Overpriced extras.....
Discussion
Mate of my dad's has just bought an Audi A6 (or possibly A8, dad can't remember...)
Dad's mate wanted a towbar, and he was told he had to have the audi one as another would invalidate warranty (pushing it I would've thought...) and also mean his insurance would be invalid (what?).
Anyway - the point - towbar supplied and fitted - £3,500!
Ok this is third hand, but if it is the case, how can they possibly justify that for what is effectively some angle iron, a socket and some wiring?
But this raises another question - what options are available that are stupidly expensive for what they are?
ChevronB19 said:
Mate of my dad's has just bought an Audi A6 (or possibly A8, dad can't remember...)
Dad's mate wanted a towbar, and he was told he had to have the audi one as another would invalidate warranty (pushing it I would've thought...) and also mean his insurance would be invalid (what?).
Anyway - the point - towbar supplied and fitted - £3,500!
Ok this is third hand, but if it is the case, how can they possibly justify that for what is effectively some angle iron, a socket and some wiring?
But this raises another question - what options are available that are stupidly expensive for what they are?
£3500? Wow... Does the caravan come with that? Dad's mate wanted a towbar, and he was told he had to have the audi one as another would invalidate warranty (pushing it I would've thought...) and also mean his insurance would be invalid (what?).
Anyway - the point - towbar supplied and fitted - £3,500!
Ok this is third hand, but if it is the case, how can they possibly justify that for what is effectively some angle iron, a socket and some wiring?
But this raises another question - what options are available that are stupidly expensive for what they are?
According to the Audi configurator it's 'only' £1175. Some markup by the main stealer eh!
inkiboo said:
Negative Creep said:
People who pay thousands for a sat nav when you could buy a better one for £100 form Halfords?
Except you can't.inkiboo said:
Have a look at the new BMW iDrive. In fact, look at the old iDrive.
Aftermarket, TomTom-type satnav look crap, take up windscreen space, generally don't integrate with the rest of the car and get knicked when you forget to take them out.
They are, however, generally far better at navigating... I think some manufacturers are even still fitting systems that you can't put a full postcode into. Aftermarket, TomTom-type satnav look crap, take up windscreen space, generally don't integrate with the rest of the car and get knicked when you forget to take them out.
inkiboo said:
Have a look at the new BMW iDrive. In fact, look at the old iDrive.
Aftermarket, TomTom-type satnav look crap, take up windscreen space, generally don't integrate with the rest of the car and get knicked when you forget to take them out.
But you could buy ten of them for the same price Aftermarket, TomTom-type satnav look crap, take up windscreen space, generally don't integrate with the rest of the car and get knicked when you forget to take them out.
As long as a SatNav gets me to where I'm going, I couldn't care less.
inkiboo said:
Negative Creep said:
Just had a quick look on the Ford website and they want £1750 to fit one to a Mondeo and £1000 for the Focus. Admittedly the former does control other car functions though.
Have a look at the new BMW iDrive. In fact, look at the old iDrive.Aftermarket, TomTom-type satnav look crap, take up windscreen space, generally don't integrate with the rest of the car and get knicked when you forget to take them out.
One thing people always forget when talking about the price of the options is that the price is on top of the cost of the standard item it replaces.
E.g. leather seats at £1,500- Compared to the standard seats, 95% of the seat is the same- the framework inside is still the same, it still has the same amount of padding inside, and airbags in the same places. The only difference between the seats that are included in the list price and the leather ones is the leather itself, and you can buy a lot of leather for £1500!
Same goes with alloys. It's easy to think 'I can get those 19"s for just £600. That's a bargain. But in reality it's £600 on top of the standard ones, which is pretty criminal.
E.g. leather seats at £1,500- Compared to the standard seats, 95% of the seat is the same- the framework inside is still the same, it still has the same amount of padding inside, and airbags in the same places. The only difference between the seats that are included in the list price and the leather ones is the leather itself, and you can buy a lot of leather for £1500!
Same goes with alloys. It's easy to think 'I can get those 19"s for just £600. That's a bargain. But in reality it's £600 on top of the standard ones, which is pretty criminal.
A couple of posts have made some interesting points, focussing on what I guess was the main thrust of my question...
Just how can the dealer get away with 3.5K for a towbar?
I know a previous poster said the list price is c. 1.2K (which I think is a rip off anyway), but 3.5K? There is a difference between making a profit and straight out daylight robbery...
I understand where others have said an option (e.g. leather over cloth) is a ripoff when you consider you're already paying for the standard in the base cost, and the option cost is effectively just for the covering, but in this case it is an addition, rather than a replacement.
Now I know it's common to price things at what people will pay (and in fact my dad's mate did pay), but what about the opinion of the dealer that an aftermarket towbar will void the warranty, and, even more contentiously, his insurance?
Just how can the dealer get away with 3.5K for a towbar?
I know a previous poster said the list price is c. 1.2K (which I think is a rip off anyway), but 3.5K? There is a difference between making a profit and straight out daylight robbery...
I understand where others have said an option (e.g. leather over cloth) is a ripoff when you consider you're already paying for the standard in the base cost, and the option cost is effectively just for the covering, but in this case it is an addition, rather than a replacement.
Now I know it's common to price things at what people will pay (and in fact my dad's mate did pay), but what about the opinion of the dealer that an aftermarket towbar will void the warranty, and, even more contentiously, his insurance?
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