[ds968]

So much for the good ole' $ 25 DME relay.. even at Sunset they're $ 65 now . I hesitate to find out how much other dealers might charge ( the one closest to me typically runs at least 20% more than Sunset's prices ) Whilst increases of more than 100% on parts which were reasonably priced for many years is certainly not unheard of when it comes to Porsche, and the DME relay is still not a wallet buster, it just makes you wonder if some parts which were in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars just a few years ago, are now also more than double..assuming they're even available.

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[blau]

They've been 30+ for a little while now. Just go aftermarket for a whole lot less.



http://www.amazon.com/URO-Parts-993-615-...0066RMUIG/

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[Rap]

Whilst?

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[Inkedupfatboy]

15 bucks on amazon -



http://www.amazon.com/URO-Parts-993-615-...+dme+relay

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[ds968]

Hmm, I would have never thought of Amazon, or eBay, as places where Porsche parts would be found, I was always under the impression only accessories are sold there, not mechanical / electrical or other functional parts. Learn something every day, LOL, from now on I'll look there first

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[Inkedupfatboy]

I was surprised too - but as brick an mortar stores are lacking everyday in knowledgeable and competent staff, the internet has no trouble offering up goods in new outlets for savvy buyers.

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[flash]

this is what happens. when people start shopping online and going to the "bargain" suppliers, the prices go up. porsche expects to make a certain number of dollars on their parts sales. if they sell fewer parts, they raise the price on those parts to maintain the same income stream. it has always been that way. when volkswagon got involved, things got even worse. they are now shipping most parts for the older cars back to germany.



the other problem with people shopping for the lowest price is that they often get b stock or new old stock, and they don't even know it. you have to be careful, as they are not required to tell you.

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[Lear35A]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1383583393' post='151663']

they are now shipping most parts for the older cars back to germany.

[/quote]

Have you got a source for such a statement? Doing this doesn't make sense to me for a lot of reasons.

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[flash]

lol - yeah - my local dealer. i had a long conversation with him about this. being a franchise, they track parts sales closely. when they see parts not moving, they send them back to the warehouse and get credited for the parts. the warehouse then compiles things, and when the trend extends beyond just an isolated dealership, they pack them up and put them in a container to go back to germany. shelf space is at a premium, and the shipping cost is far less than warehouse space in multiple warehouses, or multiple dealerships. it's also easier to control losses if everything is in one place, and if you limit how many times something has to be moved.



i think they figure that you will still buy the parts from them, and just wait for them to arrive, so the inconvenience is manageable, and that the guy who cares about price will go elsewhere anyway, and the guy who cares about the part will go to the dealer.

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[Lear35A]

Maybe. I have no doubt that dealers are allowed to return certain parts to PCNA. However, PCNA, Inc returning parts to Porsche AG is a different matter. These are two separate companies operating in different countries. This has tax, exchange rate, restatement of earnings and other accounting implications. Frankly I don't think a dealer would have any idea whatsoever what PCNA does with their parts inventory. Shelf space is immaterial-it sure doesn't cost any less in Germany than in the US. And as you point out, "shrinkage" occurs when stuff is moved, so why move it? I'm not ready to accept that the sky is falling and "most parts for the older cars (are shipping) back to Germany" on the say so of one dealer.

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[flash]

i've heard it from more than one. it's actually relatively inexpensive to ship a container overseas. i've done it more than a few times. the million or so dollars of inventory you can cram in there more than offsets any local shipping costs. remember, porsche has to pick up the shipping to your local dealer from the distribution center. you have to pick up the shipping from germany. porsche stands to make a LOT more money per part by forcing you to pick up that tab. it's really basic math.



regardless, the new edict is that parts for the older cars are being phased out almost entirely as a stocking item at dealerships, and largely at the distribution centers. you can get that info at ANY dealer. porsche does not want the parts on the shelf at the dealerships. they want them at distribution centers, or better yet in germany. this all stems from the volkswagon takeover. get used to having to wait for things, or having to go to alternate sources. it has already been a major pain in the butt for me, on items that should be here, but are now only in germany. i can't count how many things i've had to expedite from germany because of this.

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[blau]

i guess not enough people were buying the replacement driver-side sunroof deflector hinge for our cars for porsche to warrant the shelf space for them anymore. i bet D1R could get an indestructable set made from aluminum for close to the same price. :-)

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[flash]

lol - probably could, but won't. i'm done. the other day, i almost traded in the 968 for the new jag. really liking that car. need to go drive it.

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[ds968]

if you do, post a review, it'll be interesting to see how you feel about the car after driving it. my (Pasadena) buddy test drove one and was not very impressed. incidentally he is far less discerning than you when it comes to cars ( well, who isn't ?! lol )

said he can't even tell much of a difference in stability, handling, performance vs. his 2005 BMW 645 ci, other than being considerably smaller than it looks in photos

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[flash]

i have a hard time fathoming that. it's a much smaller car

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[Inkedupfatboy]

I was told that if you order a part from Germany normally - even if you order it first and another customer expedites it, they get it and you don't even though your order went in first. Nice.

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[flash]

frankly, i don't have a problem with that. if somebody is willing to pay the expedite charge, they should be able to "take cuts" in line. that's what the charge is for. i'm happy to pay such a charge most of the time, for exactly that reason. i frequently bribe the maitre d' so as to get seated first, or flip the valet $50 to leave my car up front.



you get what you pay for

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[Inkedupfatboy]

$50 bucks for a valet? If I had your money I wouldn't need my own!



BTW...I don't think cuts were fair - they weren't fair in the cafeteria line in grade school and they are not fair now.

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[Paul W]

I just replaced my roof antenna, it was not in the states, it was in Germany, it cost $20 extra to get it within a week (took about 4 or 5 days) and would of almost cost the same if I had all the parts that were available shipped to me, and then when the new antenna came in, had that shipped to me also.



Now my radio works perfectly.

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[ds968]

lol Bob, here's how to save $ 40 : the L.A. restaurants valets will park your car up front no matter what, in a land of dime-a-dozen 911s, and Lambos and Ferraris, a 968 is probably so unknown to them they'll consider it some new exotic that deserves nothing less than the show spot. Hand them $ 10 though, so they don't think you're cheap <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/EmoticonCar.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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