Did I Get Screwed?

[Cal2121]

Long story short, I needed new bearings, races, seals, etc. on my 68 CS F250. The parts list and prices is below. I looked up the parts numbers (and confirmed brands with the guy) on RockAuto, etc. and it looks like the guy fuc*#! me. I called him on it, and he said the following: (1) he has to mark up his parts prices and not just charge labor; and (2) the prices I'm seeing for the SAME part numbers and BRANDS are inferior versions. I think he's full of sh*!, but I'm not a mechanic and haven't had a ton of experience with them. FYI, the total price was about $935 ($475 labor and rest parts). Any thoughts are appreciated. I'd like to confirm my anger or understand that it's misplaced.

2 seals (PN 472856; National brand) for 81.32; RockAuto has them for $1.50 a piece
2 rear wheel bearings (PN 18790; Timken brand) for 81.32; RockAuto has them for $9.60 a piece
2 bearing races (PN 18720; Timken brand) for 40.64; RockAuto has them for $5.70 a piece
2 bearing races (PN 25520; Timken brand) for 33.86; RockAuto has them for $4.70 a piece.
2 rear wheel bearings (PN 25592; Timken brand) for 128.24; RockAuto has them for $16.70 a piece.

I get that RockAuto may be low, but this guys is up charging like crazy.

[Ohiotinkerer]

Almost all mechanics I know do mark up prices on parts they buy but its usually not a whole lot. As far as the prices you are getting on your parts make sure they are the identical parts that he was using. I use eBay a lot because I get the same brand name part I can get from our local parts store for a lot less. A good example was the front wheel bearings I got for my '68. National bearings at the parts store were gonna be $60 for all 4 plus tax even with my discount and I got all 4 of the exact same National bearings for $27 with free shipping and no tax on eBay. I personally have never used Rockauto so I can't say anything about them or their parts. I do a lot of my own work but if there's something I can't do I usually buy the parts myself and just pay the labor that way I know what parts were put in..........or learn how to do it myself which usually involves lots of beer and garage words.........

[Cal2121]

Thanks for the input. I certainly understand some markup, but it just seemed really high to me. I was contemplating doing it myself, and I think going forward I will do everything I can or buy the parts and pay labor. Thanks again.

[Ranchero50]

Yeah, I think that's the best advice. Granted prices can be all over the place but that seems like he's charging you the list price, not the retail auto store price. I don't deal with people who do that and if I were you I'd ask for a refund or just send him a IRS 1099 form so he can pay income taxes on it.

[Busboy]

Let me be brief: YEAH, YOU GOT SCREWED !!!

[Jacksdad]

I decided long ago that I'd rather put my money into tools as opposed to a mechanic's pocket. As mentioned, eBay is great for tracking down deals on parts. That said, my wife's Amazon Prime account often gets me the best price these days - usually with fast, free shipping.
My Dad had a shop, and I can say from personal experience that most mechanics aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. Don't underestimate what you can fix yourself. With the advent of the internet, there isn't really much you can't learn to do.

[Busboy]

Well, as a professional mechanic for over 35 years I must say I disagree with your prejudicial comments. Contrary to popular misconception, it isn't just a good selection of tools that makes a competent technician. It is an ability to reason, learn from your experiences, common sense, developing a sixth sense for how an engine is running or a vehicle is driving. None of the above comes from a 400 piece craftsman tool set. You have to pay your dues, make your mistakes, get your butt kicked, redo work that you screwed up, read, research, learn all over again and keep up with constantly changing technologies. I've always said that medical doctors have it easy because they work on the same make and model for centuries while mechanics get new models not only every year but deal with mid year changes as well.
No doubt there are knuckleheads posing as mechanics, no argument there but you can't lump us all in one basket. Some of the younger techs think that they can be proficient overnight with their tech school diploma. Not so, not even close. There is NO substitute for experience.

[Davy13]

Just looking on Summit Racing for part number 18790 (the Timken wheel bearing), I see it is essentially a $30 part. And I don't think Summit prices are particularly good... But I'd think that yes, it is a better part than the super cheap ones for only a couple bucks. They probably don't use cheap parts, probably so they can guarantee their work. Which is understandable, since their reputation is on the line. And I also think that most shops will upcharge for parts, and one could expect maybe a 20% increase. Certainly a reasonable fee for researching which parts are needed for your truck, etc., and for their experience in knowing what is indeed needed to complete a job. But a $30 part costing $81 is what? About a 160% markup? Wow. That is crazy high. and that is assuming he ordered the part from Summit Racing instead of from NAPA or some such supply house.

[Davy13]

Just looking on Summit Racing for part number 18790 (the Timken wheel bearing), I see it is essentially a $30 part. And I don't think Summit prices are particularly good... But I'd think that yes, it is a better part than the super cheap ones for only a couple bucks. They probably don't use cheap parts, probably so they can guarantee their work. Which is understandable, since their reputation is on the line. And I also think that most shops will upcharge for parts, and one could expect maybe a 20% increase. Certainly a reasonable fee for researching which parts are needed for your truck, etc., and for their experience in knowing what is indeed needed to complete a job. But a $30 part costing $81 is what? About a 160% markup? Wow. That is crazy high. and that is assuming he ordered the part from Summit Racing instead of from NAPA or some such supply house.

[DuckRyder]

That price you have for the seals from Rockauto is a "Wholesaler closeout private label" i didn't check the others but would think similar.

Try a seller like Summit, Jegs, Advance, O'reily and so forth.

[dv7508]

It is common practice, in the Atlanta area, for a garage to charge double the cost of parts. A fictitious list price is common as well. Labor rates here average $90-$110 per hr. All dictated by basic economics (supply and demand). You do pay for experience, but , I see a lot of garages take advantage of people. It pays to be an informed customer, but not nitpicky. You can save a lot by doing your own work. You can learn some very expensive lessons as well, don't ask me how I know.....

[Ohiotinkerer]

That price you have for the seals from Rockauto is a "Wholesaler closeout private label" i didn't check the others but would think similar.

Try a seller like Summit, Jegs, Advance, O'reily and so forth.

Just thought about mine - if I remember right I got National seals for $2.50 apiece from Advance Auto here where I'm at....

12:30 am.......Just looked $6.99 but they were the front seals........its been a long day.....

[ddcrim]

Something you may not have thought of, medical doctors bury there mistakes, we have to fix them......

[Delta Bob]

These days the repair shops do a lot of very imaginative pricing. I was once charged 3 hours labor to replace a starter (15 minute job).
Most of the brick & mortar shops around here are crooks. +1 on doing it yourself, when I have jobs that I cannot do I hire retired or semi-retired mechanics to do it as a side job. Save a lot of $ and I still pay them 2 or 3 times more than they would make wrenching for a shop.

[tsherry]

It's my opinion that you weren't merely screwed, buy you got a free colonoscopy for good measure.

The prices you quoted seem like they are from an alternate future, say that seen in iRobot, where a beer costs the Will Smith character $20, and his Converse All Stars cost several hundred dollars. I can see 2x prices, from say an Autozone over the counter price, or NAPA "retail" price (when the mechanic is being charged "wholesale", then uses the retail price for the markup.) These prices are so far over the top that they make me want to see if the mechanic is now driving a new fully tarted up 2016 F350 4WD King Ranch Crew cab, paid for through transactions like this one. Or, maybe his wife is sporting a new 'lift job' or equivalent.

I buy quite a bit of stuff from Rock Auto for all of our equipment, but also use Summit on occasion and happily use JEGS too. Rock does have cheap prices due to closeouts of old labeled material, old SKU's, old, discontinued products, etc. Some is OEM quality, some is not. You do get what you pay for.