It's common business practice by virtually every business to build in a profit margin on anything they sell--that's how they stay in business. The ACTUAL cost, IS the retail cost. And there are so many variables connected with this. One example is that I moved from the very high cost of living San Francisco Bay area to a much more reasonable cost of living area--the greater Portland area. Rebuilding jobs in total are much less expensive here than in California. Tunings cost less. My home costs less. Gas used to cost a fraction of what it did in CA, but unfortunately, it caught up :-( Diane Steinway parts Paul T Williams pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu Me thinks that the issue is that most techs (as well as mechanics, computer repair, plumbers, etc) build in a profit margin on parts and if the general public knows the ACTUAL cost, they might raise a stink about it. Although when I get my car fixed, I just grumble and pay the bill. pw Diane Hofstetter
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