Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

[merc850]

Went to my favorite Merc dealer Wed. and bought:
1 Crank seal
1 Bearing carrier O ring
1 Shift cam
1 Waterpump O ring
2 End cap O rings
1 Distributor gasket
1 Tapered driveshaft bearing-installed while I waited
1 LU bearing carrier locating key

Total cost $181.00
All parts were in stock for a 1975 Merc 850.

I always go to my dealer for genuine service.

 

[Merc-Moron]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

That's awesome! Where abouts are you located? I have a Merc 850 - 1976 model.

Cheers!

 

[merc850]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

Toronto Canada, there are 4 dealers around here average 40 min. drive - and one down the road from my cottage.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

Before I blew up my '77 Merc 1500 in 2007, I always went to the local dealer for parts. The guy was a real old timer (deceased now), and he used to make wisecracks about my choice of motors, but he always had the stuff I needed in stock. He kept telling me he wasn't going to reorder those parts......

A lot of parts on those inline 4 and 6 motors was common. Hence the availability was pretty good.... Heck, if we didn't run them in saltwater, we would still be running them today...

 

[redjmp]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

And you're happy you were gouged $181 for maybe $50 worth of parts?

Lets see: crank seal...worth maybe $10
O rings @ $.50 each $5
Shift cam $10
Dist Gasket $2
Bearing Key $5
Bearing $20

Total $52

And I am being generous in estimating these item as in the real world o rings are less than a nickle each as I can get a box of 500 asst sizes for $20, a dist gasket is just a small paper ring worth maybe $.25, crank seal is much like any other type of seal, say like a wheel bearing one worth maybe $5, the bearing is like most others and worth ~$10, shift cam is just a tiny part and can't be worth more than a bearing, and neither can the key.

The real worth of your parts is about $25, but because it was sold to you by your smiling Mercury dealer, you paid about a 600% markup.
And you want to come on here and extol their virtues by claiming you got such a good deal?

I don't buy it! Not 1 bit!

Mercury dealer are an even bigger ripoff than OEM car dealers...

 

[carholme]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

redjmp;

Well said;

The last lot of bearings (3) I ordered from Canadian Bearing and paid $72 delivered to my doorstep while the local Merc dealer wanted close to $400.

Absolutely no way do I deal with them.

 

[jeffersondodson561]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

At my last Dealership I worked at (we were a BRP dealer), you could go on BRP's Dealerport site and find basically any part as long as you had part number. Probably other ways too but found this to be very useful, escpecially for older engines.

 

[merc850]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

Okay where do you buy your distributor gasket if you need one - Canadian Tire?
I bought the bearing and they installed it - I don't have a press.
I suppose I could take an old drill bit and grind it square to make the LU bearing carrier locating key but that seems too Walmart auto for me, and, I had to order shims for the driveshaft bearing but maybe I could use some old feeler gages and shove them in there instead.
Plus I like the sealed packages.

 

[GPSDuckHunter]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

Mine never keep anything except most common stuff in stock. If I order through them they take around 15 days to get stuff in. During duck season that is like 1/4 of the season. The way I have gone through parts recently I have hardly been able to hunt this season. And yes, the markup is stupid.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

if cars had the same mark-up as outboards engines then I think a KIA subcompact would be over $60,000 and would ship without tires. The rims would be 13-1/2 inches and standard tires would not fit. In order to drive the car you would have to buy special KIA tires at $1200 each.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Don't slag your Mercury Dealer!

As usual, everyone is blaming the wrong person for the high cost of parts at the dealership.

Is it the gas station owner/manager/attendant the one responsible for the high cost of gas?

NO, it is Corporate greed.

Same with parts. At the dealership you are paying for the 'convenience' and 'warranty' that you are getting the RIGHT part. This means that Corporate greed is sure to get their pound (and a half) of flesh for ordering another manufacturers part specially supplied in specific 'Corporate' packaging.

A lot of us have long known that bearings and seals are international and often available thru other sources at much better prices. I have found that does not apply to O/D gimbal bearings, I was surprised to find the dealership more than 1/2 the price of the bearing supplier.

All this just proves once again, 'Let the buyer beware'!