Durban - Which cars have the most expensive spare parts?
Many assume it’s the sexy imported French models, and in the past they would have been right.
But the 25th Kinsey Report, which lays bare the parts prices of a record 72 of the most popular vehicles across the spectrum, has the French models winning their categories or at least featuring in the top four.
Parts price guru Malcolm Kinsey said he had to leave out a number of cars from the survey, including the popular Renault Sandero, “which has a proven track record of reasonable pricing”.
The most expensive cars in the eight categories include a Chevrolet, a Suzuki, a Mercedes-Benz, a Ford, a Jaguar and a Jeep.
So why should we care about the price of parts?
It’s true that the cost of servicing and engine repair parts is irrelevant to car owners if the car has a service or maintenance plan, which applies to most cars.
But it’s a major factor in the case of budget cars that aren’t sold with plans to cover these costs, and older cars which are not covered by these plans.
When it comes to crash parts, though – light assemblies, fenders, windscreens, bonnets, grilles, etc – buyers of all cars should pay close attention to their replacement prices before signing on the dotted line.
This is where the huge price discrepancies lie, and as Kinsey points out, “the cost of body parts can hit you, literally, from day one”.
“In the event of an accident, irrespective of who is to blame, the costs will affect your pocket either in the size of the excess you have to pay, or where the write-off point is reached.”
“The write-off point is generally 70 percent of the value of the vehicle – and the value is not what you paid for the vehicle, but rather what you would get if you sold it.”
For 25 years Kinsey has been sparing the rest of us the laborious process of sourcing car parts prices by compiling charts with individual prices as well as the sum of their parts, revealing at a glance the models with the most and least expensive parts baskets.
The motor industry takes an extremely keen interest in Kinsey’s numbers, not wanting to be seen on the wrong end of comparisons, which goes a long way to keeping a lid on parts prices and showing up anomalies.
As always, Kinsey has grouped the parts into three categories: service parts, including oil, air and pollen filters, brake pads and wiper blades, repair items which are more expensive and needed less often, such as brake discs and drums, shocks and clutch components, and crash parts.
Then he tallies all the numbers and comes up with the winners, “losers” and inbetweeners.
Parts sourcing also has a big impact on price, he said. “India has shown itself to be a good source country recently, with a number of Indian-made brands featuring in the top four.”
When buying an older car, or choosing to hang on to your car when its warranty and service plan has expired, the cost of repairs is a major consideration.
“Clutches, for example, have become very expensive to replace - the advent of pricey duel-mass flywheels has turned a routine repair into a very expensive business.”
It’s impossible to do justice to all those numbers in this space, but the breakdown takes into account the cost of all the parts, in total - service, repair and parts.
VEHICLES BY CATEGORY
CITY CARS AND ENTRY LEVEL
A mix of small modern cars built in the East and older stalwarts which have stood the test of time. Seven were sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Ford Figo, followed by VW Polo Vivo
Most expensive: Chev Spark, followed by Kia Picanto (same result as 2013)
Example of how prices vary: Rear windscreen of the Figo costs R378, and the same part for a Picanto costs R4200.
SUPER MINI
Modern, hi-tech cars, a mix of European and Eastern styling. Nine sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Citroën DS3, followed by Peugeot 208.
Most expensive: Ford Fiesta, followed by Kia Rio
Example of how prices vary: A rim for the Citroen DS3 costs R684, while that of the Toyota Yaris costs R5018.
FAMILY FAVOURITES
One of the largest volume segments in the South African car market, with the re-badged old model Corolla - the Quest - and the new Corolla emerging as clear winners, with only R1000 separating their total parts baskets. 11 sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: The two Corollas, followed by Hyundai Elantra
Most expensive: Mercedes A200, next is Mazda 3.
Example of how the prices vary: To replace the driver’s door of either of the Corollas would set you back R4578, but the same part on the Nissan Sentra costs R8111.
COMPACT CROSSOVER
Another Indian-made vehicle, the Ford EcoSport, won this category. Seven were sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Ford Eco Sport, followed by last year’s winner, the Toyota Avanza
Most expensive: Suzuki SX4, followed by Nissan Juke
Example of how the prices vary: The Eco Sport’s left-hand tail-light assembly costs R780, and the same part for the SX4 costs R3 904.
CROSSOVER
One of the fastest growing segments of the market, despite the fuel costs. Kinsey noted that the clear winner, the Toyota Fortuner, was an automatic model with no clutch or flywheel prices, whereas the runner-ups - Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 - had expensive flywheels, and without those, the price gap would be much narrower. 15 vehicles sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Toyota Fortuner, followed by the Kia Sportage (same as 2013)
Most expensive: Jeep Grand Cherokee, followed by the BMW X3
Example of how the prices vary: The Fortuner’s bonnet costs R2819, while the Landrover Discovery’s costs R13 928.
DOUBLE CABS
The Indian and Chinese-made models head off the Japanese onslaught in this section. Eight sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Tata Xenon, followed by GWM Steed
Most expensive: Mazda BT 50, followed by the Ford Ranger
Example of how the prices vary: The driver’s door window glass on the GWM Steed costs R326, while the same part for the Mitsubishi Triton costs R2170.
SINGLE CABS
The little Nissans cleaned up in this category, mainly thanks to much cheaper crash parts. Seven sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Nissan NP200, followed by Nissan NP300
Most expensive: Mitsubishi Triton, followed by Ford Ranger
Example of how the prices vary: The NP200’s tailgate costs R1382, and that of the Chevrolet Utility costs R9440.
AUTO EXECUTIVE
These are all luxury automatic cars with high technology and specifications, and prices to match. Original owners may not be concerned about parts prices, but the second or third owners should be. Eight sampled.
Cheapest parts basket: Audi A4, followed by Volvo S60
Most expensive: Jaguar XF, followed by Mercedes C200
Example of how the prices vary: The Hyundai Sonata’s spark plugs cost R130 each and those of the Honda Accord cost R560.