Regulator service prices?

[drdaddy]

U.S. Divers Conshelf first stage with Conshelf 22 second stage and octopus. o yea and i got a free dive knife with it.

This looks like a great deal to me. I would have bought it in half-heartbeat!

 

[halocline]

so let's say that you buy a used regulator off EBAY, etc and save $200 bucks off a new one.


Did you really save $200 bucks?


Figure that you'll want it serviced when you get it to make sure it's safe to dive. Figure $60 labor and $60 parts. ($120 total).


Then figure you'll get it serviced every year and most new regulators come with "free parts warranty" if serviced annually. so over the next 4 years, you save $60/year on parts. ($240 total).

So your initial service is $120 (average) and over the next 4 years you're saving $240 average on parts that you would have to pay if you got a used one serviced. So that's $360 total in just a 4 year period. Which easily surpasses the $200 you saved instead of buying new. makes it a better deal to "buy new" if you get it service every year.

This is exactly the way the dive gear industry wants you to think. That's why they artificially mark up parts and rebuild kits to an absurd degree, thereby inflating the value of the free parts program. They also insist you get the reg serviced every year, even though there is absolutely no evidence that this is necessary when the reg is cared for correctly.

Instead, you could buy a used reg, for example a MK10/G250, that would perform as well as anything currently on the market, within reason. Then you could pay to have it serviced once every three or four years, instead of being a slave to the once-a-year-whether-it-needs-it-or-not policy of the warranty.

The biggest savings comes from buying used, then learning to service it yourself. Then you can buy o-rings that are of equal or higher quality to OEM for FAR less than the cost of the kits. That leaves only the seats; and for SP regs it's not too difficult to find those if you look around; they last a long time anyway.

 

[mike_s]

This is exactly the way the dive gear industry wants you to think. That's why they artificially mark up parts and rebuild kits to an absurd degree, thereby inflating the value of the free parts program.

I agree that the parts mark up is absurd. I mean for the most part, most of the parts are just 2 cent o-rings.

It's just another way that dive manufacturers stick it to their customers. like I said above, my reg, the rebuilt kits for it run about $50-$60 bucks. crazy...

 

[scubafanatic]

A regular 'annual' in my area costs $ 125-ish, give-or-take, for one 1st-stage and two 2nd-stages (parts and labor) for an out-of-warranty reg set. Additionally, it's not uncommon for older soft parts (hoses, 2nd stage diaphragms) to need replacement too...your mouthpieces look pretty rough, but those can be pretty cheap, $ 5 - $ 10 each. Before servicing it, I'd have those soft parts checked for condition...hoses will run you $ 15-ish each...sometimes when you add up the cost of all the parts/servicing, your $ 40 reg becomes a $ 250 reg...no way to know until it has a detailed inspection to see how much of it can be recycled versus having to be replaced. Good Luck !

 

[Howie411]

Just got my regulator back from its service and I was charged $75 for the 3 stages (labor) and then $3.00 (3x$1.00) for material fees. Though I'm not sure what the material fee is because I was under the impression that all parts are covered by the warranty.

 

[redacted]

Just got my regulator back from its service and I was charged $75 for the 3 stages (labor) and then $3.00 (3x$1.00) for material fees. Though I'm not sure what the material fee is because I was under the impression that all parts are covered by the warranty.

It probably means your shop found a way to increase profits and recoup the $.50 worth of lubricant and cleaning materials they used. Your shop is not getting rich on that $3 but I'd be pissed after paying what amounts to a fairly high price just for the labor. Why don't you ask the shop exactly what that covered and see if they have an answer that makes you happy.

 

[scubaops]

ok i found a place thats 30 for the 1st stage and 15 per 2nd stage