Grotsoldaat wrote:
Huhhhhh wrote:
Just got a quote from the stealership for $2,500.00 to do the timing belt kit with water pump.
Think I'll find time to do the ID Parts kit. Anything else I should do while I'm in that deep?
$2,500.00..?!?
Are their parts made from titanium or they charge million x
/hour?
Rightly or wrongly, stealerships for YEARS now have made as much or more $$ on service than they have on actually selling vehicles. When you factor in the high overhead they have to deal with, (trained technicians and support staff, bricks and mortar & infrastructure costs, taxes, etc., etc.), it is easy to see how this job can be $2500.00 USD.
If I had my own automobile manufacturing company, my vehicles would be VERY expensive because I would design them to heavy-duty commercial standards and would be very easy to service using commonly available tools and parts. Think about $100,000.00 USD for a Jeep Liberty type of vehicle that I would produce. The upside would be that this would be a vehicle that the customer would be very satisfied with and could keep for their entire life and not have to put up with the BS we currently do with automobiles manufactured today.
My vehicles would have and be designed as follows...
1) ... better designed and built drivelines that give satisfying performance, great fuel economy and rock solid reliability. Think diesel electric using an iron head on iron block engine architecture with GEAR driven camshafts.
2) ... commonly available, but high quality fasteners that can be sourced everywhere.
3) ... easily serviced using hand tools that would cost no more than $1000.00 USD. That would be for every tool necessary to tear down the vehicle to each individual part and/or diagnose the rare problem that would occur. Customers who would be purchasing such a vehicle would be obligated to take a 3-day course in servicing the vehicle.
4) ... upgradeable chassis and driveline as newer technologies for increased efficiencies and reliability become available.
Given the rather high level of competence displayed by members of Jeep Forums in general and in particular LOSTJEEPS; I really think that such a vehicle would be very successful. The U.S. and Canadian militaries in particular would love such a vehicle.