MOTORING NEWS - The 2015 Kinsey Report covers 74 vehicles in nine categories, which is the same number of vehicles as 2014.
The Crossover section has been separated into two - Crossover and Executive Crossover - as the section has become very large, said Kinsey.
"The method of data capture remains unchanged, with all prices collected within the same calendar month, including VAT. Prices are sourced almost exclusively from franchise dealers around Durban, to replicate as closely as possible what the customer would experience.
"Where possible we provided a VIN number for the exact vehicle required. For the customer it is very important to take note of the VIN number found on all vehicles when getting a quote for any parts required. This ensures that everything from trim to engine, gearbox and tyres will be specific to your model vehicle and with all the variations on the market this makes part identification easier and more precise." Shopping around can still pay dividends. Manufacturers are only allowed to set a "recommended selling price" while individual dealerships may charge whatever they feel is fair and reasonable. With large volume sellers it is easy to compare prices but the lower volume brands may only have a single franchise and getting a second quote may involve considerable travelling," said Kinsey.
This year's Kinsey Report shows some alarmingly high prices, which Kinsey says can't be blamed entirely on the deteriorating rand. There are instances where items like mag rims and windscreens cost R10 000 or more. In some cases comparisons were not possible - for example the rear fender, which may be just that, or a complete side with door apertures.
Bakkies are also awkward as some manufacturers offer sides for the load box while others offer only the complete load box. The latter will obviously be far more costly. Obviously comparisons must be made with similar vehicles, in the same or similar category, since physical size of the part will also affect its cost structure.
In selecting vehicles, consideration was given to the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa) monthly sales figures that reflect the volume of sales for each vehicle. Some 'iconic' vehicles are also included even though their sales are not in the Polo/Corolla league, according to the report.
The area of crash parts received intense research as it is regarded by some consumers as the most important and certainly the most costly.
Servicing and warranties plans cover most costs for as much as 120 000km but the moment a car is driven out of the showroom the owner and his or her insurance company are potentially liable for big accident repair costs.
Vehicles with aluminium body panels and chassis components are difficult and very expensive to repair. According to the report, some are even written off when the repair costs reach 50% of the resale value of the vehicle. The use of alloy is very 'in' at present - ostensibly to lighten the vehicle and thus improve fuel consumption. This is a false environmental greening effort since aluminium requires much more energy to produce and recycle than steel does, which in my opinion negates the advantages, according to Kinsey.
Other items that show big discrepancies include fan belts and flywheels. Some vehicles are now fitted with fan belts, which resemble large elastic bands. They never need tensioning or adjusting, but unfortunately cannot be re-used if the engine is stripped.
This replacement of clutch and flywheel can cost R20 000 to R30 000 and is not generally covered by warranty and service plans.
It is interesting to note how engine capacities have dropped to comply with emission regulations. Several 1,0 and 1,2-litre turbo charged engines are now in vogue.
Out of 11 cars, the new Datsun GO was a clear winner with a parts basket of R37 631 (and a low selling price of R102 500). It's a great first-time purchase, making owning a new car affordable. Although lacking a few refinements like ABS brakes and airbags, it's still a solid little vehicle for basic transport.
Second overall in parts was the Nissan Micra at R44 479 and third was the Polo Vivo at R49 805.
Best for servicing parts was the fourth placed Ford Figo followed by the Micra and Spark. The GO shines in repair parts and crash parts with Micra second and Figo third in repair parts and Go, Micra and Polo Vivo taking the top three spots in crash parts.
Out of 10 cars, the Renault Sandero (R65 517) narrowly pipped the Fiat 500 (R65 738) with the Peugeot not far adrift in third with a parts basket of R67 463. The least expensive car to service was the seventh placed Polo, at about R250 less than the Sandero, which was in second place. Third was the Fiat. In the repair portion you are better off with a Fiat 500, while accident parts costs were lowest for the Sandero, followed by the Peugeot 208 and Fiat.
From nine cars, a pair of real family favourites, two Toyota Corollas took first and second places. The Prestige just edged out the Quest at R67 078 and R69 466 respectively. Third was the Alfa Giulietta which always seems to surprise with its competitiveness.
Most economical to service was the VW Golf 7, (sixth overall) followed by the Hyundai Elantra, both substantially less than the two Corollas.
In the repair section the Elantra and Kia Cerato were tops, with the Golf in third spot. The Corollas come into their own with substantially less expensive crash parts, over R15 000 better than the third placed Alfa.
It's important that if the purchase price of a vehicle is comparatively low that the crash parts are inexpensive to avoid reaching the write-off point.
With any insurance you are still better off repairing than writing off the vehicle as you are seldom paid out enough to replace your vehicle, ending up having to pay in a considerable amount. The Alfa, with a more expensive selling price, was one of only two cars in the survey with a parts basket to selling price percentage of under 20%.
Four vehicles were compared with the Toyota Avanza heading up this class with a parts basket of R67 786, ahead of the Ford Eco Sport, one of the latest 1-litre turbo engine vehicles. Third was the Renault Duster. The Duster was the least expensive vehicle to service followed by the Avanza and new Citroen Cactus 1.2 (fourth).
The Avanza is substantially less pricey for both repair and crash parts, with the Renault Duster second in repair parts and the Eco Sport second in crash parts. Citroën has come up with an innovative idea to deal with minor scratches - the Cactus has plastic panels on the sides of the vehicle which are capable of absorbing impacts of about 3km/h, like supermarket trolley damage. These can be individually replaced when necessary.
Out of 10 vehicles, Toyoya's Fortuner headed the list with a parts basket of R77 413 compared to the second-placed Kia Sportage at R92 992 and the Toyota Rav 4 at R97 708.
Repair cost honours also went to the Fortuner just ahead of the Chev Trailblazer (fourth overall), both well ahead of the third-placed Kia Sportage.
Fortuner was also the most economical in the crash parts section by almost R14 000, followed by the Sportage and Rav 4. As a percentage of basket price to selling price, the Fortuner had the lowest figure in the survey at 16%.
Seven vehicles who are the real 'top dog' SUVs were compared. Kinsey felt they warranted a class of their own. Priced at over R750 000 and all automatic, the parts prices are probably more of academic than economic interest to their owners, but might be an eye-opener to many others, he said.
The winner here was the Volvo XC 90 with a total parts basket price of R164 508, followed by the Audi Q7 and a close third the Toyota Prado. All these vehicles have extensive service plans. This means it is only if they are kept for a long time or run up very high mileages that the cost of servicing could become an issue.
In the repair section the Evoque had the least expensive basket ahead of the Quattro and the Volvo. The Toyota Prado was severely hampered by having very expensive shock absorbers which made the repair basket the most expensive of the group. The vehicle was able to pull back to a competitive position by having the lest costly crash parts ahead of the Volvo and Audi.
Eight vehicle and three countries of origin competed for the top position. India won with its Tata Xenon and a parts basket price of R58 527, followed by Japan with the Toyota Hilux Raider (R85 986) and China's GWM Steed 6 (R89 437).
The GWM had the most competitive service costs at R2 269 ahead of the Tata and Isuzu KB300.
Repair parts winner was the VW Amarok. It was noted that most Amarok D/C sales are with automatic gearboxes, so there are no clutch and pressure plate and flywheel prices in the list, which was included in the manual transmissions. GWM was second.
Crash parts saw Tata Xenon as a clear winner by more than R20 000 over the second placed Toyota Raider.
Kinsey noted out of eight vehicles, apples were not exactly compared with apples here, since two half-tonne bakkies was included with six full one-tonners. The Nissan NP 200, with a parts basket of R47 026, just pipped its larger brother NP 300 Hardbody for first spot. Third was the Chev Utility 1.4 Club.
The Chev Ute in turn had the best repair parts basket ahead of the two Nissans.
In the crash part section the the two Nissans were first and second again.
However, it is interesting to look at the rest of the bakkies in this section - one-tonners - where the Isuzu 250 leads the Toyota Hilux, Mazda BT 50, Ford Ranger 2.2 and VW Amarok.
Seven cars were included in the comparison and the first three places were very closely contested where only R2 500 separated them in their parts basket prices.The leader was the BMW 320, followed by the Audi A4 and the Infiniti Q50. The Infinity was included for the first time in the Kinsey Report.
Audi came out top in the servicing section ahead of the Infiniti, but all the cars were within a thousand rand or so of each other.
The crash parts costs reflected the overall basket with BMW first, Audi second and the Infinity third.
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