Re: Parts Fraud?

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Mon, 18 Jan 1999 11:31:07 -0500, "Bob" wrote:

>I went to the DEALER to get  a rear diff bushing to replace on my 4000
>Quattro. [ ... ]
>I talk to the parts guy at the counter I get it from, he says "Oh yeah,
>theres no audi part number on it because our boss found a german
>supplier (aftermarket) thats cheaper than audi.
>[ ... ]
>So my problem is that I spent a couple hours fixing a crappy part and on
>top of it, they are charging me Audi prices for non audi parts!!!???  
>I could have saved big $$ going aftermarket myself.

Parts from third party vendors are showing up at the dealers' parts
counters for the older cars more and more as OEM stocks continue to
dry up and more economical third party product becomes available.
However, the quality of these parts depends upon the diligence of
the individual dealer part departments. An upright dealer will supply
first grade parts, in the first place, identify the part as non-OEM in the
second place and charge non-OEM prices. This non-OEM price may
or may not be lower than the price at a non-dealership parts vendor.
In some cases, it will be optional whether to purchase OEM or not.
This is all highly variable, even from part to part.

For a dealer parts source, I recommend Carlsen Motor Cars in Palo Alto,
CA. They give both OEM list and actual price on their invoices and all
third party sourced parts are identified with an asterisk. There are excellent
aftermarket suppliers as well. Dealer or not, it's largely a matter of finding
and gaining confidence in good sources and sticking with them.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq