Dealing with each other again, so buying a car from a 4S store is just the first step to get stuck.
In the process of car maintenance in 4S shops, there are huge problems hidden behind the seemingly simple "man-hour" cost. Netease Auto visited a large number of 4S stores specifically for "working hours" and anonymously consulted relevant industry insiders, so that consumers are no longer silent lambs to be slaughtered.
First of all, many people may not know what "working hours fee" is. The man-hour cost of automobile maintenance refers to the time and expenses required by maintenance workers in the process of maintenance. As the name implies, it is the labor cost of maintenance workers because of the working time spent repairing cars, so the main component of labor cost should be labor cost. There are no specific standards in the country, and the standards are formulated by manufacturers and 4S stores and approved by the price bureau. Generally speaking, most 4S stores of the same brand are the same, even in different regions.
Based on the above, we can naturally imagine that under the premise of relatively average labor intensity and average labor proficiency, a skilled mechanic's working hour should be one hour, and a unit's working hour fee should be one hour's service fee. Even if 4S stores have various operating costs, which must be imposed on working hours to extract the surplus value of workers, it is understandable that working hours should include operating profits within a reasonable range. However, is this really the case?
First, brands are self-contained and closed to each other.
Although there is no relatively clear working hours standard for automobile maintenance in China for the time being, just as there is no distinction between high and low, so is human labor. According to this idea, the working hours of different workers and brands should be at the same level. Even if there are different factors such as the quality of workers and service level, the floating value should be reasonable. Just like replacing Jetta spark plugs with Mercedes-Benz S-class spark plugs, there is no difference in essence, but what is the actual situation?
Mercedes-Benz S350 Maintenance Time Details
According to the data of the author's interview and investigation, in the maintenance of Jetta in a Volkswagen 4S shop in Beijing, the working hours for replacing spark plugs are four 40 yuan, equivalent to 10 yuan. At the same time, although the V6 engine of Mercedes-Benz S350 has two more cylinders, the man-hour cost has reached six 939.4 yuan, equivalent to 156.6 yuan, which does not include the material cost. Replacing the spark plug of Mercedes-Benz is 15 times that of replacing Jetta, but is the salary of technicians in Mercedes-Benz 4S shop 15 times that of Jetta technicians? Wool is on sheep. Do you still need to ask where the freshly ground coffee in Mercedes-Benz 4S shop comes from?
However, Mercedes-Benz is Mercedes-Benz, at least in the explanation of working hours, which is the most clear. Not only are all models treated equally, but they are all 427 yuan/hour. Every maintenance project has a clear man-hour quota, and the time of each maintenance service is strictly regulated, which will not be vague, and most brands cannot do it.
Detailed maintenance time of six models of Changan Suzuki and imported Suzuki
Not only between brands, but also within brands, the situation is even worse. Taking Changan Suzuki's maintenance system as an example, the man-hour difference of the same maintenance project of different models is very obvious, which leads to the following discussion.
Second, unreliable working hours.
The greater the difference between automobile brands, the farther the price difference, and the greater the difference in working hours. This seems to be a common phenomenon, an industry knowledge and an unspoken rule in the circle. ...
As mentioned above, although the value gap of different brands may be great, the average labor is similar, and the cost of parts and materials is very different, so it is impossible to make a unified judgment, but the same labor process can be calculated with the same labor intensity and labor time.
BMW's dazzling after-sales service package
Because of this, many brands have begun to weaken the concept of working hours, which is generally counted as one, euphemistically called service package, which already includes materials+working hours. In fact, it will not be cheap at all. For example, BMW's dazzling service details, seemingly transparent, actually cover up the double profits of materials and working hours. The customer is one foot high and the store is ten feet high.
Third, the industry broke the news.
After many twists and turns, the author interviewed a senior insider and revealed some main profit models of 4S stores during the maintenance period. The insider has worked in the after-sales service department of 4S stores such as Peugeot and BMW for a long time. According to him, some low-end models have a gross profit of up to 50% during maintenance and a net profit of 35%-40%.
Maintenance details of Dongfeng Peugeot 207
Such a high proportion of profits will not be particularly prominent in a certain expense, which will attract consumers' attention, but will be evenly distributed. For example, if the engine oil and mechanical filter element are changed frequently, the engine oil with the purchase price of 100 yuan can generally be sold to 130 yuan with the permission of the manufacturer; 30 yuan's filter screen can be bought in 40 yuan, which is already 30% profit. Let's look at the cost of working hours. Except for a small part of the piece-rate commission to the workers, the rest are pure profits. In this way, the 30% profit will not be abrupt. Even if consumers clearly point out that the price of accessories is too high, they will buy accessories such as engine oil and machine filter from auto parts city and ask 4S stores to replace them. The working hours charged by 4S stores are almost zero-cost profits.
Maybe you will think that 30% profit margin is not worth mentioning? So will the following real example attract your attention? According to the personal experience of this senior insider, the air suspension of the rear wheel on one side of an Audi A8L is not inflated. After 4S workshop inspection, it was determined that the air compressor pump was damaged and needed to be replaced. The cost of parts and materials is 9000 yuan, and the cost of working hours is 20000 yuan. You are not mistaken, it is 20,000 yuan! This 9000 yuan may be worthy of the air pump imported from Germany, but no one can tell how the 20000 yuan was calculated.
Car owners who may be able to afford the Audi A8L don't care about this little money, but go to the auto parts city to inquire about the replacement of the original new pump, including the labor cost of1* * 8000 yuan. The first choice of the auto parts city store is to repair the air pump as much as possible to avoid the cost of replacing the new pump, and the 4S shop will never have such a suggestion.
Fourth, the so-called "discount" of working hours.
Some 4S stores will launch a series of "quality customer service" to handle membership cards for customers, discount working hours, and even 50% off some goods at once, which attracts many car owners at once, and it is more cost-effective to maintain them in 4S stores. Careful car owners will even buy some original genuine accessories for the 4S shop through the omnipotent auto parts city and other wild ways, and happily show them to the technicians of the 4S shop, feeling glad that they saved money and made money.
"friendly tips" placed at the service desk of 4S stores
In the eyes of 4S stores, although these customers with discount cards are not fat sheep, thin sheep will eventually have meat. Some service consultants will crowd around, or promote various peripheral products, or persuade car owners to carry out maintenance services such as "cleaning the throttle", "air intake" and "gas filler" without replacement, supplemented by what hidden dangers the car will have, which will affect its service life and create panic. Most people think that these jobs don't need to be replaced, and they really can't start cleaning themselves, so they are basically submitted.
Why are 4S stores always keen on cleaning this and that? The reason is simple, that is to make money! According to a senior maintenance technician who did not want to be named, these cleaning projects not only consume working hours, but also do not require any effort, making money is the easiest, so they become their favorite projects to fool car owners. Discounted working hours are earned back in the following additional services. Why not?
5. Will the working hours continue to rise?
Let me start with a concern about keeping pace with the times. A large number of 4S in Jingmen Store were originally well-fed and well-fed under the hot market. Nowadays, under the cloud of purchase restriction, the sales of new cars have dropped sharply. Even if the profit of bicycle sales is doubled by savage price increase, there is no hope of restoring the performance of the past few years.