One of the issues you face is these parts are often a strange size (non-industry standard), or they have some obscure exotic coating on them based on a GM North America spec.
When they are supplied for OEM production, they probably cost GM-H 20c each to buy, and the supplier moves 4000 per month.

End of production - O-ring becomes obsolete. All of a sudden GM-H doesn't have the buying power. The cost to process 4000 O-rings is not much more than processing 200 O-rings - it's nearly all a mechanised production system, so suddenly they're only buying 1/20th of what they used to buy, for a similar production labour & shipping cost, and in theory, that 20c O-ring has to multiply by 20x to cover costs, so it now becomes $4. HSPO add their profit margin, the regional distribution dealer adds theirs, and your dealer adds his - all of a sudden that $4 becomes $12.

Companies that sell bearings, but also dabble in other stuff, don't have the knowledge to understand the different compounds & coatings. If it's black, it's rubber, and we'll give you a black one. You're very lucky you found one who knows the difference between the common nitrile O-ring (which will survive in there anyway) and Neoprene. They also wouldn't have a clue if GM spec'd in a special coating to make assembly a lot easier (this is quite common - O-rings can be coated to give them a slippery surface that helps prevent them catching when being pushed into place or having something tightened against them.

The company I work for has supplied GM globally, and in Australia, for many years, with a myriad of parts. Some of the stuff I've come across dates back to the early VN V6. I can't believe the prices these parts were sold to HSPO for, and what a dealer charges. I've also been involved in the manufacturing cost studies when parts have slipped from regular production & into spares support. The cost of making a small amount, and all the other things like shipping & packaging - that were spread over hundreds & thousands of individual parts, are now being spread across a handful. This all gets passed down the line to the consumer at the end of the chain. I've also worked for a bearing company, so I know how they operate.

A bearing shop can buy a generic O-ring of a similar size for a similar price to what Holden would buy it for during production, because they supply industry standard sizes that are being continuously made (usually in Asia) in large volumes, for global consumption. They can sell that O-ring for 20c all day long, or as a one-off, and still make money. It's a common industry part.

there you go,lots of new information there!
also one point of my post was to inform others of existence of the O ring in case they were as ignorant as me.

Edited by user Saturday, 9 February 2013 6:08:40 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified