Whining about Porsche Maint. cost.

[ricklin]

Not me, just chatted with my Toyota dealer about 90 k svc. on my 03 4runner V8 4WD.

Would you believe about a grand for 90 K svc?

At 90 K it's due for a timing belt and sparkplugs. Plus the usual filters, lubes and of course the 'free' carwash.

Let's see about 450 for the tbelt. Dealer is running a special for 299. I'll have them do that.

The kicker? 300 bucks for replacing the spark plugs. A job that takes all of about a half hour, if that.

When I picked myself up off the floor, the kind dealer explained about the special irridium plugs, thus the high cost.

Hmm says I, I should check that out.

List is about 28 bucks each for the plugs. I can buy them for about 11 bucks each.

Since Toyota probably buys these plugs about a million at a time, I would guess their cost is substantially less than I can buy them for.

A 300% or more markup on spark plugs! Businees is business, this is not business, a 300% markup is criminal!!!

On second thought I'll have an independent do the belt as well.

Thanks for the chance to vent.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

HA... HA... Can't wait to hear what you're gonna say once that Boxster is out of warranty...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[ricklin]

The Box is my 3rd P car, so I know what to expect in terms of maint. cost. I guess my point is I DON'T expect those kinds of costs on a mainstream vehicle.

Perhap's the other Manuf. are taking lessons from the folks in Stuttgart.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Well, it's all a matter of perspective. If that's all the repair cost you've racked up in 90k mi., that works out to a very reasonable $0.011/mi.

Then, you look at whom has benefitted from such low-maintenance cars. Toyota certainly benefits from greater reliability by increasing Market Share. The Buyer benefits from low costs. But, the Dealer's Service Dept. suffers because they have a much lower potential R&R revenue from each unit sold, while their overhead remains stagnant or actually increases what with annually increased Labor Costs, etc.

In order to maintain a quality Facility and Staff, they have to meet these costs somewhere. Either they Service a lot of cars (with stiff competition from Independents doing everything from Tune-ups, Oil changes, Brakes, Exhaust, Tires and more), or they increase their mark-up on the parts and services they provide. It's actually a combination of both.

But, costs are increasing despite greater reliability in cars. An '03 SUV costs on average $0.651/mi. to operate (based upon 10k mi./yr.), up from $0.63 in '02 according to AAA (and they were using a $1.46/gal fuel calculator) - http://www.pimall.com/nais/nl/n.costpermile.html . In the end, the Buyer doesn't really save as much money as the increase in Reliability and extended Maintenance Schedules might suggest, especially when dealing with a Dealer...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[dcporsche99]

Hmmmm, interesting info Jim! I guess I never really thought about the cost and maintainence in those terms. Good to know. Thanks.

[SD987]

Ricklin, was that your car at the Encinitas Ranch golf course a couple Saturdays ago? If so, then I was the one parked next to you for the dueling 987S effect in Carrara White.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

Then, you look at whom has benefitted from such low-maintenance cars. Toyota certainly benefits from greater reliability by increasing Market Share. The Buyer benefits from low costs. But, the Dealer's Service Dept. suffers because they have a much lower potential R&R revenue from each unit sold, while their overhead remains stagnant or actually increases what with annually increased Labor Costs, etc.

In order to maintain a quality Facility and Staff, they have to meet these costs somewhere. Either they Service a lot of cars (with stiff competition from Independents doing everything from Tune-ups, Oil changes, Brakes, Exhaust, Tires and more), or they increase their mark-up on the parts and services they provide. It's actually a combination of both.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Your model assumes all dealer repair shops are similarly staffed and equipped. If Toyota needs to service 50% fewer vehicles than Chevy (example data), we would expect their repair shop to be set up with 50% less staffing and equipment (50% less costs). If the cost of parts and labor goes up, it is the same percentage across the board, regardless of the size of the shop. This would not justify a markup on parts in excess of markups by other dealers. How does this figure into your argument?

[Brucelee]

Markups don't need to be justified, except in the marketplace. If a seller prices their product too high (irrespective of its cost) versus the alternative, they will tend to not sell the product.

The reverse is true.

Simple, no?