>reasonable price for the part.
>
>So how does Honda figure they can both sell outrageously expensive
>parts like this while, at the same time, keep customers? I went into
>the sales room and confronted the sales manager with the part and the
>price. He simply laughed.
>
>There is no way I will ever buy another Honda. I don't care what the
>price is for parts for the next car (my last car, when I retire), Honda
>is not on my shopping list. And something the manufacturer does not
>count on... I will carry that part on my dashboard as a conversation
>piece. I should be able to turn a few people away from Honda with it.
>It shouldn't make much of a dent in Honda's sales, but, as everyone
>knows, the landscape is littered with the corpses of companies that
>abused their customers.
>
>$193 for a $27 part, indeed! That's abusive!
This whole doller per unit of weight thing has got to go... A
pentium 4 3.2 Ghz costs about $600. It weight about 500 grams. Thats
$120 / gram. Convert to ounces youself. maybe you should buy a
Buick? I know you gave up Detriot long ago, but you said you're near
retirement age... i doubt you'll live long enough to see that car
start to fail and blow up.
07-31-2003, 11:43 AM
#42
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"TL" <tlehman@visi.com> wrote in message
news:7n8iivktl42tp9o19l6mphfl78c8ifj9ij@4ax.com...
> Electronics pricing by weight? That's about the best laugh I've had in
> a long time.
>
> Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
With or without the driver and passengers? LOL!
--
Brian
www.accesswave.ca/~orion
07-31-2003, 11:43 AM
#43
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
"TL" <tlehman@visi.com> wrote in message
news:7n8iivktl42tp9o19l6mphfl78c8ifj9ij@4ax.com...
> Electronics pricing by weight? That's about the best laugh I've had in
> a long time.
>
> Why not just weigh the whole car and do the math that way. LOL
With or without the driver and passengers? LOL!
--
Brian
www.accesswave.ca/~orion
07-31-2003, 11:49 AM
#44
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
|> ------------------------------
|
|A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
|their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
|period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
|time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
|ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
|Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
|time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
This is the norm in the aftermarket these days, but for different reasons. As
parts decline in popularity it becomes more expensive to keep them on the shelf.
To pay for that, almost all parts stores us "velocity pricing", which gives the
most popular parts the least markup, and the slowest parts get the greatest
markup.
Here's a typical velocity pricing scheme for parts rated 1 - 7, with 1 being the
most popular. The basis is the manufacturer's suggested resale price:
Code 1 - 10% discount
Code 2 - 2% discount
Code 3 - straight price
Code 4 - add 5%
Code 5 - add 7%
Code 6 - add 10%
Code 7 - add 15%
This can happen at all three levels - manufacturer, distributor, and retail
store - which can add up to some staggering differentials in the price of
apparently similar parts. We watch for these and try to adjust.
Because one store's dog is another's hot item, it pays to compare prices.
Sometimes the best deal is the local Mom & Pop independent, because they don't
have the guile or the technology to play the pricing games. Also, you can
often get a better price on a part for a special-interest car from a speciaist,
because their hot numbers are dogs at the chain stores.
So, the more oddball or expensive the part, the more it pays to shop.
Most stores have a separate pricing scheme for the pros. Usually they have
little or no velocity pricing. If you buy a lot of parts, it may pay to trade
with a single store if you can get on their "dealer" price model. You might
occasionally pay a little more, but on average you will be better off and won't
have to spend a lot of time shopping. Deal with the manager, and expect to be a
good customer to them in every way. Give them complete ordering information,
don't abuse them on returns & warrantees.
If you buy a lot of parts,
07-31-2003, 11:49 AM
#45
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: MORE than expensive - outrageous!
|> ------------------------------
|
|A company I used to work for would yearly INCREASE the price of parts for
|their products as they neared the end of their 'long-term product support
|period'.They explained this as their way of letting the customer know it's
|time to buy a new unit.After the long-term product support period
|ended,parts for that item were discarded,and made 'no longer available'.
|Most consumer products have NO guarantee of parts support for any length of
|time,especially not after 22 years after last manufacture of the product.
This is the norm in the aftermarket these days, but for different reasons. As
parts decline in popularity it becomes more expensive to keep them on the shelf.
To pay for that, almost all parts stores us "velocity pricing", which gives the
most popular parts the least markup, and the slowest parts get the greatest
markup.
Here's a typical velocity pricing scheme for parts rated 1 - 7, with 1 being the
most popular. The basis is the manufacturer's suggested resale price:
Code 1 - 10% discount
Code 2 - 2% discount
Code 3 - straight price
Code 4 - add 5%
Code 5 - add 7%
Code 6 - add 10%
Code 7 - add 15%
This can happen at all three levels - manufacturer, distributor, and retail
store - which can add up to some staggering differentials in the price of
apparently similar parts. We watch for these and try to adjust.
Because one store's dog is another's hot item, it pays to compare prices.
Sometimes the best deal is the local Mom & Pop independent, because they don't
have the guile or the technology to play the pricing games. Also, you can
often get a better price on a part for a special-interest car from a speciaist,
because their hot numbers are dogs at the chain stores.
So, the more oddball or expensive the part, the more it pays to shop.
Most stores have a separate pricing scheme for the pros. Usually they have
little or no velocity pricing. If you buy a lot of parts, it may pay to trade
with a single store if you can get on their "dealer" price model. You might
occasionally pay a little more, but on average you will be better off and won't
have to spend a lot of time shopping. Deal with the manager, and expect to be a
good customer to them in every way. Give them complete ordering information,
don't abuse them on returns & warrantees.
If you buy a lot of parts,