the availability of spare parts for cars grows along with prices

In the Russian Federation, it is becoming more and more common for citizens to independently search for spare parts for cars – sales of popular brands on Avito doubled in the first half of the year. Dealers believe that the trend is associated, among other things, with an increase in the cost of spare parts due to the weakening of the ruble. At the same time, the availability of spare parts is improving – deliveries have been established for non-sanctioned items, and for the rest of the range, problems are being solved, including at the expense of used parts.

In the first half of the year, the demand for spare parts of popular brands doubled, and the total turnover of goods for cars increased by 25%, according to Avito data. New spare parts accounted for more than half (57%) of the total share of sales, in total there are more than 45 million ads in this category on the site. Most of all spare parts for Lada cars were sold, their sales in pieces increased by 3.2 times. Sales of spare parts for Toyota increased 2.2 times, Volkswagen – 2.2 times, Ford – doubled. The most active increase in demand is observed for the Chinese brands Zotye and Haval – by 4 and 3.5 times, respectively.

Most often, Avito buys body parts, electrical equipment, auto lighting, engines and components for them, as well as suspension parts. The most notable increase in sales (up 44%) was observed in the service parts categories. The head of the “Spare parts and accessories” category of “Avito” Alexander Kuroptev says that car owners prefer to buy parts not at the “collapse” or in affordable auto shops, but order online.

After an increase in the cost of spare parts, many began to independently select components and come to the service with them, Alexander Nosko, director of service at the automotive marketplace Fresh, confirms. About 15% of dealers meet their customers, but 23% of large and 13% of small service stations do not allow this format, he says. “Many motorists have begun to give preference to good quality analogue components: now about 25% of customers buy originals, while before the aggravation of the geopolitical situation – 40%,” adds Mr. Nosko.

The Borishof press service claims that no more than 10% of customers come with their spare parts. They note that brands that do not import cars continue to supply unauthorized parts. “As for sanctions, if the car is still under warranty, then we buy original parts from one of several dozen suppliers and keep the warranty. This is approved together with the respective brands,” Borishof explains.

Now in Russia there are consumables for scheduled maintenance for almost all models, says Roman Timashov, Director of Service at Avtodom Altufyevo. “Certain difficulties remain with complex assemblies: complete engines, cylinder heads, transmission units. Their delivery times may exceed three months,” he notes. He calls the repair of components and assemblies, the use of non-original spare parts or analogues, as well as contract and used spare parts, as the main trends in car maintenance.

Sergey Parshikov, Deputy General Director of Avilon for Service, says that the bulk of the parts are in stock, waiting for scarce elements for basic maintenance can take several days, “difficulties are observed with new spare parts and rare body parts.” The shortage of spare parts is affected by complicated logistics, he believes, as well as if the part is “in a global shortage.”

“Consumables and most spare parts for popular brands are in stock, there are no difficulties with ordering. But there are still problems with ordering body parts and large assemblies,” says Tatyana Ovchinnikova, director of the Fit Service car service network. This is especially true for European and American brands, she clarifies. In addition, according to Ms. Ovchinnikova, warehouses of spare parts for Chinese cars are “still forming”, not everything is in stock, and delivery times can be long.

Alexander Nosko notes that by the summer of 2023, the cost of spare parts for Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi and Nissan has decreased by 30-40% in annual terms due to supplies from China and the UAE under a license and without sanctions restrictions. But in the premium car segment, there is still a shortage of a number of spare parts: engines, windshields, bumpers, radiator grilles. At the same time, the price of spare parts has increased by 10-15% over the past month due to the weakening of the ruble, says Roman Timashov. According to Fit Service, the cost of spare parts increased by an average of 5% per month.

Olga Nikitina