350+% parts mark up... ?

[Wizeguy]

Long story short, float stuck in my carb on my Honda 4 wheeler so I bought a rebuilt kit for it.
Took the carb off and just didn't feel like tearing it down, soaking it, smell the garage and me with gas so I took the carb to a shop who previously worked on the quad and (I was happy with) mechanic said half hr labor to rebuild it, call ya in two days....
Two days later calls and says carbs all set but primer buttons frozen...$68 for new primer, (didn't see that prior tear down?) $120 total out the door... I told him a brand new carbs $140! You got me for $60 if I come pick up the old carb and buy a new carb ($60+$140) or $120 if you put the primer button... told them to get it and call me when done.
So I get home and find those primer buttons as low as $9 and as much as $19.95 for genuine Honda part.. that's a 350+% mark up!
I understand he's got lights, insurance, phone. Blah blah blah and Ive seen places 20 to 100% mark up but 350%+ mark up?
Should I pitch a bitch about the mark up and tell him he's prob gonna lose a customer OR this is normal, bend over and take it?

 

[loosenut]

You ever buy jewelry from a retail jewelry store? The markup is probably in the 5-600%

 

[standy]

Shoot me a p.m. (or reply here) with the year, make, and model. You didn't find the genuine o.e.m. primer plunger assembly for $9 bucks (if it's the plunger assy. on the side of the float bowl). I will look up retail and dealer cost on the part so you feel a little better about the situation. I have no skin in the game, but I will at least go to bat for a fellow mechanic and tell you that you didn't get screwed, other than the fact that he didn't tear it down first so that there would be no surprise additional costs. Typical mark up on o.e.m. Honda parts is 30-40%. The price you listed is about right, give or take a few bucks. I typically do $45 labor plus parts on a rebuild for a carb like yours. With a primer plunger, I'm guessing you have a Rancher?

P.S.- bring the stuff to me from now on. I take care of my MM people. Lol

 

[Ponyryd]

Depends where you're finding the parts, lots of online stores sell stuff way cheaper than a shop can buy it.

 

[mustangmike6996]

X2 on the online stores coming in under. I'm sure the shop has markup but 350% is 2 times too much

 

[Wizeguy]

You ever buy jewelry from a retail jewelry store? The markup is probably in the 5-600%

Jewelry I can see... but ATV parts?

Shoot me a p.m. (or reply here) with the year, make, and model. You didn't find the genuine o.e.m. primer plunger assembly for $9 bucks (if it's the plunger assy. on the side of the float bowl). I will look up retail and dealer cost on the part so you feel a little better about the situation. I have no skin in the game, but I will at least go to bat for a fellow mechanic and tell you that you didn't get screwed, other than the fact that he didn't tear it down first so that there would be no surprise additional costs. Typical mark up on o.e.m. Honda parts is 30-40%. The price you listed is about right, give or take a few bucks. I typically do $45 labor plus parts on a rebuild for a carb like yours. With a primer plunger, I'm guessing you have a Rancher?

P.S.- bring the stuff to me from now on. I take care of my MM people. Lol

Great to know!
2004 Honda Forman Rubicon 500

 

[soap]

Honda parts, in general, are expensive. I try to shop around quite a bit before I buy anything for mine.

--Joe

 

[Rickety]

Good Guy.....

Shoot me a p.m. (or reply here) with the year, make, and model. You didn't find the genuine o.e.m. primer plunger assembly for $9 bucks (if it's the plunger assy. on the side of the float bowl). I will look up retail and dealer cost on the part so you feel a little better about the situation. I have no skin in the game, but I will at least go to bat for a fellow mechanic and tell you that you didn't get screwed, other than the fact that he didn't tear it down first so that there would be no surprise additional costs. Typical mark up on o.e.m. Honda parts is 30-40%. The price you listed is about right, give or take a few bucks. I typically do $45 labor plus parts on a rebuild for a carb like yours. With a primer plunger, I'm guessing you have a Rancher?

P.S.- bring the stuff to me from now on. I take care of my MM people. Lol

 

[WhiteHawk]

Pretty normal markup. OEM markup is usually around 3x to the dealer, then the dealers double it.

-Geoff

 

[Stormy81]

Good Guy.....

I second that. He comes from good genes i hear.

I hear he likes side jobs too!

 

[derbydad276]

stop if if I'm wrong ...

dont auto dealers mark up repair parts 200%

 

[Rickety]

Not the ones I have dealt with....

stop if if I'm wrong ...

dont auto dealers mark up repair parts 200%

 

[standy]

Hey Sal, sorry for the delay, but I just checked on the plunger, which Honda calls a "pump set". They like to break and/or the rubber diaphragm falls apart. Old gas deteriorates them quick. Honda sells it as an assembly, meaning the plunger, housing, spring, boot, clips, knob etc. The part number is 16048-HM7-700, and it retails for $67.20- Dealer cost on the part to my dealership is about $41. I wasn't able to locate an aftermarket plunger through any of our suppliers, but that doesn't mean they don't exist- I just haven't seen one.
So I guess the long and short of it is that you didn't get shafted or hustled. Everything seems to be on the level with the place you took it to. I know it sucks to pay for things that are pretty simple for us car guys, but you didn't get hosed. I don't know what else he replaced, but with a rebuild kit that includes new jets, orings, float needle, etc., and replacing the plunger assy., I would have been at about $160.
Hopefully you feel a little better about the situation.

As a side note, if you let the ATV sit for more than two weeks at a time, I highly recommend that you run fuel stabilizer through the system, and then drain the carb. It really does help, especially with some of the garbage fuels that we are getting nowadays. If I can help you in any other way, just let me know.

 

[ReiKo]

Shoot me a p.m. (or reply here) with the year, make, and model. You didn't find the genuine o.e.m. primer plunger assembly for $9 bucks (if it's the plunger assy. on the side of the float bowl). I will look up retail and dealer cost on the part so you feel a little better about the situation. I have no skin in the game, but I will at least go to bat for a fellow mechanic and tell you that you didn't get screwed, other than the fact that he didn't tear it down first so that there would be no surprise additional costs. Typical mark up on o.e.m. Honda parts is 30-40%. The price you listed is about right, give or take a few bucks. I typically do $45 labor plus parts on a rebuild for a carb like yours. With a primer plunger, I'm guessing you have a Rancher?

P.S.- bring the stuff to me from now on. I take care of my MM people. Lol

For the record...

I have fucked up ALOT of shit... Andy has taken care of me every single time...

 

[standy]

For the record...

I have fucked up ALOT of shit... Andy has taken care of me every single time...

Thanks for the kind words Reiko!
And for the record- Reiko has bailed me out just as many times.....remember the Ranger parts that I asked you to order, and they were all wrong? (My fault, I asked for the wrong stuff) Hahaha.

 

[Wizeguy]

Hey Sal, sorry for the delay, but I just checked on the plunger, which Honda calls a "pump set". They like to break and/or the rubber diaphragm falls apart. Old gas deteriorates them quick. Honda sells it as an assembly, meaning the plunger, housing, spring, boot, clips, knob etc. The part number is 16048-HM7-700, and it retails for $67.20- Dealer cost on the part to my dealership is about $41. I wasn't able to locate an aftermarket plunger through any of our suppliers, but that doesn't mean they don't exist- I just haven't seen one.
So I guess the long and short of it is that you didn't get shafted or hustled. Everything seems to be on the level with the place you took it to. I know it sucks to pay for things that are pretty simple for us car guys, but you didn't get hosed. I don't know what else he replaced, but with a rebuild kit that includes new jets, orings, float needle, etc., and replacing the plunger assy., I would have been at about $160.
Hopefully you feel a little better about the situation.

As a side note, if you let the ATV sit for more than two weeks at a time, I highly recommend that you run fuel stabilizer through the system, and then drain the carb. It really does help, especially with some of the garbage fuels that we are getting nowadays. If I can help you in any other way, just let me know.

Appreciate that info!
Once i pick up the carb i guess i should of asked them why they didn't see that during the breakdown... thats prob why I'm pissed... I think its time to sell this quad and get somthing non Carburated

 

[standy]

Appreciate that info!
Once i pick up the carb i guess i should of asked them why they didn't see that during the breakdown... thats prob why I'm pissed... I think its time to sell this quad and get somthing non Carburated

Glad to help. I can honestly say that I have done the same thing, meaning I quoted the job and then found the plunger deteriorated. He probably didn't tear it down until he started cleaning it- this shouldn't happen, but it does from time to time, especially when it's a routine job that a tech has done many times. I try to offset the cost by reducing the labor when I blatantly miss it and already gave a final price- most are routune, but it seems like 1 in 5 carb cleans will have some unexpected damage.