According to a report in The Star, the prices of car parts in Malaysia have increased by 25 to 60 per cent. The price hike is mainly affected by epidemic and military tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
European countries are facing a serious energy crisis after Russia started to restrict gas supplies to European countries following the massive EU sanctions against Russia, which has also caused a shortage of spare parts for European cars. The price of parts for European cars has increased by approximately 25%.
In addition, most of the spare parts for Japanese and Korean cars are produced in China. Strict epidemic control in China has affected the operations of these manufacturers of automotive parts, which in turn has led to shortages and price increases.
In addition to the increase in prices of auto parts, prices of car tyres, engine oil and lubricants are also increasing, by between 10% and 15%. Usually lubricants are increased by 2% to 3% every 2 to 3 years, however, this year the prices have been increased twice.
As the prices of car parts have been rising, garages are discussing with car owners in advance before carrying out part replacements. Previously it only took 1 week for the parts to arrive at the garage, but now it can take up to 1 month for them to arrive.
Some people will consider buying car parts online, but these parts are likely to be replicas, so the quality is still to be determined. Car owners are urged to take extra care when buying car parts online.
