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ridiculous prices continue........

Started by Des, 11 October 2007, 04:00 AM

Beastie

Quote from: TJ 450 on 04 September 2012, 11:27 PM
That price means that they would rather you go elsewhere! I assume this was the dealer?

Tim
That's exactly what I was thinking. That's the classic "we don't really feel comfortable telling you that we don't want to work on your car, so here's a big ridiculous quote that will make you go away and never come back" tactic. If it's a dealership, they're probably growing fat and lazy from doing services on new cars that basically only need visual inspections & fluid changes.

They get to appear to be willing and able to do the job when really they are not willing at all. And hey, if you decide to get the work done there anyway they wont mind too much because they know they'll be making a ton of money. It's win-win for them.
1979 280SEL

"She's built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro."

adamb

Ptashek, this is one of the reasons I value this and other forums. We can exchange experiences and opinions to avoid getting ripped off. I'm not a fan of the dealerships since they were taken over by MB directly. They are extremely focused on profit and have lost interest in the enthusiast for the most part. One cause is the elevated reputation gained over the golden years. You'll find that Skoda dealers do a much better job as they try to build a credible brand. Also MB have been doing nasty things to independent suppliers of classic parts. Many German outfits can no longer supply MB branded parts at all forcing you to go to the dealer.

ptashek

Quote from: TJ 450 on 04 September 2012, 11:27 PM
That price means that they would rather you go elsewhere! I assume this was the dealer?

Tim

One of their officially listed service workshops.
I agree, that the quote was probably this high to make me go away, and it did ;)
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

ptashek

Quote from: adamb on 05 September 2012, 06:56 AM
Ptashek, this is one of the reasons I value this and other forums. We can exchange experiences and opinions to avoid getting ripped off. I'm not a fan of the dealerships since they were taken over by MB directly. They are extremely focused on profit and have lost interest in the enthusiast for the most part. One cause is the elevated reputation gained over the golden years. You'll find that Skoda dealers do a much better job as they try to build a credible brand. Also MB have been doing nasty things to independent suppliers of classic parts. Many German outfits can no longer supply MB branded parts at all forcing you to go to the dealer.

Indeed. I'm driving an Opel as a daily driver, and it gets serviced at the dealership just because they charge sane money and do a good job.
And as to sharing, so far I'm browsing this site back and forth, and have already learned a ton of stuff. So, thanks everyone.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

oversize

They force you away and yet won't help with part numbers and service manuals and then they hunt down aftermarket parts suppliers...  Sometimes I don't know why we bother.  >:(  They should really take a look at themselves and change their attitude.  If they support the enthusiasts of older models and maintain a good reputation for service and reliability at a reasonable cost, they should therefore sell more new ones...
1979 6.9 #5541 (Red Bull)
1978 6.9 #4248 (Skye)
1979 6.9 #3686 (Moby Dick)
1978 6.9 #1776 (Dora)
1977 450SEL #7010 white -P
1975 450SEL #8414 gold -P

ptashek

Here's another sample of how MB screws everyone on parts prices.
A1153201589

Guess what...?
MB list price in Germany: 21.69EUR ex. delivery and 10% club discount
SeekPart24 list price in Germany: 11.30EUR ex. delivery

MB delivers just the stabiliser bar, the Febi kit from SeekPart ships also with a set of two new self-locking nuts.
But that's not all. MB parts are supposed to be nothing but the best quality, right? Well...

This is exactly the part MB shipped to me, bar the (not even self-)locking nuts: http://seekpart24.com/trw/rod-strut-stabiliser-jts145?c=100577 (and it costs 12.65EUR online!)
TRW makes an immense amount of automotive parts (for GM/Opel at least), but the Febi part just looks and feels like much higher quality workmanship (I've actually bought one).

If you're still thinking that MB parts are the best your money can get, you may want to think again :)
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

oversize

This issue has been in the media here recently and it doesn't just apply to car parts....  We pay more for everything and I seriously doubt they can blame it all on freight and taxes.

BTW the most I've ever been quoted was $11K for a bare 6.9 cylinder head!
1979 6.9 #5541 (Red Bull)
1978 6.9 #4248 (Skye)
1979 6.9 #3686 (Moby Dick)
1978 6.9 #1776 (Dora)
1977 450SEL #7010 white -P
1975 450SEL #8414 gold -P