Why are these odometer gears so expensive?!

[Nick_S]

Make your own? You understand it takes $ to make something that even costs $1 to make... or stop being so emo

No shit, I understand the process of making products very well, it's part of my job. Stop being emo? What are you like 12?

[///digitalme]

Odo gears are hard to come by. My odo stopped working I need to fix it but I'm not paying 85 bucks for 4 gears fuck that rather have my odo not working lol

[Jean]

Make your own? You understand it takes $ to make something that even costs $1 to make... or stop being so emo

[Nick_S]

It's still cheap...compared to a new cluster... but if $25 is a huge then just deal with a non working cluster?

I'm sorry but $25 is not cheap for a small plastic gear no matter how you try to justify it, and that's just for one of them. The price it's self isn't a huge deal I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the price for what you're getting and for that yes I'd rather have a non-working odometer.

[kronus]

because capitalism

[Jean]

It's still cheap...compared to a new cluster... but if $25 is a huge then just deal with a non working cluster?

[LJ851]

I understand the process behind the product...but they are basically just making copies of an existing part, a very simple part at that. There can't be that much R&D in a tiny plastic gear to warrant a $25 price tag IMO.

I don't disagree with you on the price of the gears being a little steep. I need to do my odo as well, it just died. Also my 911 trip odo just bit it.

[reelizmpro]

Because the guy that sells to them spent a lot of money on the molds/machinery to produce these specifically for this application so the price is high to cover the cost of the tooling, etc. However, there are alternatives that exist and work flawlessly.

[CHIF8008]

i thought someone on here had gotten some

[Nick_S]

why not get metal gears? wouldn't wear out

Do they make them?

[CHIF8008]

why not get metal gears? wouldn't wear out

[Nick_S]

The plastic in the gears is prob the least expensive part in the whole process of bringing those gears to the market. Both gears have to be designed, prototypes made and tested, permanent molds made, and then produced. It doesn't make much difference that one gear uses a little more plastic when you factor in all the aspects that affect the cost of these low volume pieces. If you were the OE manufacturer and BMW says they want XXX,XXX of them it would be a different story.

I understand the process behind the product...but they are basically just making copies of an existing part, a very simple part at that. There can't be that much R&D in a tiny plastic gear to warrant a $25 price tag IMO.

[LJ851]

And this one, the E1 gear is $25....for this tiny little piece of plastic that is 20x smaller than the E2 that costs the same? WTF.

The plastic in the gears is prob the least expensive part in the whole process of bringing those gears to the market. Both gears have to be designed, prototypes made and tested, permanent molds made, and then produced. It doesn't make much difference that one gear uses a little more plastic when you factor in all the aspects that affect the cost of these low volume pieces. If you were the OE manufacturer and BMW says they want XXX,XXX of them it would be a different story.

[dogsbark26]

Economics theory predicts that if you are the only source for a product you are free to price your product at whatever level you desire.

I got my gears at Odometergears.com. I paid the price and they work correctly.

[Nick_S]

I pulled my cluster apart to try fix it with a set of new gears and none of my gears were ruined... wtf? The rod that runs through the odometer has come loose and now just spins inside with out turning the gears.. I haven't found out how to fix it yet either.

Dab of epoxy I would think would fix the issue. I'll be pulling mine apart here soon to check.