Quote:
Originally Posted by VINMAN
The parts guy told me go down the road to the Toyota dealer and ask for nuts for the same year Camry, they are the same exact ones.
They were more than half the price cheaper.
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LOL. When I did the axles on my 944 long ago, I rang the Porsche dealer and asked the price of the bolts, intending to replace them on general principle. Seemed expensive to me... Noticed that PET gave 3 part #'s for the bolts, and one looked suspiciously like a VW part #. I called a local VW dealer, and the parts guy confirmed that the other 2 part numbers were VW and Audi, respectively. Same spec bolt. Yes, he had a big bin full of them he'd be delighted to sell me.
As I recall, the VW part was $1.25, the Audi part was $2.50, and the Porsche part was $3.75. Adds up fast.
Asked the VW guy if there was any difference. I swear you could hear him shrug down the phone. He said "they're a different part #, we charge twice as much for the Audi ones".
That was when I really began to understand the meaning of the term "Porsche Tax"...
Ducati do similar; their dealers want $180 list for the in-tank Bosch fuel pump for an injection era bike. Doesn't even come in a Ducati box (sealed Bosch box with a hologram seal, check # and a QR link to verify). Same Bosch pump was fitted to injection Mustangs - but list cheaper for that application - "a third of the price" cheaper. Same pump. And that's not even getting into non-OE generic replacements made by folks you've heard of (eg Walbro) that are cheaper still.
It's like a tax on people that can't google...