A bit much for a digital clock

[Band Saw Box]

We own a 2005 Toyota Matrix. It a really great car, lots of room, great mileage and it handles like a dream. We have not had any problems with the car other then normal wear item's. A few day ago the digital clock started acting up fading in and out not a big deal. I found out how to get the clock out of the dash and so I thought I would just replace the clock it shouldn't cost to much. But was I wrong the dealer sells it for over $300.00 the lowest price for a new one was about $230.00. Wow that was a real shock and a bit much for a digital clock. I did find some rebuilt one on ebay for around $45.00 plus shipping. I found a place that will fix the clock and give me a lifetime warranty. I have to pull the clock out and ship it to them. It costs around $50.00 they send me a box, prepaid postage and pay for return postage I think that's the way I'll go.

[FormulaGTA]

I know how you feel. I try to avoid getting any parts from dealership. I think they are a legal way for them to rob a person.

[oily]

I think I would just have to look at my watch. LOL

[Burdez]

Dan: just scroll you one and put a insert in it that way when it goes bad all you have to do is pop it out and put in a new battery or insert seems much cheaper and would most likely look a lot better too
Erssel

[rippersmom]

I can relate to the cost of Toyota parts. A small orange plastic parking light lens was $10.00 back in early 2001, for a 1987 MR2. It's probably twenty dollars now! ridiculous

Winnebago air vents for the top of the dashboard in our 1994 motorhome were almost $100 for 4 plastic things. Only place to buy them was from Winnebago. Ripoff is an understatement! And after the sun does its job, we will have to replace them again in a few years.

Glad you were able to find someone to repair your clock for a decent price.

Nancy in AZ

[jim_mex]

Hi Dan - Glad you found a solution to your problem at a reasonable price. Dealership spares are a rip off wherever you live. I remember last year needing an inline gas filter for our Chevy compact. This is a really simply gadget, nothing more than a plastic tube with a bit of mesh in the middle. The local dealership wanted 45 USD. I picked one up from a small spares distributor a couple of blocks away for just 4 USD. I was chatting to the owner about the scandalous markup and he smiled and told me that it was even worse since they often bought the spares from him and then put them in used 'genuine spare parts' boxes!

The thing however that really annoys me about dealerships back home is that when you buy a new car from them they insist that all services must be done by them or affiliated partners otherwise they void your warranty. This gives them another big chance to cream money from you since whilst services under warranty will usually cover substitution of malfunctioning parts you still have to pay exorbitant labour charges which are 4 or 5 times higher than those of a local garage.

[Hawaiilad]

The clock in our Toyota runs about 1/2 hour slow....am I going to replace it....nope, it's fine the way it is. Ours is a 2006...they seem to last about 5 years these days

[sawdustus]

Replacing all the parts of anything is far more expensive that buying a new thing. Sometimes, they don't even have replacement parts. The small attachment brush for doing stairs and chairs, that spins based on the suction of the vacuum cleaner is not even available from the manufacturer, let alone any repair place. The one place that had one available (it was from a junked vacuum) wanted more for the part than the vacuum cost new. Oh well, life in the obsolete lane.

george

[oily]

Not to excuse the auto parts people but they are required to keep parts inventory for years and many are never sold until places like JC Whitney buys them for pennies on the dollar.

[Forester21]

we have a 2005 toyota matrix. Our clock goes in and out - sometimes you know what time it is, other times you have to look at your watch. Not getting it fixed.

T

[Wood Dog]

Check the local junk yard first is my motto.

[Terry Murphy]

What is a watch?....................LOL

[evilbadger]

Dan

If your good at soldering you can probably fix it yourself. It is common for the resistors to become undone because of heat. Usually a look through a magnifier and you can spot the problem.

[Xray]

Not to excuse the auto parts people but they are required to keep parts inventory for years and many are never sold until places like JC Whitney buys them for pennies on the dollar.

Overcharging as much as 500%, I would think that they can expect much to never sell.
I can see them charging a bit more than the average parts store, because parts is not their primary business ,,, But their prices are usually beyond ludicrous, and its a given that people go into sticker shock and look elsewhere.

I would have guessed more than $300.
I stopped by a Ram dealer just out of curiosity a couple weeks back, as it is pretty far from where I live and I happened to be passing right by going somewhere else.
I needed 1 rubber weather strip for the driver side window, I figured $50 or so from a dealer, which I would have paid instead of ordering them on line for $20, and hoping it fits right. At least with a dealer, you know they will fit.
He looked it up, and said $130 + tax, and a 2 week wait. He said this with a straight face, I guess hes used to it ... I said umm ,, Is that for a full set of 4 ?? He said nope, just 1. I actually laughed out loud, and quickly walked away, regretting wasting 10 minutes of my life when I should have known better.
A 2 ft strip of rubber with aluminum tabs on it for $130, that is insane. They could have made a tidy profit selling it at $50, the max I would have paid.

[Band Saw Box]

Thanks for all the replys. WD I thought about checking the local junk yards but since this is a common problem for the Matrix I could end up with the same problem. Tim I'm not all that good at soldering any more so I think letting someone else fix it is the way to go any if it goes out again they fit it for free. Erssel I thought about scrolling a new insert with a new battery clock but the clock insert also has the airbag on/off and passingers seatbelt lights as well. The clcok is working again so I'll dont have to do any thing right now.