The price of spares has to include many many costs which aren't apparent until you really think about it.
Lets start at the begining.....
parts to build the car need to be designed.
manufacturer assemble's prototypes mostly by hand, using some existing parts but also many handmade parts.
problems can be found that require redesign of parts, maybe whole sub-assemblys.
design of parts finalised, tenders sent out, subcontracters found, preproduction parts made, sent to vehicle manufacturer and tested.
more prototype vehicles built using preprodution parts made by subcontracter.
stock of parts to be made by subcontractor, transported to factory, and parts warehouses, ready for vehicle launch.
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In the prodution run of the vehicle, some parts well be redesigned, due for problems found in service, as well as facelifts etc.
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at a basic level, there are huge costs involved in the stocking of parts, they need to be transported carefully, stored, counted at stockchecks, they need to be boxed, some have shelf-lifes, parts catalogues need to be created, stockcontrol systems are needed, at point of sale, they need to be invoiced.. all these things cost money, and all involved in the supply chain need to make a profit!
Im sure Ive missed some other costs... but hopefully you get the gist..
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edit.... and of course, the cheaper alternatives are just copies of the vehicle manufacturers designs - so costs are much lower!
Edited by the swiss tony on 31/10/2009 at 16:28
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Most of what you put in the post above can apply to any manufactured item. That does not justify a price of around £55 for a simple press on strip of rubber.
If it did then a car like a Saxo would cost as much as a Rolls Royce. The same parts are used in manufacture as are sent out as spares.
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If it did then a car like a Saxo would cost as much as a Rolls Royce. The same parts are used in manufacture as are sent out as spares.
you have totally lost me with that comment.
are you saying there is no difference between a Saxo and a Rolls?
and yes, I agree the same basic theory of design is involved with all manufactured items, but the fact is a lot more work goes into the seal you need, as opposed to say a Bic pen.
A car has many parts that have to work together, in many different conditions, temperatures etc, and last for 10 years or so!
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you have totally lost me with that comment. are you saying there is no difference between a Saxo and a Rolls?
The point I'm making is that if you built a car using parts from the spares depot it would cost many times more than one that came off the production line, yet the parts used are exactly the same.
And my guttering will last considerably longer in all weathers than a rubber weatherseal yet the individual componants cost buttons. There is nothing magic about a strip of rubber, the earlier post about adding a decimal point to the part number to find a price seems to sum the car industry up when it comes to spares.
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The point I'm making is that if you built a car using parts from the spares depot it would cost many times more than one that came off the production line yet the parts used are exactly the same.
Yup that is true.
you are completely ignoring the costs of storage, and transportation though.
for the production line the parts are already 'sold', and in fact arrive 'just in time' to be used.
the earlier post about adding a decimal point to the part number to find a price seems to sum the car industry up when it comes to spares.
If only that were true.
If the profit was that high, then why are so many car manufacturers at or on the point of bankruptcy?
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If the profit was that high then why are so many car manufacturers at or on the point of bankruptcy?
Perhaps the manufacturers make more profit on spares, which allows them to reduce the sticker price on new cars. After all, how many people research the price of spare parts when they buy a new car? And every new car will use lots of spares over it's lifetime.
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dealer parts are getting silly on price lately
doesnt help that quite a few have bubbled near me and therefore competition is stifled,i might have never bought a car off dixons holdings but i sure miss their pricing policy as one that was fair
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To an extent it's our fault that spares prices are so high; yes us, the customers.
We demand up-to-date, modern, continuously improved cars, which we want to last for a fairly long time; then we expect the manufacturers to stock virtually every spare part for said model, and complain if the dealership hasn't got the spare part in stock or takes more than a week to source it. We then expect that kind of service for the lifespan (say ten years) of that car.
Such back-up does not come cheap. Back in the "good old days" there was a fair amount of cross-matching for engines i.e. the same lump fitted several models. To an extent that is still true but the advances of technology mean that virtually all the ancillary systems are different for every model.
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hmm, bit of a chicken-and-egg, that one.
In my opinion, cars were good enough in the mid-late nineties, but since then have come loaded with all manner of gadgets which I could do well without. Hence, I doubt I'll buy a 21st century car if at all possible. I just bought an old beemer with no air conditioning or cruise control. Try doing that these days. If only it had no central locking...
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We demand up-to-date, modern, continuously improved cars, which we want to last for a fairly long time ...
I suggest that those who 'demand up-to-date, etc.' only want them to last through the warranty period, after which they will be routinely replaced by another. Only habitual used-car buyers and bangernomists want them to last a long time, and may be less interested in whether they are up-to-date, modern, or improved.
But it certainly seems that spares prices have escalated since the millennium, especially (and obviously) for model-specific parts which are needed in a steady trickle - for example the famous crankshaft pulley for a PSA HDi engine. When that fault became common, the pulley was about £90 IIRC. When I got one in 2006/7 it cost almost double that.
But maybe Scrappage will tend to reduce demand somewhat for that kind of part?
Edited by Andrew-T on 01/11/2009 at 09:33
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.. for example the famous crankshaft pulley for a PSA HDi engine. When that fault became >> common the pulley was about £90 IIRC. When I got one in 2006/7 it cost almost double >> that.
I wonder if the "trick" of buying parts from the commercial vehicle arm still works?
I remember reading that Volvo used the same headlights in trucks and cars and the parts price difference was huge.
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A variation on this theme was used by a mate of mine who used one of those early Honda Acty pick-up trucks. He found out that the engine was basically half a Gold Wing motorcycle engine and saved himself a good deal of money when the beast blew up and needed new valves, pistons and rings.
Regarding Volvo, I wouldn't be at all surprised; certainly the switchgear in the old FL6 bore a striking resemblence to that in my old 340 hatchback.
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"The point I'm making is that if you built a car using parts from the spares depot it would cost many times more than one that came off the production line, yet the parts used are exactly the same."
Yes, I remember a few years ago, MCN costed up making a Ducatti motorcycle from parts from the parts dept. and it was about 6x more expensive than one ready assembled!
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Just got a couple of service kits and a clutch cable fior a 205 diesel from my local factor.
Not paid yet as there are a couple of ' option' items to go back.
He did tell me that the plugs for the Note are £8.90 each and 5 litres of cheap oil, for the old 205, which used to be about £3 is now £8.99....and that's trade...to a customer of 30 yrs !
Still, it's only money.
Ted
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