Please explain why someone would pay so much for a air filter

[MaverickDragon]

A friend of my wife showed me her receipt from a Toyota dealer, who had charged her over $200 for an air and cabin filter change. I printed out the filter cost and showed her how to change the filters and after that she did it herself. Easy way to save a lot.

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[WBS]

Dealerships generate roughly 49% to 50% of their total gross profit from service, parts, and maintenance. Enough said.

 

[Trucks-Cars R Fun!]

Engine and cabin filters are easy to change. For those "not so mechanically inclined" plenty of
YouTube vids on where to find each and how easy it is to change.
Dealers etc, make you think it's such a "big deal" to replace the cabin filter....and charge so
much.
I taught my single lady neighbor how to do her own and she said..."that's easy!" Most are.
Some vehicles it is a little more involved or "tricky" but, again.....YouTube vids!

 

[Dad]

There is no reasonable explanation other than highway robbery.

 

[JetFixxxer]

I know they serv

Dealerships generate roughly 49% to 50% of their total gross profit from service, parts, and maintenance. Enough said.

I understand this, but $85... it's the OEM filter. Trying to get the 50% from one customer

 

[zen_]

Maybe they are trying recoup the money on my complimentary oil change. Also, the cabin air filter was quoted $50.

Well, yes, oil changes are often offered at basically no margin, or even a loss to get you in the door, and many "service centers" will try to tack on easy extras like your cabin air filter, fuel system service, wipers, etc. that are high margin services to bring up the transaction value.

I use the term service center and shops different because they are different businesses. A shop is where you go to fix your car, and they fix the problem, let you know if there's anything else wrong, and insist that you fix safety issues, but they don't sell you an $85 cabin air filter and $100 bottle of techron you didn't ask for.

 

[Grand Nat.]

Leave the air filter in your Maverick a little longer. Faggettabout it. Don't pay that kind of money. Dirty air filter's filter the best. The fuel trims will take care of the rest. LOL That's actually a fact. But I would recommend every body to change at the suggested intervals for better fuel economy and .performance.

 

[Mavman1]

Dealerships generate roughly 49% to 50% of their total gross profit from service, parts, and maintenance. Enough said.

And a big chunk of that is the ridiculous charges for "assessment" or "evaluation" even before they start any repairs!

 

[cannon]

The air filter is $29 retail, paying $56 for labor seems high for something you can do yourself, sure, So do it yourself if you want to save money.

Is the dealer supposed to tell customers to do it themselves? Or not pay a tech to install it? Lose money on the transaction? Genuinely curious what you all think is supposed to happen here.

 

[umpkey]

I will never understand either. I think I paid $60 or $70 on a K&N filter, but that is a reusable one that I just clean and recharge when the time comes. But yeah I agree for a one time disposable air filter $84.95 is ridiculous.

 

[Cherokee]

Quickly let this thread die !

If they/them can't rob old people, soccer mom's and the youngers,
We will pay even more for our Mavericks !

Ya cant fix stupid and y'all know it so quiet on this one ok !

:'P

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

The air filter is $29 retail, paying $56 for labor seems high for something you can do yourself, sure, So do it yourself if you want to save money.

Is the dealer supposed to tell customers to do it themselves? Or not pay a tech to install it? Lose money on the transaction? Genuinely curious what you all think is supposed to happen here.

Go back and look at post #1, the OP is saying the PART cost was $84.85, NOT including labor.

Now, what do YOU think should happen here?

HRG

 

[ToyoFord70]

Yeah, back in the day when we first moved back to Texas, the state inspection was mandatory and so many of the stations had a racket going on. From you need a muffler on a new car--especially at the sears service centers, or a new tire. One guy I knew did not get a safety sticker because they said his interior dome light was not working--I kid you not. But there was one station where you could take your car--even if it only had 2 wheels and a rim on the other two it would pass. Now they have eliminated the Texas State Inspection altogether. My 98 Tacoma passed every year until just recently before they did away with the inspection. We don't require smog inspection in this small town or county, but they started pushing it and one inspection station always said it failed and to take it to a certain muffler shop every time. Drove across town and got it inspected toot sweet.......................and really and truly what the state REALLY required on the inpsection there was no way these places could do that for 14 dollars.

 

[rtphokie]

The same reason there is a tip screen on credit card machines at fast food restaurants with 20% / 22% / 25%

some people pay it

 

[WJOHNM]

I worked for a honest dealership most of my life longer than most of you guys been alive, so thinking there all honest There NOT, I had a weekend vehicle very little miles had to get a state inspection once a year so I changed the oil and rotated tires once a year, that's what it said on the RO change oil/filter and rotate tires, state inspection, 3 things, I had a scratch in my RR wheel, don't know how I did it vehicle was like new only drove like 3/4k a year, anyway when they brought the vehicle around was completed there was that scratch RR wheel, I called out the service adviser showed him the scratch of course he said we didn't do that I said no I did , so what's the problem, you didn't rotate the tires!
he calls the tech out he says he forgot to do it, only 3 things on RO and he forgot, BS.
They said they were sorry and gave me a free car wash ticket, never went back.
The point is the dealership didn't tell that tech not to rotate the tires; he was trying to make time on the job. It is extremely hard to get qualified people my dealer did background, credit and drug testing mandated by our insurance com. That eliminated 4 out of 5 so we trained them young and paid well, then after all the training they could always find someone to pay off book CASH to steal them with no health insurance, not thinking when they get old SS is going to give them crap and don't have any pension or 401k.

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