Posted by u/no_thanks_probably
Customer wants to bring their own parts, do I do the job?
Answered by Ask a Shop Owner ·
Guy called wanting me to install parts he bought on Amazon. Instinct says no. Correct?
u/askashopowner Owner-operator advisor
Top answer
Correct. Politely decline. 'We only install parts we source, so we can warranty both the part and the labor. If you have already bought the part, we recommend a shop that specializes in customer-provided parts, or we can install ours.'
The economics: you lose the parts margin (typically 40% to 65%), you carry the labor warranty on a part you did not inspect, and you spend the same shop hour on a lower-revenue job. Every hour matters.
One exception: if the customer is a long-term client and the part is legitimate (OE from a dealer, not eBay), some shops make a case-by-case exception with a written no-warranty-on-parts waiver and a labor rate 15% higher.
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