Ya gotta be kidding me! It's a Ford not a BMW!

My teenage son drives a 1996 Ford Ranger. We picked the little rig up from a BLM auction at a paltry sum and have steadily added good maintenance to make the truck reliable. As of late, he has noticed a gasoline leak from the tank when the tank is full. Today we removed the bed from the truck for inspection and found the rubber filler neck, cracked and porous at the base.



A quick call to the local Ford Dealer "Team Ford" in our neck of the woods was in order. It kinda went like this.

1 More Mile: I have a 96 Ranger and need a filler neck for the fuel tank. The truck is equipped as .....

Team Ford Parts Guy: Ah sure, we have a lot of those in stock. They are in high demand.

1 More Mile: Great, what are the damages?

Team Ford Parts Guy: Lemme see here, the total is $572.19.

1 More Mile: I don't need the gas tank, just the filler neck.

Team Ford Guy: That's right, it's $572 for the filler neck.

1 More Mile: It's a God Damn rubber hose! How can you charge $500 dollars plus for a rubber hose?

Team Ford Parts Guy: Ya, I know, seems like it costs more than the truck is worth!

1 More Mile: You are INSANE!

Team Ford Parts Guy: Well, I do have them in stock.

1 More Mile: Well, that's one for me that you will keep in stock forever. See ya! (CLICK)


Off the phone, I immediately stalked the 'net to see if this price is as radically crazy as I thought it was or, to be more blunt, to see if Team Ford is hosing all it's customers like rabid Gorilla.

The first searches turned up non-OEM version for as low as $28 with free shipping and full OEM parts as low as $148 with free shipping.

So, let's imagine that the dealer cost for this part is $148. The selling price is $572 or 280% profit. Folks, that's "Highway Robbery" in the tallest order.

I opted for a non-OEM from a highly reputable Ebay seller for $60 delivered.

Links of Interest:

• Team Ford, Las Vegas, NV
• Google Shopping Search for this part