Right to repair act ?

[Grumpy]

http://www.righttorepair.org/

Next they will want dealers to supply code readers and mech training to new car buyers..

[Kamakiri]

Truth is, that the auto industry has a really tough time keeping up with emergent technology, even at the manufacturer level. From the drawing board to the showroom for just about anything, even something as simple (or not) as an MP3 linkup takes a good 18 months.

To scramble to meet constantly changing emissions standards and the public demand for this or that, the diagnostic systems aren't even perfected at a dealer level sometimes until a year after the car's been on the road. Pushing too much too fast.

Sign of the times, though.....the small mechanic can either invest in the equipment or go out of business. I see they feature Honda quite prevalently in that ad. Funny thing is, that with a code scanner, updated software, and a subscription to Alldata, there's nothing on a Honda that they can't fix.

[Charles]

Kamakiri,

I've devined that your work in the new car industry, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

To the best of my understanding, they tend to make more on a used car than a new one, but their bread and butter comes from repairs.

BTW, I've been to a dealership ONE time for repairs, and they charged me $100 for a new fuel filter.

I should have known better.
Chas

[merrylander]

The one I love is the dumping of a $5 can of solvent into a vacuum hose to "Remove the carbon from the intake manifold" all for a mere $125

[Grumpy]

Oh believe me I am not in any way defending dealers here. I just don't think its the the gov's job to intervene.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Oh believe me I am not in any way defending dealers here. I just don't think its the the gov's job to intervene.

Can't argue with you there.

Chas

[Kamakiri]

Originally Posted by Charles

Kamakiri,

I've devined that your work in the new car industry, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

To the best of my understanding, they tend to make more on a used car than a new one, but their bread and butter comes from repairs.

Assumption #1 is correct, and dealers make thousands more on a used car, per.

There used to be a thing called "absorption rate" at a dealership, with the theory that service and parts paid all of the expenses of a dealership, and that the sales provides the profits, and is therefore the "gravy". This hasn't been so since cars started becoming bulletproof and people got used to doing oil changes at 6K rather than 3K, etc.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Assumption #1 is correct, and dealers make thousands more on a used car, per.

There used to be a thing called "absorption rate" at a dealership, with the theory that service and parts paid all of the expenses of a dealership, and that the sales provides the profits, and is therefore the "gravy". This hasn't been so since cars started becoming bulletproof and people got used to doing oil changes at 6K rather than 3K, etc.

Interesting. I have no automobile dealers in my tiny circle of friends.

Thank you for your response.

Chas

[Kamakiri]

Used to be that parts and service was the meat and potatoes, now it's seen by many dealerships as a necessary evil. More often than not, parts and service is a break even now that maintenance schedules are stretched to such extremes.

Now, rather than selling the typical things that used to go wrong in cars, most parts managers walk in praying to get a good wreck order to keep them in the black.

[Combwork]

Same thing's happening here. Ten years ago, a friend of mine who used to run the local garage invested in £10,000 worth of Bosch diagnostic equipment on the understanding that it could be upgraded every year. Now he finds some manufacturers are restricting updates to main dealers only.