The scandalous price of spare parts

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Adrianwool

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Just sorted my fuel stop solenoid, all that was required was a clean and replace and now working fine, (thanks for input to VolvoPaul) to my earlier post.

As a precaution I did some spadework to establish the price for a replacement part just in case one was required.

Consulted two Volvo spares sites which offer the benefit of exploded parts detail, the part number (Volvo Penta) is 876614, on one site 251.10 euros plus VAT plus delivery , on the other site 413 dollars plus delivery.

Removing the part (Bosch of course), and checking the number 0330106018, then looking at a Bosch supplies site this solenoid can be had for £37.50 inc Vat plus 4.99 delivery, and the site actually states this is the Volvo Penta substitute part!!.

This is in my view profiteering on an unacceptable scale, how can such a price differential be explained, other than by disgusing the part with a parallel number and sticking it in a blue box.
 
This is something everyone should do, if you source the base supplier and they are a major player as Bosch are then you are in luck, i do this regularly.

Daughters car had a problem with the electronic Bosch glow plug relay assembly, trade price £217+VAT, local Bosch warehouse and distribution centre (7 miles from home) £17.55+VAT.

If you source the base component manufacturer and contact them directly you can make substantial savings, also remember that often their is more than one supplier, so contact them to see if they do an equivalent, Bosch do in most cases.
 
I swore years ago, that I would never have another Volvo. I just would not like to give them the satisfaction of stuffing me at every oppertunity.

If I have another boat It would most likely have Cummins engines. But mostly anything except Volvo or Mercruiser.
 
hlb said:
I swore years ago, that I would never have another Volvo. I just would not like to give them the satisfaction of stuffing me at every oppertunity.

If I have another boat It would most likely have Cummins engines. But mostly anything except Volvo or Mercruiser.
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I think most of them are pretty good at charging excessively for 'marine' parts.
 
Don't forget the variable B.A.T. (Boat added tax). This is variable as it depends on how much the retailer thinks us idiots will stand.

Note, being a tight wad, I always ask for a discount, and usually get one.
 
hlb said:
I swore years ago, that I would never have another Volvo. I just would not like to give them the satisfaction of stuffing me at every oppertunity.

If I have another boat It would most likely have Cummins engines. But mostly anything except Volvo or Mercruiser.
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If Cummins marine engine service is anything like Cummins industrial engine service, then you might change your mind on that! Of the mainstream suppliers IMHO only Cat get close to offering an acceptable if expensive level of service and their marine engine spares prices are generally on a par with industrial engine spares prices
 
I just had my stainless duo props rebushed locally as they were spinning on the bushes..£170
I asked Volvo penta.Cant be done! New set £1400.

I boat in Sicilia with this boat and over there,It is volvo or nothing.I have a cousin that needs a replacement V8 engine.The boatyard [not a dealer,just engineers]laughed when I told them how much I brought an 5.7 block for.They just did not believe me.My cousin offered me near £2000 for my 20year old block and heads.I refused , I was embarassed to accept that..
 
I come across this kind of situation occasionally in my business where I get complaints that we are selling proprietary parts for our machines at a considerably higher price than a specialist supplier, mainly things like bearings, seals, filters etc.
All I can say is that it is usually not the dealer who is profiteering out of this. Firstly a dealer is usually obliged to buy spares from the manufacturer he is representing and risks losing his dealership if he goes to an outside supplier to buy parts. I'm sure that Volvo dealers are well aware that they could buy proprietary Bosch parts from a Bosch dealer and probably make more money selling them but its possible that they would risk damaging their relationship with Volvo, not to mention that warranties would probably be voided if the dealer fitted non Volvo parts. Secondly, the parts turnover of a Volvo dealer is probably a lot slower than a specialist Bosch dealer simply because the Volvo dealer is selling to a tiny boating market whereas the Bosch dealer is selling to a huge vehicle and industrial market. For that reason, the Bosch dealer prices are likely to be lower.
Having said that, the disparity in prices you have experienced is completely out of proportion. I doubt very much whether this is due to the dealer's excessive margin; they know that their prices are high and many parts are available from proprietary sources. The culprit will undoubtedly be Volvo themselves who will have different pricing structures for each market in which they operate. I'm sure that they feel that the boating market is far less competitive than the truck or car market and they can get away with ramping up their spares prices. The other thing that allows them to do this, of course, is the fact that their warranty will be voided if non Volvo parts are fitted.
The moral of the story is obviously to shop around but never forget that the manufacturer's dealer normally has the knowledge and experience to help with identification and sourcing of parts, a service which a specialist may not want to offer. In my case we often get customers coming back to us who think they have bought a direct replacement part from a specialist but which turns out to be slightly different from the one they actually need and they've wasted their money
 
Non of this is news. The best rule is to never buy a "Marine Part" unless there is no industrial equivalent, which there almost always is! If you can afford to buy a new boat with a new engine, then you can obviously afford to pay "marine" prices for spares and preserve the warranty - that is the Volvo assumption!!!
 
Without specific examples pretty much ventilation of hot air.

Breaks down into three categories;

#1 Consumeables, fuel and oil filters. Simple research here enables anybody to obtain value. Example Toyota base engine used by Nanni, Yamaha and Yanmar. Fuel filter is Toyota part 233-64010 Fleetguard equivalent FF5159, typical price around £13, and Baldwin BD 7029 may be even cheaper! Branded filter by marinisers as much as £70. Fleetguard lube filter for same engine Toyota part #90915-30002 is LF3608 at around £16, try OE price.

#2 Service parts, sea water impellers, anodes, lift pumps, surely everybody shops around.

#3 Major repair items, heat exchangers, turbochargers etc, eyewatering, just the absolute degree of pain varies from make to make.

Many engines are now throw away with no oversize rebuild components available, does this make owners or builders think twice? Never.

Once asked to prepare a basket of parts comparison on engine options available for US builder preparing to sell range of boats into Europe. UK distributor took one look at the list and said 'yea yea all very good, however to sell this boat in the UK I can only take the Volvo option regardless of what this comparison is telling me, customers demand it.'

If you perceive as boaters you have a problem, allowing one manufacturer to have complete domination of the market you have created it. Volvo have a good financial model, you cannot blame them for exploiting it. Why do investors seek out 'shareholder value'
 
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I have 2 Mermaids sitting in the garage, and 2 sabres in commission, both are carrying "ford" plates on the bell housing, with the legend industrial on them. All the bits and pieces have "enfo" stamped on them. The only parts that are "marine" is the cooling system and they are mostly "Bowman" I have been told that these engines are specially built but I have my doubts, and get most parts from Auto spares, or breakers yards.
 
hlb said:
I swore years ago, that I would never have another Volvo. I just would not like to give them the satisfaction of stuffing me at every oppertunity..
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Couldn't agree more Haydn, I will never buy another boat with Volvo engines. Once bitten, twice shy.
 
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If Sabre and Mermaid can provide parts for penny's why does anyone buy Volvo/Mercruiser powered boats? I would say because they are light powerful and ideal for fast planing or SD pleasure boats.
Fords maybe cheap, economical and easy to maintain but they are also generally very big, heavy and industrial, not sure whether you would pick the parts up in your channel side marina either.
 
ian38_39 said:
If Sabre and Mermaid can provide parts for penny's why does anyone buy Volvo/Mercruiser powered boats? I would say because they are light powerful and ideal for fast planing or SD pleasure boats.
Fords maybe cheap, economical and easy to maintain but they are also generally very big, heavy and industrial, not sure whether you would pick the parts up in your channel side marina either.
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we are talking 1970's technology here, both mermaid and sabre have moved on from the tractor engines mores the pity, and now do "toy" engines.
 
volvo parts

I have just had to replace the lift pump on my Volvo aqd21 which i must add is in fact a Peugeot engine with Volvo bages. Volvo price £297.00 Colchester fuel injection £36.00.Oil filter Volvo £47.00 EU car parts £11.95.I think the Volvo bages are very expensive to make.
 
I've had two Volvo cars in recent years and it doesn't have to be a marine part to warrant the mark up Volvo apply. I had two 'O' rings fitted during an unfortunate repair after putting petrol into a diesel car. On the bill which was considerable - 2 'O'rings at £10 each.
I rang the Service manager and asked if they were edged with diamonds, but his response was this is Volvo's retail price. I said I can buy them from a chandlery for around 10 pence each at which point he knocked them off the bill.

Another vote for Cat engines, most filters belts even oil are very reasonably priced. Well done Finnings.
 
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