Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > What's Fair?

[Shazaam!]

Corkage Fee for Installing Parts

The experience of being charged a corkage fee when you bring your own bottle to a restaurant and has now, it seems, been extended to the vehicle repair industry. Since repair shops make a considerable portion of their profit from the sale of replacement or performance parts, now when you supply your own parts, shop owners insist on charging you an additional fee beyond their standard labor charge.

This means, of course, that you’ll need to install them yourself, which means that you’ll often need some special tools and diagnostic equipment. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying a good portion of any cost savings on parts back to the repair shop. When you buy the parts from the repair shop you often will be quoted the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to negotiate.)

It’s a messy situation for both the owner and the shop, and I have to admit to being both angered and sympathetic to both parties in this situation.

Angered, because I was recently faced with a dealer (not Ducati) who wanted $1000 for a new engine management computer, or $500 to spend an hour installing my $150 rebuilt unit. It may have seemed fair to him, but it wasn’t to me.

Also, in my case, they first charged me $150 for a plug-in to a factory diagnostic tool that outputs proprietary diagnostic codes - that independent shop owners cannot obtain from the manufacturer even if they buy the tool. This is obviously intended to make sure that to go to their dealer in the first place. Weasels.

I suppose it would be wise to come to an understanding before-hand with shop owners, but what other strategies should we use to avoid outrageous corkage fee?

All of us are probably equally interested in making money and saving money, so I’d hope that riders and shop owners would be willing to share your opinions and experiences here on this issue.

In other words, what’s fair?

[electricsheep]

never experienced that, i would think that it would be bordering on illegal. Of course they could just refuse to fit parts that they don't supply

[Mr_S]

Recently (as in yesterday) got charged an hours labour (£35.00 + VAT) to fit a tyre I'd bought through a dealer.

You can rest assured I'll never buy tyres there again, as that's bordering on taking the p!ss as well.

I've experienced over inflated labour charges to fit supplied parts in the past, but not with the bike. Only ever with cars.

[Edited on 9-7-2005 by Mr_S]

[chris999]

it isn't "fair" making you pay with "silly" money !!

[sbwells]

I've only really come across that in the UK. I was charged for fitting new tyres and disks supplied by me.

That was by Bikesmart in Ealing, London and they were happy enough to fit the parts and charged me three hours labour, about 100 odd pounds for the pleasure.

It didn't really bother me as I didn't have a garage or stands to remove the wheels, but the wife went septic when I told her it'd cost the equivalent of about NZ$300.00 to fit the parts.

Servicing costs are bloody cheap over here in NZ when compared to the UK, however the value of bikes and other luxary goods are about twice the price in terms of disposable income

[antonye]

The dealers have to protect their investment into the (expensive) specialist tools - that's for sure - but where they have revenue protection by only ensuring that dealers get those tools really is not fair.

The corkage fee idea would just have me taking it elsewhere I think. Not always possible, but certainly worth a try.

[Ray]

I thought recent EU regs meant that manufacturers had to allow non OEM suppliers and garages access to the diagnostic codes and the like to end the monopoly the manufactirers or their agents had.

A mate in the car trade can pretty much read any fault codes via a cars ODB socket if fitted with easy to obtain tools.

I would have thought that the EU regs extended to Bikes as well?? I know you're not in the EU Shazaam and this is probably the only EU regs that has done anyone any good!!

Ray

[John W]

The ODB codes have a set of 'standard' codes which any ODB tool can read. Its the manufacturer specific ones that aren't always public knowledge...

I've also been told I'd be charged for having supplied parts fitted (genuine parts, not pattern ones). I suggested I would not take my custom there in the future, to which the guy knocked a bit off the hourly rate. They still charged, but the final figure came out the same as previous (i.e. no corkage but normal labour rate).
I should add this was also with a car, and not at a main dealer. I now have a friendly technician who does my car as a private job for a lot less than the garage charges. Same mechanic, same job, even stamps the service book.

Personally I think its a cheek. After all you could have previously brought the parts from their own parts counter.

I also think the whole idea of having to get your bike/car serviced by a 'main dealer' is a bit of a tie in. The sales dept make money on the sale, knowing they will most likely also get to rape you on service costs. My local bike shop has a labour rate 60% of the main dealer (probably a similar proportion for its overheads), but if they service my bike it invalidates the warranty, even though the mechanic there used to work for the main dealer so knows exactly what to do.

Mr_S, an hours labour to fit a tyre is a joke. If it really takes them that long I'd question their competence to work on the bike in the first place...

Quick, somebody take my soapbox !