Tight gits and skinflints.

BarryH

BarryH

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I fall under both of the above headings, but thats me and thats that. Anyway I digress, I was going to pick up some engine spares for the boat earlier today from one of my non boaty suppliers that can supply the boaty stuff. While putting the world to rights with my 'mate' behind the counter he quipped that the price included VAT but exluded BAT. "BAT" said I. "well" he said. " its the same part as supplied to the engine manufacturer from the same OEM company". Namely Bosch. "The engine people buy it at the same price we do and it has the same SRP, but they add BAT to give then their final selling price, which can work out anything between 75 or 300%".

So there you have it, now you know why boat stuff is so exspensive. Its all down to the BAT, or Boat Added Tax. Which is set at a variable rate and fluctuates along with your desperate need for it.

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Yeh, buy a caravan. What is it with you lot, I see Mathewb is ranting and raving about the cost of a Volvo service, didn't he do any kind of research before buying.

No one is forced to go boating, and if you can't afford it don't do it, or buy something that you can afford. If I put as much energy into a proper job, I'd earn a bleedin fortune. Might even get to spend the odd weekend without having to open up the workshop, and lend one of my "potential" customers a nut & bolt, or petrol, oil, grease etc.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I get tired of hearing the same old moans.

Right, I've had me rant, now to get behind the wheel of me Bentley, drive home to me marina penthouse and crack open a bottle of moet!

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Oh gosh... one wouldn't dream of taking the wheel oneself - Bentley or not! My dear chap... that's why we have an empire!

And please... do the decent thing and phone home first... makes sure Jeeves has enough time to get the Moet to the optimum temperature!

;-)

<hr width=100% size=1>Life balance? :-)
 
I wasn't saying that I couldn't afford it or that things were expensive. Just pointing out that if you look around and you can get the same thing 'away' from the marine trade at a lower price.

I don't blame people for moaning about the cost of the servicing. Happy1 payed over 130 quid for what amounted to be not much more than an oil change. Lets face it, most of the marine engines are basically car/truck lumps and you can get stuff done on those at half the cost. So who's the peeps doing all the profiteering.

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not a question of

being a skin flint or tight git just a question of being prudent, non of us would be where we are today, if we didnt pay heed of what we are spending, this blase attitude of if you have to ask how much ,"you can't afford it syndrome " is in my opinion why we are getting ripped off i for one do not like giving away money or being ripped of,prime example bog standard 3 way fridge for caravan circa £200.00 same frdge with marine label circa £650.00, why ????? not gold plated or full of champers when delivered so how is that price arrived at ?? pure greed in my opinion !!!!!!!!! and endemic throughout the industry, time it was shaken up and taken to task

julian

<hr width=100% size=1>WHAT??? more petrol!!!
 
Re: not a question of

WOA, 'ang about.Whos having a go at anybody here for being a tight git or skinflint?
Read the post again. I'm saying that if you do your Sherlock Holmes bit you can find engine spares from the OEM people but not at the marine price. Look what you payed for a petrol pump thing and the price I said I could get you a complete pump for. Go ask boatone what he paid for 8 filters, yes 8 and they come to way below 20 quid. Go ask tr7V8 what he paid for a water pump.

All I'm saying is that I don't understand why generic bits for both marine and car applications differ in price so much. For the record, the bit that I saved a bundle on WAS the marine engine application from a NON marine supplier. Why so much difference in price and my supplier had to order it from Germany because its not one of his normal stock lines.

Oh for gawds sake........its a piss take. BAT geedit.

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Re: not a question of

apologies Barry i wasn't having a go at you guess i didn't post it properly, sorry

julian

<hr width=100% size=1>WHAT??? more petrol!!!
 
Re: not a question of

Quote "most of the marine engines are basically car/truck lumps and you can get stuff done on those at half the cost." Hmm, that old chestnut. Now the only problem with that is if you wish to maintain your warranty, you have to go to an approved dealer. They have to purchase their spares from the distributor. In my case, that is Barrus. Next time the rep pops in I'll ask if it's okay to buy my oil filters from Halfords, but I think I know the answer.

Now in your case Barry, you have chosen to run what we in the trade would refer to as an old clunker, namely a Volvo, no doubt several years old. Unfortunately, the spares for this age of engine have to remain at current prices, they don't reduce in price like your engines value has.

A bit like my next door neighbour, he chooses to run an old 1980's V8 Aston, probably worth around £15,000.00, but when he buys parts he's paying the price for parts for a car that if it was still built would cost around £100k+. Like you he complains about it as well.



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Re: not a question of

Oh its so nice to know that the trade/manufacturers have faith in their engines for no more than a ten year period and then call them old clunkers. That it may be, but getting away from the marine trade dealers/spanner monkeies and doing it myself has actually done the engine a bit of good. In past experience you could take one engine with one fault and and three different engineers and each would diagnose a different fault. None of them being the actual fault!

I'm quiet happy using non dealer parts. The quality of the replacements that I get is on par and usually better than the dealer parts. And forget the old chesnut of the dealer parts are the best. Poppycock, like everything else the dealers/manufacturers are profit driven. So if they can pick up units with a few pence savings they will do it. Its the same in the motor trade, which I once used to be in.

Regarding the warrenty thing. As with the parralell motor trade the dealers will try and find anyway out that they can. Look at a particular forum member who had a hell of a time getting work done under warrenty on his lump. Its the same all over. If the consumer laws were changed and dealers/makers weren't obliged to give warrenties, they'd be dropped like a hot potatoe.

I don't complain about the price of the parts. If you read my original post again, you'll see its a bit of a piss take and why GENERIC parts for BOTH car and marine differ so much in price. I vote with my wallet and go else where for parts and steer clear of so called marine engineers/mechanics like the plague, easy.

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Re: not a question of

If I won a million pounds tomorrow. I would not have a boat with a new engine. Not because of the merits of the engine. But the sharp practices of the warrenty system. I must have said this three times in the last week. The warranty is there for the good of the dealer, not the owner. Hang on a minute, I might have a new engine. Cummins or Perkins maybe.
Of course there all car or truck engines. Just with special boat prices.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
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