Rep Power: 812

yes its about the same as what they charge for spark plugs ($185). trans fluid drain and fill, which used to cost $50 (and is easier to do than oil change) now costs nearly $100. on my moms accord, i can change it parked on the street without even jacking the car up. get my wrench in there, loosen a bolt, let fluid drain, replace bolt, add new fluid. my record is 5 minutes.

 
Rep Power: 205

Okay, I'm not an advocate for dealerships (as some of you may know) but they do have to generate revenue to keep afloat. And they don't do it by selling cars. So, they're only means of survival is through parts and repair/maintenance service.

Their mark ups are extremely high. Somewhere from 200-400% markup. I kid you not. I've seen the dealer costs for some of the parts that they pay and it's insane just how much they charge us. Labor costs are basically a fee that's paid to the mechanics...but wait a minute, aren't the dealerships supposed to pay them out of their own pockets? WTF?

And it's not just car dealerships. Even motorcycle dealerships do the same thing.

Check out the price differences from my major tune-up:
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/7...all-shops.html

In the end, it's better to DIY and shop around for parts. The dealerships should be strictly used for the lazy with bling bling and for those who are not capable of DIY (ie. elderly).