Durban-based journalist Malcolm Kinsey has been keeping the OEM spare parts industry on its toes for almost three decades now with his annual parts price reports, and the renowned survey returns for 2019, this time in partnership with the Automobile Association.
It’s not good news for consumers, however, with Kinsey stating that he is astounded at how parts prices, through official dealer channels, have escalated between 2017 and 2019. This even applies to the cheaper cars in the survey. The Datsun Go, for instance, saw its sampled parts basket increase from R44 372 in 2017 to R63 310 in 2019, although it was still the second cheapest overall.
“We are thrilled to partner with Malcolm on this important research he does annually – notably without any financial input from manufacturers,” said AA chairperson Sikkie Kajee.
“His research methods are sound, and the prices he records are what a customer, walking into a dealership, will pay on that day.”
Looking at the results, it appears that there is still plenty of money to be saved by purchasing those vehicles with the lower-priced parts baskets, although it’s also worth noting that parts prices will not be felt by consumers until the service or maintenance plan has expired.
These were the best and worst in each category
City Cars & Entry Level
The Datsun Go takes top honours here with its parts basket total of R63 310, with the Renault Kwid and Ford Figo following in second and third with respective basket costs of R66 707 and R67 805.
These are followed by the Toyota Etios (R68 009), VW Polo Vivo (R80 165), Suzuki Swift (R81 854), Honda Brio (R86 585) and Hyundai Grand i10 (R91 848).
When narrowed down to service parts pricing, the Datsun takes the lead again at R2047, followed by the Honda Brio (R2437) and Suzuki Swift (R2601).
Supermini
The parts basket cost escalates quickly when we move up to the larger compact hatchbacks, and it was the Renault Sandero that trumps here with a parts basket costing R92 891.
Sharing the podium is Toyota's Yaris, at R100 943, and Ford's Fiesta, at R108 594.
The VW Polo takes fourth place at R111 889, followed by the Renault Clio (R128 330), Nissan Micra (R142 316), Opel Corsa (R142 733) and Kia Rio (R164 073).
In terms of servicing costs, the Micra takes the lead at R3302, with the Renault Clio and Sandero taking second and third spots at R3621 and R3642 respectively.
Family Favourites
Uber drivers will take delight in the fact that Toyota Corollas win the parts cost war in this segment, with the older-generation Corolla Quest’s parts basket amounting to a measly R65 341, while the newer-generation Corolla Prestige comes second at R84 798 and the Nissan Almera third at R85 453.
The remainder of the field is comparatively expensive: Mazda3 1.6 (R138 085), Hyundai Elantra 1.6 (R144 009), Honda Jazz 1.5 (R146 759), Opel Astra 1.4T (R164 399), Mercedes A200 (R185 732) and Honda Civic Type R (R309 761).
It’s the Almera that shows the rest how it’s done in terms of servicing parts, at R2768, versus R4255 for the Corolla Quest and R4730 for the Elantra.
Executive Saloons
The top contender here is the Volvo S60, at R314 362, followed by the Audi A4 (R227 503), Lexus ES (R230 263) and BMW 320i (R242 105).
The Lexus was lowest in terms of servicing parts, at R6018, with the BMW coming second at R7575.
Compact Crossover
Here the Mahindra KUV100 1.2 takes a strong lead at R68 638 for its overall parts basket, followed by the Suzuki Jimny at R86 897 and Toyota Rush at R97 387.
Next up were the Ford EcoSport 1.0T (R105 704), Peugeot 208 1.2T (R106 037), Mazda CX-3 2.0 (R122 034) and Renault Duster 1.6 (R122 646), while the Hyundai Kona 1.0T gets a dishonourable mention with its last-placed basket priced at R170 655.
If we talk servicing parts pricing, the Mahindra Trumps again at R2693, versus R2946 for the Duster and R3643 for the Jimny.
Crossover/SUV
The Toyota Fortuner 2.8 diesel 4x2 auto was far ahead in the category for medium to large SUVs and crossovers, with its parts basket costing just R80 171. The much smaller Haval H2 1.5T came in second at R91 071, while Subaru’s Forester 2.0i took the third podium spot at R113 362.
The rest of the field was as follows: Ford Kuga 1.5T (R116 832), Opel Grandland X 1.6T (R123 663), Nissan X-Trail 2.5 (R126 901), Hyundai Tucson 2.0 (R133 427), Honda CR-V 2.0 (R136 303), Toyota Rav4 2.0 (R138 681), Nissan Qashqai 1.2T (R168 457), Volvo XC40 (R169 395), Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.4 (R201 371) and Kia Sportage 2.0 CRDi (R213 777).
The service parts section was led by the Nissan X-Trail (R3344), Toyota Fortuner (R3743) and Subaru Forester (R3811).
Executive Crossover
Want a fancier SUV and you’re going to pay a premium for your parts, but surprisingly it was Alfa Romeo that topped this category, with the Stelvio 2.0T’s parts basket leading at R135 029, followed distantly by the Toyota Prado, at R199 428, and the Jaguar E Pace, at R212 968.
Fourth was the Audi Q5 40 TDI, at R236 567, followed by the Range Rover Evoque D180 (R267 255), Volvo XC90 diesel (R286 033), Porsche Cayenne (R323 502), VW Touareg TDI (R334 264) and BMW X5 30d (R384 394).
Looking at the servicing basket, the Range Rover Evoque takes top spot, at R5709, followed by the Jaguar E Pace (R5766) and Toyota Prado (R6317).
Double Cab Bakkies
The winner here is also the most popular on the market, the Toyota Hilux 2.8 taking top honours with its basket of parts costing R79 660.
It was followed by the Isuzu D-Max 3.0, at R88 191, GWM Steed 6 2.0 VGT (R94 372), Ford Ranger 2.2 (R100 617), Nissan Navara 2.3 (R128 015) and Mercedes X-Class (R147 252).
All models featured here are diesel double cabs with automatic gearboxes, with the exception of the GWM, which is listed as a manual.
The Hilux was also the cheapest in terms of service parts, at R3849, followed by the GWM Steed (R3891) and Isuzu D-Max (R4411).
Single Cab Bakkie
As the only three-quarter tonner left on the market, the Nissan NP200 is bundles with the larger ladder-box one-tonners, and the Nissan has by far the cheapest parts basket of R49 823. It is followed by its NP300 cousin, at R61 334) and the Isuzu D-Max (R65 326).
These were the rest: Toyota Hilux (R73 696), Mahindra Pik-Up (R85 485) and Ford Ranger 2.2 (R93 110).
The NP300 had the cheapest service parts, at R3090, followed by the Isuzu (R3258) and Mahindra (R5032).