Prices of Parts for a new SB .... CRAZY! what the heck???

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john cronin

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Can someone educate me on what I think is an absolute excessive price for parts from cessna ( Textron) for a new Service Bulletin for a non-flight essential part?

SEB-25-06 came out recently from Cessna. Since the original glove box latch of r the Cessna 182T was crap to begin with.... Cessna just came out with new parts and replacement instructions to install a NEW AND IMPROVED latch.

I called cessna figuring it won't be very expensive... super quick easy repair and..... the nice lady on the phone told me the cost of the part .... not including shipping was...$530.11

My God... seriously... I don't thing the value is more than 25.00 bucks...
obviously, i will go without and fix it another way.... but can someone who knows the aviation business explain to me why a company would charge soooo much for a cheap little non-flight part?

John
 
Small volume, how many will they sell? Have to recoup design, tooling, manufacturing setup, etc.
 
I wanted a T model center console for my 182-S model....until I priced the blow molded thin piece of plastic. YIKES!
 
Cessna's SB for the 162 adsb out solution cost more than $6000. I could have bought all the parts in the kit, retail from aircraft spruce for less than $3000. That has nothing to do with small volumes. I think it has more to do with the fact that they don't really want to do anything at all, so when they do, they want a huge profit margin.
 
You are paying the "aircraft" surcharge.

I had to replace the knob that turns the O2 on and off. From Mooney, it was $10, but no screw. From Mouser, two of them cost $10 and came with a set screw. Crazier was Mooney wanted $50 for 2nd day shipping. Mouser was $10 for 2nd day.

Part below is an adjustable link for the brake pedal to the master cylinder. You need 2, one for each pedal. The rod end is $35 from Aircraft Spruce, retail. The clevis is about $19, retail. Two piece of 4130 tubing, maybe $2. Two welds and paint it.

OVER $600. SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.
 

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I just came across some unused Hartwell latches in my stash. I can easily undercut Cessna.
 
Salty said:
Cessna's SB for the 162 adsb out solution cost more than $6000. I could have bought all the parts in the kit, retail from aircraft spruce for less than $3000. That has nothing to do with small volumes. I think it has more to do with the fact that they don't really want to do anything at all, so when they do, they want a huge profit margin.
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Otherwise known as a “Please just go away” price.
 
john cronin said:
but can someone who knows the aviation business explain to me why a company would charge soooo much for a cheap little non-flight part?
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Too many variables to give a single answer however the definition of "cheap" is subjective to the process. But the most common reason as mentioned above is number of units produced, process used, who made the part, and profit margin. Basic economics. Same reason aspirin costs $10 a pill in a hospital. However, there are cases when the OEM is actually cheaper but those are few and far between.
 
Isn't there the old story about a Cessna alternator being the exact same one as in a Ford? And much more expensive.
 
Pinecone said:
Part below is an adjustable link for the brake pedal to the master cylinder. You need 2, one for each pedal. The rod end is $35 from Aircraft Spruce, retail. The clevis is about $19, retail. Two piece of 4130 tubing, maybe $2. Two welds and paint it.

OVER $600. SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.
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Y'know, for all the simple, non-safety related parts, there's probably a business opportunity here for someone with access to a 3D printer and a CNC machine. I suspect such a person could do well with a small business making "owner-produced parts" for airplane owners who need a crank handle for a Cherokee trim control, a knob for defroster control, a latch for a glove compartment, a battery box, a mounting bracket, an inspection cover plate, etc.

For owner-produced parts, the owner doesn't have to make the part, per se. From AC 20-62e,
An owner/operator is considered a producer of a part, if the owner participated in controlling the design, manufacture,
or quality of the part. Participating in the design of the part can include supervising the manufacture of the
part or providing the manufacturer with the following: the design data, the materials with which to make the
part, the fabrication processes, assembly methods, or the quality control (QC) procedures.​

So, if you as the aircraft owner provide data to someone on how to fabricate the part (drawing, dimensions, sample of the part, instructions, etc.), that other person can manufacture the part for you, and as a final step you can provide QC inspection of the finished article. The part would still qualify as "owner-produced."

With that in mind, consider a business making such parts. An aircraft owner could hire "Owner Produced Airplane Parts, Inc." to manufacture the brake pedal adjustable link (see post #10), send them a sample part or a simple drawing (maybe a set of photograph with dimensions added), and then receive and inspect the part after it's made. For that matter, the company could (for an additional charge) create a drawing from an original part, then send the drawing to the owner for review and edits, and the aircraft owner could then send the drawing as part of the instructions. In time the company would have a good catalog of drawings ready to go.

If the company limited itself to simple parts that didn't impact flight safety, I think the risk would be minimal.
 
BrianNC said:
Isn't there the old story about a Cessna alternator being the exact same one as in a Ford? And much more expensive.
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I wouldn't be a bit surprised. It's not like Cessna or Piper would design and build their own components if there were something suitable off the shelf. I'm pretty sure they don't start out by mining their own metal ore.....

I believe the Cherokee trim crank is a window crank from a VW Beetle. I've been told that the door latch on my Beech Musketeer comes from a camper trailer door. I'm certain the ash trays are straight from some 1960s automobile.
 
it's all fun and games until lawyers get involved...
 
BrianNC said:
Isn't there the old story about a Cessna alternator being the exact same one as in a Ford? And much more expensive.
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Aviation has used existing "non-aviation" parts for eons. Nothing new. You'll find that's true today. For example, the approved transmission oil used on several current helicopters is off-the-shelf Castrol Transmax and Delco Dexron. The only difference is an additional sticker that states it meets a specific specification which jumps the price 4x per quart. Aviation simply requires a paper trail and someone to back up that paper trail with a signature. But keep in mind this is global and not just the FAA. The Castrol is approved for a German made aircraft.
Half Fast said:
If the company limited itself to simple parts that didn't impact flight safety, I think the risk would be minimal.
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Can't sell owner-produced. However, that doesn't prevent a group of owners getting togather and making the part but each part then becomes specific to each owner along with the risk/liability (and the AP installing it). If that makes sense. But don't feel bad, someone already tried that route just couldn't make a nickel at it.
 
Bell206 said:
Can't sell owner-produced. However, that doesn't prevent a group of owners getting togather and making the part but each part then becomes specific to each owner along with the risk/liability (and the AP installing it). If that makes sense. But don't feel bad, someone already tried that route just couldn't make a nickel at it.
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Wouldn’t be selling the part. The owner would be hiring the company to make it. You can take a drawing of a part to a local shop and hire them to manufacture it for you and it’s still owner produced. And yes, it’s unique to that owner’s aircraft.

Many Musketeer owners are doing this for landing gear donuts, and have been for years.

But yeah, it looks like someone has tried it. It couldn’t have been marketed very well, though, or more of us would have heard of it.
 
BrianNC said:
Isn't there the old story about a Cessna alternator being the exact same one as in a Ford? And much more expensive.
Click to expand...

I think they add a spark guard on the rear for airplane applications ... ;)
 
Half Fast said:
It couldn’t have been marketed very well, though, or more of us would have heard of it.
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As you mentioned its done more at the type club level which I think would be hard to market on a wide market. I used to push my owner assist group toward this but most didn't want to play regardless how I presented it. 135/121 ops do this all the time. I guess its simply one of things most people don't want to get involved with just like performing every possible preventive mx items.
 
FastEddieB said:
I vaguely recall the one on our old Citabria was a Delco-Remy - though I may be misremembering the exact brand.
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Found it. Got some pics there showing Chrysler on the alternator and a Ford one also.

The original manufacturers for most of the single-engine alternators used on Cessna aircraft were Ford, Chrysler, Prestolite or Delco Remy. Ford alternators were the most commonly used type on Cessnas. Many of the original alternator designs are still in use.

https://www.cessnaflyer.org/maintenance-tech/item/1306-alternators-electrical-systems.html
 
john cronin said:
Can someone educate me on what I think is an absolute excessive price for parts from cessna ( Textron) for a new Service Bulletin for a non-flight essential part?

SEB-25-06 came out recently from Cessna. Since the original glove box latch of r the Cessna 182T was crap to begin with.... Cessna just came out with new parts and replacement instructions to install a NEW AND IMPROVED latch.

I called cessna figuring it won't be very expensive... super quick easy repair and..... the nice lady on the phone told me the cost of the part .... not including shipping was...$530.11

My God... seriously... I don't thing the value is more than 25.00 bucks...
obviously, i will go without and fix it another way.... but can someone who knows the aviation business explain to me why a company would charge soooo much for a cheap little non-flight part?

John
Click to expand...
That better be a nice glove box latch!
I agree with John Cronin. They charge that much because people are wiling to pay it. Also, the don't sell a lt of these things and they need to recooup their invesement.
 
Pinecone said:
Crazier was Mooney wanted $50 for 2nd day shipping. Mouser was $10 for 2nd day.
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IMO the difference is negotiated shipping prices. Mooney just doesn't ship enough parts to negotiate shipping prices with the shipping company. Mouser certainly negotiates with the shipping companies. I saw in invoice for overnight shipping of a package Retail cost was $150. Negotiated price was $10. I believe the difference is volume, the company just provided the shipping company with pallets (or containers) of parts ready to be shipped to different parts of country. Also I suspect there is no insurance on the negotiated price. If the Shipping company loses or damages the part, the Shipper eats the cost of the part. The Quantity of parts that Ship vs the the discount makes this attractive to both the Shipper and the Shipping company.

Brian
 
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