Why don’t shops like to have customers bring in their own parts?
There are actually two major reasons.
- The shop labor estimates are based on the expectation of making part of their income on the parts.
- We have no control over the quality or fitness of the parts supplied by the customer. Often the parts brought in are incorrect or of a brand and quality that we would not normally use. It is also a problem in case of possible defects or warranty claims, as the parts supplier also knows nothing about the shop who did the installation, and cannot offer often critical installation information.
On the other hand, in the kinds of weird cars that many of our customers come up with, some shops give up trying to find stuff and turn the customer loose to scrounge. If you need something that we have available, your favorite mechanic is welcome to contact us and we may be able to work with them.
What have you wondered about the import parts business? Send us your question, and we may include it here. (Use the contact form at right.)