Venting: Why do (Bay Area) dealerships suck?

[bayarea328xit]

A single OEM wheel bolt is listed at $7.09 and on sale for $5.02 at getbmwparts.com (see image). That same item is sold by Peter Pan BMW (in San Mateo) for $17.73 (see image)!

I guess they do this because they can get away with it. But, this type of behavior is the reason that many dealerships have, and deserve, a bad reputation...

P.S. The same item is available on amazon.com for $5.99 with delivery in a couple of days with Amazon Prime...

[FriedPiston]

Some of them price match if you ask nicely. Pretty sure I’ve done it at least once at Peter Pan when I used to live in the Peninsula.

[RockCrusher]

Don't know about all dealers but the Porsche dealers I did business with, one in particular in Livermore CA (which was handy as I lived in Livermore) told me Porsche didn't have a contract with shippers. It used which ever shipper could pick up the part (or parts) promptly and get the parts to the dealer.

Customers appeared to be more concerned about getting the car serviced/repaired or getting the parts fast(er) than cost.

Thus while the parts (probably) arrived sooner the shipping cost more.

I kind of believe BMW dealers handle parts shipping the same.

Also, because I used the (mainly) Livermore dealer for all my servicing the parts department gave me a nice discount on parts.

[Gemini562]

Well, the most likely reason for the steep markup is that dealerships know they can charge more for the convenience and trust factor they offer, plus they have higher overhead costs to cover. Essentially, they figure people will pay extra to get the part immediately and from a trusted source, even if it's way overpriced.
By the way, I found a lower price for you
www.bmwpartsdeal.com/parts/bmw-accessories_black_wheel_bolt-36136890324.html

[BlkGS]

I mean, the cost of doing business in the Bay Area is insane. Wages, taxes, land cost... Of course they're not going to be able to match the pricing or a giant parts supplier that's not located in a crazy expensive market.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

I mean, the cost of doing business in the Bay Area is insane. Wages, taxes, land cost... Of course they're not going to be able to match the pricing or a giant parts supplier that's not located in a crazy expensive market.

Well, there's that too. Talking with the local Porsche dealer GM one time and he told me the city cited and fined his business because the tree foliage -- the trees in the lawn out front of the building and in the small islands about the parking lot -- was too low.

I drove by the place almost every day and the grounds were well kept, trash picked up, etc. When I was told the tree foliage was unacceptable I was aghast. And to be cited and fined rather than just given a warning -- which I'm sure the dealership would have instantly heeded -- is just CA insanity squared...

[BeEmVe]

I once went into my local dealer (not BMW) and asked if they would match price with a dealer that had an online store and thus prices were 20%. For me buying locally with tax would have meant more like 12%. They would not match even though they were the same brand. As such, this phenomena is not brand specific.

I latter saw my SA and said someone was not thinking and it was costing them business.

[DeezBluBallz]

BMW here is the same. I stay away. Audi is just as bad.
Omaha, NE

[ShocknAwe]

Have one more car than we really need. Part needed? Order online and wait. Paying 3-4x what it should cost for a non-emergency part would give me hives.

[zx10guy]

You think that's bad. Here's what I recently experienced with buying a part for my Toyota. I went on my dealer's parts website to look for the plastic cover that goes over the front camera for the passive collision system around the inside rear view mirror. I see the part listed for $55. I tried to log in with my Toyota account and couldn't get it to work. So I go into the dealership to purchase the part over the counter. Parts guy rings it up and says that will be $117. I was stunned. Asked how come it's $117 when their website says $55. He says that's the online price and that there's no mechanism for him to even price match that price on his terminal. I told him my difficulties in logging in to the online site where he said just go through the purchase process as a guest.

So I go back home and do the transaction as a guest. Well, apparently Toyota corporate was also running a parts sale and the total price including tax ended up being $46. So the markup you're talking about with that wheel bolt is nothing compared to what I could have been screwed on had I not done my research. Funny thing was the part had to be fulfilled by the same parts warehouse the dealer uses and the part was sent to my dealer even though I ordered it online. So the fulfillment experience was the same whether I bought the part over the counter or ordered it online.

[Leucosticte]

Same thing for dealers here in NJ from what I've seen. I had to shop around quite a bit to get a reasonable price on a windshield.

[POBEP]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

A single OEM wheel bolt is listed at $7.09 and on sale for $5.02 at getbmwparts.com (see image). That same item is sold by Peter Pan BMW (in San Mateo) for $17.73 (see image)!

I guess they do this because they can get away with it. But, this type of behavior is the reason that many dealerships have, and deserve, a bad reputation...

P.S. The same item is available on amazon.com for $5.99 with delivery in a couple of days with Amazon Prime...

Peter Pan BMW (in San Mateo) is my "favorite" by far.

The service department refused to fix car issues (while vehicle was under warranty) but mentioned they will "look into problem" if I buy tires ...

Another time I stopped by to get engine oil and fuel filter for E70 35d.
The fuel filter was quoted at $398, Amazon price was $37.
Sales person offered to match online price.

I felt that it was dishonest business practice - I just forgot they exist.

[sarafil]

It’s a technique called “matrix pricing” that dealers can use to improve their profit margin on parts. They significantly increase the markup on low cost parts, assuming most customers won’t make a big deal over small $$ but it adds up due to the volume of these parts they sell.

https://automate.com/simple-pricing-...975%20percent.

[swiego29382]

Admittedly, as a Bay Area resident who recently purchased a rather expensive BMW… this thread makes me nervous.

[Westside Guy]

Why waste your time driving to a dealer and burn gas when you can order a part like this on Amazon Prime?

[Chihuahua]

Part prices at my local dealer (United BMW) are insane. I use them only in an emergency. It's not just a California thing.

[Westside Guy]

There are some dealers that also sell on eBay and when offered there the prices can be lower and very competitive with some of the 3rd party websites or directly from the BMW USA website.

For example, BMW sells these these M valve stem caps for $23
https://shop.bmwusa.com/products/det...122456427.html

I just purchased them the other day on eBay from BMW of Atlantic City for $17.45 with free shipping.