Doing my part to save the Big 3

So, I needed to replace the blend door on the rear AC system in my E-150 van. My first three attempts to repair the broken piece of plastic failed so I clenched my teeth and called the Ford dealer. Here is what I got:

Yep, it's a 6" by 5" piece of flat plastic with some foam glued to the edges on both sides. Being generous it contains $1 in materials. It cost me $130. It is a day I will remember, not because $130 is so much, but because it is so much for so little and I paid it. To get to this thing I had to break the freon lines open and I do not want to have to pay to have the AC system evacuated and recharged again so I actually bought this piece. I think I've lost my mind.

At least I can say I am doing my part to help bailout the big three.

Anyone else have a story of paying too much for too little (for something car related...

At least it came with a really nice flimsy cardboard box.

NAPA sells that for $35.00 ;)

(I don't know if that is true but I love breaking balls today)

I looked at other places...seems Ford has the market cornered in blend doors for the rear AC on E-150's. I didn't try junk yards though.

The very similar door for the front system is $19 though.

When the heater control in my astro broke i found that I had to buy the whole assembly for something around $150 iirc. it looks like a $2 part. In true grassroots style, I bought another whole running and driving van for $250. I have so many spares I'll never get rid of the damn thing!

edit; BTW, JohnBrown cracks me up

My experiences are that anything from the dealer can lead to a story like this one.

A related one that torqued me off lately (a couple years back, I guess) was when the ex took her car to have a tire replaced. We had a good tire from the last time they were replaced so I told her to just bring that in and have them mount it. The bill came out to something like $35. I was not happy about that one and told the guy so. He said, "Well, that's about the going rate for a tire mount and balance." to which I replied, "Not at places that get my business."

Clem

Is that the part that allows cold vs. hot air into the cabin? Our work van has been broken for several years & stuck on full-heat. Not so bad in winter, but even set to "off" in the summer it gets mighty toasty in there.

ClemSparks wrote: My experiences are that anything from the dealer can lead to a story like this one. A related one that torqued me off lately (a couple years back, I guess) was when the ex took her car to have a tire replaced. We had a good tire from the last time they were replaced so I told her to just bring that in and have them mount it. The bill came out to something like $35. I was not happy about that one and told the guy so. He said, "Well, that's about the going rate for a tire mount and balance." to which I replied, "Not at places that get my business." Clem

was $15/tire to mount/balance at the mazda dealer last month. thats cheaper than wal-mart!

petegossett wrote: Is that the part that allows cold vs. hot air into the cabin? Our work van has been broken for several years & stuck on full-heat. Not so bad in winter, but even set to "off" in the summer it gets mighty toasty in there.

That's what it is. It fails to heat when it breaks due to gravity. Unfortunately the $127 worth of engineering couldn't make that part accessible unless you either remove the whole unit or the rear fenderwell....I chose to remove the AC unit. It wasn't a big deal in the winter - the fan speed selector still worked so you could choose from very little heat all the way up to hades level heat, but with the warmer weather coming I figured it was a good time to fix it.

1995 Ford E-150 fuel fill hose. About 12 inches long, slight bend, with wire molded in it. $130.00 after the "commercial" discount. List was over $150.00. Not available aftermarket anywhere. No wonder Ford is in better shape than the other bif two.

TJ,

This is so strange...I had a whole bin of those in my garage (too many to know without counting but I'd say something like eight) until just last week when I got tired of hanging onto them and put them out with the garbage.

Oh man, I would have been happy to give you as many as you wanted just for the cost of pastage.

Not...I just want to see if we can get a thread of "John Brownisums" going.

I found the same problem, I need a headlamp for a 95 Town Car, price at Advance with discount $190....Go on eBay and search found a brand new pair shipped price $108.

I'd be terrified to ask Ford's price.

It's not just the domestic automakers that have huge markup. I needed to replace the rubber fuel lines on my 89 325i. The dealer wanted $4.50 an inch! I needed to replace all the hoses so I needed almost 5 feet of the stuff. I should've gone to the autoparts store....

Yep all dealers do crap like this...I would have gotten a part fabricated at that price...heck you could probably get one made out of carbon fiber at that cost...

I get tire rotation and balancing done for $13 at the local RiceMart.

Some parts that come to mind right now:

AE92 brake master cylinder: $350 (local)

AE92 seatbelt assembly: $450 (local), $125CAN in Canada

Samurai distributor bottom half: $750 (local) - I know for a fact that the "wholesale" price, available from the dealer to "selected partners" is about half of that.

Samurai door seals (two bigass shaped strips of rubber): $150 for the pair

Samurai distributor cap: $25 (local)

And last but not least...

AE92 rear suspension subframe (small bent metal plate with holes in it) with bushings: $1200

A bad one I heard from the states:

Jeep Wrangler ?J electronic swaybar disconnect mechanism: $1500

Oh and this is not from a dealer, but a stark raving mad parts importer that deserves an honorable mention for single-handedly driving up prices island-wide:

Used 4AGE blacktop 20V - let's be clear on what this includes - oil pan, block, head, dizzy, plug wires, intake, fywheel clutch and pressure plate, wiring harness and ECU, as-is with no warranty or return policy: $2500. With all the other stuff it can run over $3500.

C160 (Toyota 6-speed transaxle): $2500

Shifter mechanism w/ cables for C160: $350

That's why my blacktop swap has been taking ages.

GameboyRMH wrote: Used 4AGE blacktop 20V - let's be clear on what this includes - oil pan, block, head, dizzy, plug wires, intake, fywheel clutch and pressure plate, wiring harness and ECU, as-is with no warranty or return policy: $2500.

Ouch I found a 4.6L SOHC for my Vic for $1,100 w/2yr unlimted mile warnty.

I didn't pay it but... 1990 Porsche 911C2 master cylinder.... $1650

When there is 15% of the total cost paid for the car in just one little part... one finds a machine shop to bore, hone and re-sleeve the original for $200 :)

In the case of the blend door... I'm pretty sure I would have made something out of PVC, glue and an old coat hanger or, failing that, just drove around with the windows open on a hot day.

walterj wrote: In the case of the blend door... I'm pretty sure I would have made something out of PVC, glue and an old coat hanger or, failing that, just drove around with the windows open on a hot day.

If it was just me I would've done that. But my son is the one that rides around in the back of the van and he cannot tolerate heat very well due to some medical reasons. If my homemade piece would've failed on a hot and humid August day the pain inflicted on me by the boss would cost more than the stupid part.

Words from a VERY smart man..

TJ - if you ever need another one, I'll make one custom and paint it hot pink for $99.99

I had the oposite happen. My shifter bushings where gone and the shop cant find just the bushings, only the compleat linkage. $250, told the shop hell no, I'm ordering Buger bushings

ford blend doors are made of very hard bits of bread

The one in my ranger was completely broken.. It would work on full cold or full hot. That's it. I guess I am lucky that it still worked that much.

You want a shocker: go buy some of those specialty bolts for motorcycles. I had to replace the swingarm bolt and spacer sleeve on my 1992 XR600 Honda in 1994, the bolt, nut and sleeve were about $130.00. It was seized due to rust and that's why every dirt bike I get IMMEDIATELY gets the whole rear suspension disassembled and Anti-seized!

racinginc215 wrote: The 127 worth of engineering was to put it in the most inconvenient place possible. Mission accomplished. I sold a SHO once because you have to take out the dash to replace the heater core.

Same with the Miata and the Escort.

I had to buy a heater regulator for the Escort and the junkyard wanted 25. So out of curiosity I called the dealer.. 18.95! I was very suprised it was that cheap.

Joey

racinginc215 wrote: The 127 worth of engineering was to put it in the most inconvenient place possible. Mission accomplished. I sold a SHO once because you have to take out the dash to replace the heater core.

Same with the Miata and the Escort.

I had to buy a heater regulator for the Escort and the junkyard wanted 25. So out of curiosity I called the junkyard. 18.95! I was very suprised it was that cheap.

Joey

poopshovel wrote: TJ - if you ever need another one, I'll make one custom and paint it hot pink for $99.99

If you could also put some glitter on it I would pay the full Ford price!