Price of replacement keys found to be unjustified.

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Price of replacement keys found to be unjustified.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1734571 10-Mar-2017 22:08

mattwnz:
surfisup1000:

It is not just keys.

My ford indicator stalk cost 6 or 700 to replace.

A plastic tray clip the size of a 50c piece costs around $450 to replace.

Seatbelt was around $400 to replace.

And so on. . .

Wow. Almost cheaper to buy a new second hand car. Guessing it is why some people buy cars and strip them to sell the parts. Hopefully this decision will change the pricing of parts.

While do agree its a rort, there is also the issue of manufacturing a part that will gather dust for years. After incurring manufacturing cost which will be small runs, transport to a wholesaler/reseller and sitting in a shelf that they paid for, for a good that they paid for, for years

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2159

#1734580 10-Mar-2017 22:26

frankv:

For $450 you could buy yourself a 3D printer to print that plastic tray clip.

Which is why the car companies were keen on TPPA... their intellectual property would be protected, and they could screw their customers whatever they wanted for spare parts.

This is a very common problem so some guy in aussie does just that...

This is my part...interesting reading.

https://bingtastic.com/parts.php

Batman

Mad Scientist
30014 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6217

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1734581 10-Mar-2017 22:27

I just bought a filter from Toyota for $200 ... what recourse have I got? (mind you the car is an import)

tdgeek

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1734597 10-Mar-2017 22:41

joker97:

I just bought a filter from Toyota for $200 ... what recourse have I got? (mind you the car is an import)

Air filter? Oil filter? Nuclear filter?

Did you check third party?

bigalow

568 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 112

#1734625 11-Mar-2017 00:57

had a second hand old F&P dryer

and a part from the door that makes it closed broke off and rang around looking for the part some places wanted over $200

and the i rang F&P to ask them and they still had parts for for the model and they sent out the part for free

told them that people wanted up to $200 and was told by F&P that the part sells for 50 cents

tardtasticx

3084 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 483

#1734633 11-Mar-2017 01:46

biggal:

had a second hand old F&P dryer

and a part from the door that makes it closed broke off and rang around looking for the part some places wanted over $200

and the i rang F&P to ask them and they still had parts for for the model and they sent out the part for free

told them that people wanted up to $200 and was told by F&P that the part sells for 50 cents

One of the better aspects of F&P actually, we've had this for several appliances.
Our washing machine had a couple of parts replaced for free after about 4 years of ownership.
Our dishwasher had a broken hose after about the same time and we picked up replacements for that for less than $30.
That's how spare parts should be done.

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

#1734646 11-Mar-2017 07:23

ubergeeknz:

Also the Commerce Commission may choose to take action against Toyota (in this case) and that may be enough to scare other brands into following suit.

"The Commerce Commission said the decision raised some interesting issues that it would consider."

They're clearly outraged - and about to go nuclear

/s (not holding my breath that they'll do anything much at all - car parts and service rorts as reported by other posters in this thread aren't something new).

Given the very high margin obtainable and the risk that if the Commerce Commission did prosecute - which would be unusual in that case IMO, as it's just price gouging and not "deceptive" - then they'd probably just get a stern telling off at worst, I expect the car companies will just keep doing what they've been doing.

Reporter on that story should do a follow-up in a few weeks, and see if anything has changed.

Journeyman

1205 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1236

#1734693 11-Mar-2017 10:24

There's a locksmith who does car keys in Albany whose web page has this to say:

Why do car keys cost so much these days?

One of the things that I have noticed in the last 10 years is new car prices have kept relatively low. The car manufacturing industry now makes their main profit from parts that the car needs over the years to keep it on the road.

One of the parts is genuine car keys and diagnostic software for programming the keys in.

Here is a simple break down of what some of the costs are for a laser cut immobiliser key for a lexus:

The laser cutting machine $18,000

An authorised diagnostic programmer with correct software $14,000

The key and transponder chip approximately $90

The time to make and program this key 25-30 mins

GST @15% approx $30

For all of this, the finished programmed key costs aproximatley $198 and can save the car owner Thousands of dollars on a new ECU computer if their original is lost.

$198 (which I suppose is an average) is not an insignificant cost, but it is considerably cheaper than the $600-odd quotes. Which suggests a tidy profit for those charging much more than $198.

Talkiet

4819 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3934

Trusted

#1734696 11-Mar-2017 10:33

Journeyman:

There's a locksmith who does car keys in Albany whose web page has this to say:

Why do car keys cost so much these days?

One of the things that I have noticed in the last 10 years is new car prices have kept relatively low. The car manufacturing industry now makes their main profit from parts that the car needs over the years to keep it on the road.

One of the parts is genuine car keys and diagnostic software for programming the keys in.

Here is a simple break down of what some of the costs are for a laser cut immobiliser key for a lexus:

The laser cutting machine $18,000

An authorised diagnostic programmer with correct software $14,000

The key and transponder chip approximately $90

The time to make and program this key 25-30 mins

GST @15% approx $30

For all of this, the finished programmed key costs aproximatley $198 and can save the car owner Thousands of dollars on a new ECU computer if their original is lost.

$198 (which I suppose is an average) is not an insignificant cost, but it is considerably cheaper than the $600-odd quotes. Which suggests a tidy profit for those charging much more than $198.

There are an increasing number of cars for which ONLY the manufacturer can supply keys. I spoke to 4 decent locksmiths in Chch, all of whom had all the automotive gear they thought they needed, and none of them could do post 2009 Nissans (or Renaults for that matter) for certain models.

The issue as highlighted is very real, as the expensive 'component' of the job in my case was the actual smartkey - not the programming. Nissan wanted I think about $550 for the smartkey by itself (excluding blank key blade, cutting and programming)... I sourced it for $90 USD, delivered.

My offer to Cockram Nissan to be their new key parts supplier wasn't taken up, oddly.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Batman

Mad Scientist
30014 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6217

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1734697 11-Mar-2017 10:49

If customers pay and don't complain why would Nissan do it on the cheap and make less money?

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9996

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1734713 11-Mar-2017 11:20

I'd love to see a current breakdown of the costs of a car built using spare parts!

I know Ford charge $40+ for wiper blades for a Focus. They are the worst quality wiper blades you can get and I had two pairs that lasted less than 3 months before falling apart. Ford deemed this as totally acceptable.

The actual width of the blades meant you couldn't just buy the blade at Repco or Supercheap, but after hunting through all their blades one day at Repco I found replacement blades for about $10 that could be disassembled and were the same width and just needed cutting for length.

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

FineWine

3113 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2443

Trusted

Nurse (R)

Lifetime subscriber

#1734743 11-Mar-2017 12:29

sorry to highjack

This is just like printers (laser or ink jet). You normally only get half filled cartridges when you buy a new printer and when you come to replace them you might as well buy a new printer again.

Huge rip-off

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

dejadeadnz

2394 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2287
Inactive user

#1734745 11-Mar-2017 12:41

sbiddle:

I'd love to see a current breakdown of the costs of a car built using spare parts!

I know Ford charge $40+ for wiper blades for a Focus.

It's the same for our Fiesta. The quality is absolutely disgraceful - it streaks like hell and makes a grinding noise when it is used when the windscreen is only minimally wet.

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#1734759 11-Mar-2017 13:25

I had the sa,me problem with wiper blades for a ford juddering across the glass. It it the only car that I had problems with the wipers. At least I now know why.

cadman

1014 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 557
Inactive user

#1734858 11-Mar-2017 16:19

Talkiet

My offer to Cockram Nissan to be their new key parts supplier wasn't taken up, oddly.

That's an awfully ironic stealership name...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5