JOHOR BARU: The price of automotive spare parts and accessories is expected to increase by between 5% and 10% next month following the rising cost of daily necessities.
Johor Bumiputera Automotive and Tyre Association chairman Azreen Men said customers would still have the option of purchasing parts of lower quality at a cheaper price.
“We were informed by our suppliers about this and we have conveyed it to our customers so that they are prepared to pay more for the parts they usually get. The items include engine oil, car paint and tyres,” he said.
Azreen said the association planned to work with a tyre supplier from Indonesia to be able to offer customers more choice.
“For parts, if we can buy in bulk from a supplier, we will usually get a discount, which we can then sell at a cheaper price.
“So this is one of our mitigation plans for the local market besides looking for other cheaper, quality options outside the country,” he said.
The association, which currently has 30 members, was planning to pool its resources together to buy automotive parts in bulk, he added.
Azreen said further down the road, the increasing prices would also affect other aspects of their operations including manpower at the workshops as workers would be demanding a higher salary.
“It’s a domino effect where one thing will lead to another; the increase in the price of daily necessities will have an impact on our workers’ livelihood. They will ask for higher pay, and higher pay means that parts will have to be sold at a higher price.
“However, this will not happen immediately. The change will come but in phases,” he added.
Fateh Tyre and Auto Sdn Bhd owner Effendi Abdul Talib said the price of tyres had increased four times since January.
“Each increase is between 3% and 7%, and the main reason given by the supplier is supply shortage,” he said.
According to Effendi, the best option for customers now is to immediately fix any minor problems as these could lead to bigger issues on their vehicles, if left unchecked.
“Once it becomes a serious problem, it will also be much costlier to get it repaired,” he said.
