2010 KINSEY REPORT ON CAR PARTS PRICES

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2010 KINSEY REPORT INTRODUCTION

Twenty years old and still a work in progress, the 2010 Kinsey Report has added another category this year – for the first time we have a section on some of the most popular double cab bakkies in South Africa. We have often had requests for a bakkie survey, - so this, at least, is a small step in that direction. They are versatile machines – covering ground as workhorses, leisure vehicles and often weekday moms’ taxis.

The “Crossover” section is a real mix, ranging from fairly basic modest spec vehicles – such as the Nissan Lavina and the Toyota Avanza, - to some high tech vehicles like the VW Tiguan and some highly priced ones getting close to half a million rand. All do the job for people with different requirements and pockets and the trick here is to choose which vehicles meet your needs and price range and evaluate the comparative price baskets.

The methodology has remained unchanged – all priced were sourced in writing during the same calendar month, - only discrepancies were checked telephonically – most often by queries to 1 or 2 different dealerships. If this didn’t solve the puzzle, a check on the dealer computer, or at a last resort, a phone call to the manufacturer/importer sorted out the problem.

There are often price anomalies, but there are reasons for these and wherever possible we have tried to indicate on the chart where an item is more expensive. Some differences appear baffling – like spark plug prices which vary enormously, but some are changed at 15,000km intervals while others can run past 100,000km before requiring replacement.

Front bumper skins may vary from a modest plastic bumper to the complete front of the vehicle (Renault Clio) with accordingly different costs. Rear fenders on many vehicles these days begin at the front door and extend right back to the tail lights ( which makes the fitting and final integrity of a repair much more accurate) – but this again, will cost far more than a smaller rear end fender.

Windscreens and rear windows also come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and levels of sophistication, with rain sensors, heater wires, aerials and the like all adding to the price. Some dealerships do not stock a full range of glass products, preferring to call in outside help in the form, usually, of P.G.Glass. This is often the case when the imported OE glass is very expensive and an approved local equivalent is available, plus the fact that windscreen fitment with specific adhesives is a specialist job.

It must be noted that we cannot compare every make and model available – including more models would make the charts entirely too cumbersome. The trend remains true to the make of vehicle, so if one derivative is competitive chances are that the rest of the range is similar. The models chosen in this study are generally the volume sellers rather than niche vehicles that sell only 5 or 10 a month.

Generally selling prices of vehicles have not increased dramatically, and parts prices have had their usual ups and downs. One company which has been able to reduce parts pricing quite significantly is Citroen, now sharing a central warehouse under the Peugeot Citroen SA banner, and this has resulted in a reduction of many parts prices.

Nett pricing has become more common in the motor industry. This means that the dealerships no longer give “trade” discounts either for cash sales or to independent garages or panel beaters. In these situations it is usual for a mark-up of between 20 – 30% to be applied to the costs shown in these charts if the parts are re-sold by a garage or panel beater to the customer.

ENTRY LEVEL:  up to R120,000

Gone is the legendary VW Citi, a legendary multiple winner of SA’s most affordable car to maintain - and this gives the Renault Sandero the top position for 2010 with the Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai i10 in pursuit.

Of the 8 entries there are 6 countries of origin which makes for a good mix of vehicles. The lowest basket price is inevitably much higher this year since all the players are now much more modern, - aerodynamic bodywork, up-to-date headlights etc.

In the service parts section – plugs, filters, brake pads/shoes, wipers etc.- the Spark comes out on top, followed closely by the Chery and Tata Indica, and likewise in the repair parts the Spark is most cost effective, this time ahead of the Chery and Kia Picanto.

Crash parts – always the most expensive section of the charts, - sees Sandero  comfortably ahead of  the i10 and the Spark.

Of interest – taken as percentage of parts basket/selling price, only the last 2 vehicles are not in the same order as the parts basket cost totals.

B SEGMENT :   R120,000 – R175,000

This is another cosmopolitan group of vehicles, headed by the new VW Polo 1.4. and followed by the Hyundai i20 and the Fiat Grand Punto. Citroen C3, in 4th place, has improved from previous years. Like the entry level , this group has high volume sellers  so is of interest to many consumers.
Service parts again are best priced for the Chevrolet brand, this time the Aveo, which has  parts prices substantially less costly than the next two, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai i20.
Aveo again has the least expensive repair costs, with the Polo and the i20 in second and third.

The VW Polo is well ahead in the crash parts section, the Hyundai i20 and Fiat Grand Punto following.

In this segment the first 2 places are the same in both parts basket totals and parts basket percentage.

C SEGMENT :    R175,000 – R275,000

There are 10 vehicles in this important section and once again the Nissan Tiida  comes out on top a whisker ahead of the Alfa MiTo (included as it is Alfa’s top selling vehicle) and the Ford Focus 1.8 and in 4th  the Mazda 3 Sport, only about R200 behind.

In the service segment the Renualt Clio leads the Chevrolet Cruze and Nissan Tiida for best basket totals and the Cruze is strongest in repair parts by a mere R900 from the Alfa  with the Focus in third position.

Crash parts again sees the Nissan Tiida heading the list with Alfa second and the Mazda 3 third ( where it narrowly beats its stable mate, the Focus, into 4th).

In the percentage stakes the first 4 in the basket totals are again the top 4, but in a different order – Alfa (by virtue of its higher selling price) ahead of Tiida, Mazda ( again the selling price affects the calculation) 3rd and Focus 4th.
 

FAMILY SALOON:

In this section all the vehicles are automatics, which helps to make more accurate comparisons. Winner here is the Mazda 6, followed by a more competitive Volvo S40 and third is the BMW 320 D.  BMW and Mazda swop places in the percentage stakes.

Service section – Volvo, Honda Accord and Mercedes C200 are the leaders here. For repair parts the Mazda is strongest followed by Volvo and BMW .

Crash parts – here the Mazda 6 is well clear of the BMW and Volvo, the latter pair only some R300 apart.

In the percentage calculation, the BMW with a higher selling price, is able to pip the Mazda 6, with 3rd going to the Honda Accord.

DOUBLE CAB BAKKIES:

This is a new category, and selling prices vary considerably, from R233,700 (Nissan NP 300)  to R394,300 ( Isuzu KB 300D).

Topping the list is the Mazda BT 50 closely followed by the Ford Ranger 3.0, again stable mates. There are many similarities and their service and repair parts are identically priced. Only in the crash parts are there a few parts to distinguish them and minimally change the parts basket total. Third is the Nissan MP 300 ( formerly the Nissan Hardbody).

Service parts – the Ford and Mazda twins head up this section with the Nissan less than R100 behind. The positions change for the repair parts as the Isuzu and the Mitsubishi Triton  are substantially better than the third-placed Mazda and Ford.

Crash parts – Mazda, Ford and Nissan take the podium places here.

Using the percentage calculation, Ford pips Mazda, followed by Isuzu and Triton.

“CROSSOVER”

This is really a hotch potch, - so much so in fact, that we are not going to proclaim “winners” because of the diversity of specifications, technology, size and price of the vehicles.

This really is a category included more for interest than for comparison – though if you  choose similarly-priced vehicles, valid comparisons may be made.
 
The Toyota Avanza and Nissan Lavina are both fairly basic and as expected, have the lowest priced parts basket (and the lowest selling price).

Vehicles with high tech features include the luxury Chevrolet Captiva, Peugeot 3008

(with self-levelling hydraulic shocks)  VW Tiguan ( supercharged and turbocharged engine) and some are 4x4 like the Land Rover Freelander, Nissan X trail, Subaru Forester.