Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Choosing genuine factory parts over aftermarket alternatives makes sense on paper. Genuine auto parts are manufactured to precise specifications, designed to work exactly like the designers envisioned, generally have longer lifespans, and may even come with manufacturer warranties. What nobody tells you is that while quality is consistent across dealerships, pricing is not. YouTuber and former dealership employee The Car Care Nut recently put this to the test, comparing prices from ten Toyota and ten Lexus dealerships for identical parts. What he found is just how far a customer's lack of knowledge could get gouged at the dealership. What's worse is that it's an industry-wide issue. 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 partsWhat One Test Revealed About the Broader ProblemAcross the ten different Toyota dealerships, a front brake pad set carried pricing ranging from its MSRP of $122 to a high of $153, a massive 25 percent jump in pricing. It's a similar story with Lexus, where $104 MSRP brake pads were listed as high as $131. Less than half the dealerships contacted accurately stated the correct MSRP for the parts enquired about. One dealer even quoted $145 for the pads over the phone, then offered a "deal" which was still over MSRP. AdvertisementAdvertisementUnfortunately, this is far from a Toyota/Lexus problem. Reddit posts and forums have shown instances where customers have been overcharged by dealerships across various manufacturers. From price differences between dealers to dealers charging over the MSRP displayed on the dealer's website, the list is endless. Both Ford and GM have officially instructed their dealer networks not to charge customers over MSRP, which shows just how bad this problem has gotten. Why Are Dealers Charging Over MSRP For Genuine Parts?All franchised dealers receive OEM parts at the same wholesale cost. The MSRP is set by OEMs above the wholesale cost, so dealers can legitimately make money off those parts. Any dealer making a profit over and above that MSRP is probably banking on the customer not having done their research first.Getty ImagesAccording to Cox Automotive, 45 percent of car owners have expressed dissatisfaction with dealership services, primarily due to unexpected charges and lack of communication. These pricing inconsistencies also play a part here. The survey found that only 54 percent of car owners with vehicles two years or younger go back to the dealership for maintenance, a drop of 18 percent over the previous years. Dealers are losing customers to independent shops, and this lack of transparency when it comes to pricing is exactly the reason why. The best way to safeguard yourself from getting price gouged at the dealership over parts is to figure out the OEM part number, cross-check pricing across at least three dealerships against the listed MSRP, and then make a decision. The dealerships quoting correctly deserve your business. The ones that don't are counting on you not knowing the difference. Or, you could avoid the trouble altogether and shop from a third-party source with verified OEM parts.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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