Supplier Is Key to Varying Parts Prices
Question: Three years ago, the fan clutch “froze” on my 1977 Chevrolet pickup. The part wasn’t available at my local auto-supply store, so I had to go to a Chevrolet dealer, where it cost me $134, not installed. Then a few months ago, the fan clutch froze again. This time, I found a new one at an auto-parts store--for $24.95. It’s not made in Korea or Singapore, but in Fort Worth, and it has a five-year, 50,000-mile warranty. Why would there be such a price difference? G.B.
Answer: Although prices at a dealership are not always higher than at car-parts stores, they often are, as your experience shows. The auto manufacturers who supply the dealerships contend that you can only get “genuine replacement parts” through a dealer, and the warranty on your car could be invalid if you install parts that don’t meet the specifications of the company that built the car. But the components available through a reputable auto-supply store are in most cases as good as those being sold through the parts department of a dealership, and they usually meet the car manufacturer’s specifications.
The pricing of car parts at a dealership is somewhat related to the original price of the car. When an auto manufacturer produces a new model, the company will make some of the components itself in its own factories and will provide designs of other components to outside suppliers who will produce the parts. The car company then buys the parts from its suppliers at an agreed-upon price and installs them in the new car. The supplier also agrees to make enough additional parts during future years to replace components that wear out.
But the price of the single replacement component is computed from all of the costs involved in producing the car, not necessarily from how much the car maker paid the supplier for the part. So the part that cost the company $15 originally may be sold to a dealer for several times that amount. And after the dealer adds his overhead and profit margin, the part can cost more than $100.
Meanwhile, after the car is built, other supply companies come along and decide to make copies of the original components and sell them to auto-parts stores at a price that is more closely related to the actual manufacturing cost--and which can be far below what the same part would sell for at a dealership.
The example of your fan clutch, in which the price difference is more than $100, is an extreme case. The price spread is usually much narrower than that. And sometimes, particularly with imported cars, a dealership may be able to sell a component at a price that is lower than what a parts store would charge.
Q: I had driven my 1984 Ford Escort only 9,600 miles when I discovered that the rear tires were badly cupped. The Ford agency said it was caused by the wheels being out of balance and offered to pay for one replacement tire, forcing me to pay for the second one. Do you think this offer was fair? J.F.
A: It seems fair, if indeed the cupping was caused by wheel imbalance. Tires are not covered under a new-car warranty, although the tire manufacturer usually provides some type of guarantee.
However, it’s unusual for tires on a new car to be so far out of balance that it would cause cups, or scalloped dips, to wear in the tread around the edge of the tire. A more common cause of cupping is worn or improperly installed suspension components. Wheel imbalance usually causes uneven tread wear between the edge and center of the tire, but it can also create dips along the edge of the tread.
Watch how the new tires wear. If you see any signs of cupping, go back to the dealer and have the suspension checked. Because you discovered the problem before the new-car warranty expired, the manufacturer should pay for this repair.
Patrick Boyle cannot answer mail personally but will respond in this column to automotive questions of general interest. Do not telephone. Write to Your Wheels, You section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
