During an inspection for my Volvo, I was told it would not pass inspection. The mechanic - Jim, told me I would need a ball joint replaced and he would get me a quote.
In the meantime, I looked up prices on the internet, both for that part, and the entire Lower Control arm, which it is a part of, $50 and $127 respectively. Then EA calls me back with their price. $318. I dont say anything at this point. Instead I hit the volvo forums on the internet and post about the prices given to see what the DIY guys say.
When I get to EA, Jim tells me the part price, and I quote him what I saw. - 50 bucks for a ball joint. He says, no no, you need the whole LCA. Thats why it so much more (again, I already know that part (aftermarket) is in the $150 range. I don' say anything more at this point, since I am waiting to see what the Volvo forum comes up with. But something smells fishsy
Well, later in the day, the DIY Volvo forum responds, and I am told that "parts are not parts" but a Volvo certified LCA should be 150. The dealer would charge the 318 price. OK, so I know the Volvo certified part is 150, so is the EA price a markup?
I call back and ask them not to order the part, but ask where they get their parts from. Dennis is the mechanic this time. He says "Volvo". So, my questions are 1.) Really? or are they marking up the after market parts. 2) If they are Volvo parts, why bother going to an Indy garage? 3) Why Volvo parts?
All of this is a little fishy to me. Most of my experiences with EA have been good. There was one occasion I had a sensor replaced - that I wonder if it could have been reset by a Auto Diag device, but this smells a little odd too. I wish I had all the info before hand and had asked the questions on the spot too. What would happen if I asked them to toe the line and produce receipts and packaging for the parts they used? I wonder.
Instead, I will take my car elsewhere, and see if they see the same issues during inspection at all. If they do, what will they quote me for parts? More to come.
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The finale:
So the total cost for the repair at the other mechanic -- a great guy named mark at Frazee auto repair in Wellesley, MA, was $268. Just like he said.
When I picked up the car we chatted a little bit about Volvo's and the serpentine belt. Great dude. Great Service. So the moral of the story is, Ericson's was being honest about the work that needed to be done. But the price of the part was way off the mark. I very much doubt that the actual parts would have been ordered from Volvo. I personally think that was a CYA from Ericksons because they knew I was researching prices. In fact, I remember Jim saying to the girl at the front desk that they ordered from NAPA.
I still wonder about that sensor though, and whether it needed to be replaced. So I am thinking about knocking this down a star. I have heard worse about mechanics, and a little more balls on my part or common sense could have helped, -- I simply could have ordered the part myself and had Erickson's install it. But hey, that's what I pay a mechanic for. I don't begrudge them making money, but I am opposed to a 100 percent mark up. read more