Service before Warranty ends - Main Dealer vs Independent

[Tuercas viejas]

I can understand why some businesses will refuse to fit parts supplied by the customer, it's a commercial decision for each business to make, but it's far from being the norm in the UK.

In such unusual cases we apply a corkage fee of 15% of the value of the supplied parts and a signed waiver of lability is signed by the customer.
(Does the NHS accept patients' medical supplies ?)
Tuercas viejas

 

[markjay]

In such unusual cases we apply a corkage fee of 15% of the value of the supplied parts and a signed waiver of lability is signed by the customer.
(Does the NHS accept patients' medical supplies ?)
Tuercas viejas

You have absolutely the right to manage your business whichever way you see fit. I was merely stating my own experience in the UK.

As for the NHS... I think you'll find that the issues behind inpatients supplying their own medications while in NHS hospitals are very very different to those of garages who refuse to fit customer-supplied parts...............

 

[markjay]

Yes they do !
The US is a very litigious society.
Several landmark cases have come before the courts in California where the plaintiff being the supplier of "customer parts" that subsequently failed, and the shop (the defendant) was sued for negligence.
The usual judge's comment or judgement "Is that it happened on your watch and you as a professional in the industry should have rejected the parts in question as an informed professional engaged in the business of repairing automobiles"! bang!
Down comes the gavel !

Unlike the UK , Independent shops can subscribe to industry watch dog newsletters monthly & who also conduct trade seminars in place like Glendale (So Cal) where such trends in the industry are aired with trade professional speakers on such things as methods of staying out of courts amongst other trade trend topics.
Tuercas viejas

Again, I am not criticising your commercial and business decisions. All I did was point-out that my experience in the UK is that garages over here will generally be willing to fit customer-supplied parts.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

You have absolutely the right to manage your business whichever way you see fit. I was merely stating my own experience in the UK.

As for the NHS... I think you'll find that the issues behind inpatients supplying their own medications while in NHS hospitals are very very different to those of garages who refuse to fit customer-supplied parts...............

I flung the NHS bit it in as a side bar !
The NHS is generally a none pay service at point of delivery.
The crappy patchy US health care delivery system by comparison is a pay at point of delivery as required, Much like a collision repair shop business getting the majority of its revenue from insurance company payouts & co-pays .They certainly wont accept patients med supplies due to many factors including liability , That practice is more third world like Africa & ME.
As for sharing patient electronic records the US health providers adopt the MB & other dealer posture practice of NO Share.
Tuercas viejas

 

[Will]

Isn’t it pretty obvious?

Main dealers sell oil during a service visit for about three or four times the amount they sell the same oil for over their parts counter or delivered directly.

This has nothing much to do with liability it would seem.

One point perhaps not mentioned this time - you’ll almost certainly get charged for the full book fill amount during a service (eg 8.5 litres)

Don’t be surprised to find 2.5 or 3 litres of oil remaining in the second of two 5L cans if you are supplying it that way!

 

[markjay]

Isn’t it pretty obvious?

Main dealers sell oil during a service visit for about three or four times the amount they sell the same oil for over their parts counter or delivered directly.

This has nothing much to do with liability it would seem.

One point perhaps not mentioned this time - you’ll almost certainly get charged for the full book fill amount during a service (eg 8.5 litres)

Don’t be surprised to find 2.5 or 3 litres of oil remaining in the second of two 5L cans if you are supplying it that way!

This is true.

This story goes back to 2009... the oil capacity in the M271 enginr on my W203 was specified as 5.5L.

When I had a Service A at the dealer, I was duely charged for 5.5L of Shell Helix Ultra at £15 per L.

But the dipstick was on Min, which the service adviser insisted is standard procedure to protect the engine. According to the owner's manual, the gap between Min and Max equals 2L.

So how much new oil did they use......?

 

[Will]

A litre or two a car seems insignificant, until you multiply it by 50 cars a day at £15 a litre, five or six days a week

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I have service contracts on cars these days so I don’t supply the oil, but the last few times I did I bought the oil at the parts counter, and the tech picked it up at the same time as the other bits he needed for the job.

I never even touched the oil, and I had a paid invoice for the oil from the same dealer, time stamped a few hours prior to the paid service invoice. I then left it there ready for the next car to be serviced. I did that for a few years.

 

[Tuercas viejas]

Isn’t it pretty obvious?

Main dealers sell oil during a service visit for about three or four times the amount they sell the same oil for over their parts counter or delivered directly.

This has nothing much to do with liability it would seem.

One point perhaps not mentioned this time - you’ll almost certainly get charged for the full book fill amount during a service (eg 8.5 litres)

Don’t be surprised to find 2.5 or 3 litres of oil remaining in the second of two 5L cans if you are supplying it that way!

Interesting post this .
First of all dealers & Big Independent chains have basically THREE cost centers.
Each activity is responsible for its own cost center.
So you buy the oils at the parts counter with a fixed retail price and profit mark up at the parts dept. sees that profit on the day's end accounts roster.
Now you waltz around the corner and plonk that very same oil onto the service counter.
This is called internal parts infringement since the service department has been denied the profit margin on parts normally supplied at base cost plus THEIR profit margin from parts accounting to service accounting.
This activity is a peculiar "Brit thing" hanging on from days gone by, which the US equivalent shakings accounting considers is "eccentric just Brit"!
Especially since the oil change business is a loss leader anyway and designed to get customers into the service department & up-sell services .

Now with the same scenario you bring in a jug of oil you bought on Fleabay or say Halfrauds at their "LoLo" discount pricing.
This a case of invoking a blanket denial to use it!
It leaves the shop open to a liability claim should the oil not perform, and you (the customer) experience and engine failure , In a small claims court saying "It wun't me mate" is hardly going to influence the judge's opinion that you are stupid and deserve to be whacked by a judgment of poor judgement if nothing else !

Poor judgement in motor vehicle repair.
In comes a customer with a 1974 Steyr Pinzgauer. Change all my transmissions & axle oils .But use synthetic 90/140 weight. Here's the 5 gallon drum I bought on Fleabay . No sir! Why not ?
Because the original oil seals were designed to seal 75/90 GL5 in the axles and 75/90 GL4 in the gearbox . Failure heed that warning can result in oil leaking from hub seals onto the brakes severely affecting braking performance and directional stability. If you still want us to do it then please sign this liability waiver and the oil attracts a 15% corkage fee because we didn't supply it .
Remember there are two expressions in the auto repair business.
No good deed /favour goes unpunished.
The other is "Any favour you do can cost you a minimum of 200% of the original repair bill" if something goes wrong and is a comeback.

Reason enough then , to mid yur P' n Q's in auto repairs and servicing.
Tuercas viejas

 

[Will]

Interesting post this .
First of all dealers & Big Independent chains have basically THREE cost centers.
Each activity is responsible for its own cost center.
So you buy the oils at the parts counter with a fixed retail price and profit mark up at the parts dept. sees that profit on the day's end accounts roster.
Now you waltz around the corner and plonk that very same oil onto the service counter.
This is called internal parts infringement since the service department has been denied the profit margin on parts normally supplied at base cost plus THEIR profit margin from parts accounting to service accounting.
This activity is a peculiar "Brit thing" hanging on from days gone by, which the US equivalent shakings accounting considers is "eccentric just Brit"!
Especially since the oil change business is a loss leader anyway and designed to get customers into the service department & up-sell services .

Now with the same scenario you bring in a jug of oil you bought on Fleabay or say Halfrauds at their "LoLo" discount pricing.
This a case of invoking a blanket denial to use it!
It leaves the shop open to a liability claim should the oil not perform, and you (the customer) experience and engine failure , In a small claims court saying "It wun't me mate" is hardly going to influence the judge's opinion that you are stupid and deserve to be whacked by a judgment of poor judgement if nothing else !

Poor judgement in motor vehicle repair.
In comes a customer with a 1974 Steyr Pinzgauer. Change all my transmissions & axle oils .But use synthetic 90/140 weight. Here's the 5 gallon drum I bought on Fleabay . No sir! Why not ?
Because the original oil seals were designed to seal 75/90 GL5 in the axles and 75/90 GL4 in the gearbox . Failure heed that warning can result in oil leaking from hub seals onto the brakes severely affecting braking performance and directional stability. If you still want us to do it then please sign this liability waiver and the oil attracts a 15% corkage fee because we didn't supply it .
Remember there are two expressions in the auto repair business.
No good deed /favour goes unpunished.
The other is "Any favour you do can cost you a minimum of 200% of the original repair bill" if something goes wrong and is a comeback.

Reason enough then , to mid yur P' n Q's in auto repairs and servicing.
Tuercas viejas

I think it’s just going round in circles here.

1) Things are clearly different here in the UK, that is widely known and agreed.
2) Mercedes-Benz main dealers often sell parts on eBay (including genuine MB branded oil)
3) If the oil supplied is approved by MB or is tested to meet their specifications then I don’t think it matters. You can buy perfectly suitable approved oil from a number of suppliers (MB on eBay or Mobil from Halfords for example)

It’s either a case of liability or a commercial reason - I can’t see it being both. It’s difficult to believe it’s the former when there is sometimes a 300-400% markup on cost for the same item.