And there's the rub. Presumably enough people are paying the price at the main dealer that they are making a (probably handsome) profit.
I do think there's an argument for some sort of price regulation. Don't ask me for a fully formed plan, but I wouldn't think it would be too complicated to come up with something that ensured fair pricing and/or the main dealer to tell the customer that they may be able to get the work dome cheaper elsewhere.
I'm big and ugly enough to look after myself in this sort of situation, but I strongly suspect there's a sizeable minority of customers who aren't and just pay the price quoted by the main dealer.
Suprising though it may be to some of you the profits in a dealers is not a huge percentage, with many sailing close to the wind. There are plenty of people taking larger wages than a lot of dealers make.
https://www.motortrader.com/motor-t...erage-dealers-made-5000-profit-may-10-07-2014