Is it common for auto repair shops to increase the price of parts?

Find another shop. Shops get a discount on parts from parts houses, who deliver usually deliver the parts to them, then charge full retail for them. They want to make a bigger profit. At the risk of sounding racist, go to the mexican part of town, find a muffler shop and ask them how much they would charge to instal it if you supply the part. Here in dallas the mexicans are much cheaper than anywhere else. By the way, I'm mexican. Javy is short for my name, Javier

Is not common it is the norm Auto parts give shops about 10 to 15% discounts then they add another 10 or 15 % to it of the regular price , the bottom line is that they end up the parts about 25% or 30% over, that's why people opts for obtaining the parts and have the shop install them , if the shops allows it., some shops charge even Higher and never mind dealers.sound unfair but in reality , for them to have those discounts they have to own a shop and to own a shop they have to paid , state tax , city tax , city safety permits, fire department permits , local permits and few other fees that I can't remember and all that comes down to the customer , if you can find someone that can install them for you at a reasonable price, not necessarily in a shop , (a Friend) you can get the parts and save some money , the parts you need to replace are not safety critical so warranty for the job I don't think it is a concern and I believe there are out there people that do better work than some so call mechanics

I own a shop and we never mark any parts over retail, but I have a small shop with only 2 techs and a receptionist and relatively low overhead. It really takes a lot to keep a repair facility open, as far as taxes, insurance, shop equipment and supplies. A lot more money and time is spent on most customer vehicles than whats on their invoice. Selling parts retail or 15-25% over just begins to cover some of it. I wouldn't know, but larger shops must really depend on the markup. I've never heard of a rich repair shop owner.

Yes its very common for shops to charge up to 100% mark-up on all parts. Some shops either won't install parts that you bring them or charge more in labor to install parts that you bring them. You should also understand that there is more involved in exhaust work than just the part named. Do you mean to say that they are charging $754 out the door or $754 just for the cat and resonator? That $250 would be labor and misc parts charges if you mean out the door. As far as what constitutes misc parts that would be exhaust hangers, pipe adapters, welding supplies or clamps. Normally you don't see these misc parts on your bill because the cost for them is covered in the mark-up and labor. However if you insist on supplying the parts you will prolly see itemized bill to cover these supplies just letting you know so you will know they aren't bogus charges. For exhaust work i like to use the big national chains, Mieneke etc. they give you consistent quality of work. The down side is they always try to sell you crap you don't need. If you go in for exhaust work and they start taking tires off tell them to leave your brakes alone, no you don't want a check up just to do the work requested.

Yes marking up parts by 50-80% is common. This is how the shops make money, They have to go get the part and thy charge for this. Some shops will not install a part you bring them as if it fails you can not hols them responsible. If on the other hand thy install a part and it fails thy can get it replaced. Ask the shop if thy will install the parts you supply. If not seek another shop.

Yep. Shops charge about 2x-3x the retail price that you can buy the part yourself at NAPA or other parts houses. Been there, done that. This year, NAPA quoted my AC compressor at $495. Car dealer wanted $995. I have other horror stories of the same excessive parts markup. Brake rotors for my truck - NAPA $85, brake shop $165. Wheel cyclinder $20 at NAPA, brake shop $80. They price the repair based upon the desperation of the customer and the value of the repair to the customer, not the actual cost of the repair (plus a reasonable profit). If you don't get the cat converter replaced, you have a piece of junk that you can't register and drive - and they know it.

Yes, it is common. Buy your own cat, and take it to a muffler shop. If money is really tight, skip the resonator, and just buy a good muffler. On the positive side, you will probably see better fuel economy after your repair.

I would like to ask the same question as the user above.