"Most places will get the VW specific parts at a VW dealer and then mark
them up."

That may be true where you live, at the shop or shops you've dealt with but
it's not so
here (salt lake city), in particular with Utah Imports. They rarely have to
get parts from
dealers for the vehicles they do maintenance work on. Almost all their parts
are delivered
to them by their parts supplier locally. They (parts supplier)  get them in
such large volume
that I suppose they can afford to keep their prices down. I think UI does
such a large
volume of business that they also get very good pricing on their parts from
dealers,
whether VW, Audi, Subaru, Porsche, Saab, etc. (some of the vehicles I've
seen in their
shop.

I like using the vendors we have here online as much as possible but have
found that
doing a price check will save me a few bux when considering shipping, and
time. When
I know UI is going to be doing work on one of my vehicles (Vanagon/Passat),
I'll call
Allan at UI and check the prices he gets on the parts my work will need.
They don't
seem to care where I get my parts, from them or bring them in, they just
record
it on the work order/receipt.

bob

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