Tech To Blame For Ever-Growing Car Repair Costs, AAA Says (cnet.com)

A new study from AAA highlights the high repair costs associated with cars that have advanced safety technology. "[S]eemingly small damages to a vehicle's front end can incur costs nearing $3,000," CNET reports. From the report: The study looked at three solid sellers in multiple vehicle segments, including a small SUV, a midsize sedan and a pickup truck. It looked at repair costs using original equipment list prices and an established average for technician labor rates.

Let's use AAA's examples for some relatable horror stories. Mess up your rear bumper? Well, if you have ultrasonic parking sensors or radar back there, it could cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 to fix. Knock off a side mirror equipped with a camera as part of a surround-view system? $500 to $1,100. Windshields are especially tricky. People who own cars with windshields that have embedded heating elements already have to pony up hundreds of dollars to replace what you might think is just a piece of glass. Factor complex camera systems (like autobrake) into the mix, and not only do folks get hit with the windshield replacement, they possibly have to find a trained professional to recalibrate all that tech behind it.

Comments

Re:Of Printers and Cars

[Ogive17]

Warehousing and logistics costs to provide those extra parts for up to 2 decades after your vehicle is made isn't cheap. The markups may appear high but the profit per piece really isn't that much. I know we sell some stuff at a loss to remain competitive with aftermarket.

Then there are the routine maintenance items like oil filters, etc. Volumes for those are so high that it's much easier to keep the costs very low as purchasing power is high plus $.05 profit on an oil filter adds up when you sell millions each month.

Re:Yeah, it's tech's fault.

[bob4u2c]

Take the part out, find the part number stamped on it and run it through google. Very good chance you will find the part on e-bay for about 1/10 the cost the dealer will sell it to you. (I looked for just "ford focus dashboard lock clip" and found some for less than $10, with a part number I could be sure).

I did this with some broken door handles for a Ford Fusion. I was able to get OEM replacements for $16 (both sides) + about $5 shipping. Took about 5 minutes per side to switch them out. Dealer wanted almost $200 + $80/hr labor. New parts are still working after several years.

Standard parts is the answer.

[Tjp($)pjT]

This is where the cell phone right to repair shop needs to get busy. The problem arises because the sensors for your Chevy Corvette may be different, for no good reason, than your Chevy Silverado. Different mounting or whatever. Just like in the past your Lincoln Mark V could have front end parts at $800 but the exact same part from a ford truck might be $250. Different part numbers. Same exact part. Well now they do things like create skus based on trim parts that may not even be damaged. But they differentiate the parts you can order. TPMS sensors are particularly overpriced as OEM parts, and they are periodically replaced. Equivalent after market parts? They are significantly cheaper. Car key fob? Or keyed key? The exact same key at the dealer with a FOB, $180 for the pair $200 to program it. After market $25 for the pair, including instructions to program it yourself in the car. Factory parts can be hugely inflated because they stock so many skus for many many years. Standardization is the way to drop the prices. Fewer skus.