[Cartman]

BHPians,

I've known people buying everything from buying Diapers to DSLRs online. I can think of a couple of reasons of why e-commerce has bloomed in an emerging market like India

1. saves time: not only the time invested in actually purchasing the item, but also time taken to physically visit the store
2. saves money: with the kind of discounts we see on e-commerce sites, it is safe to assume no physical store can match those prices

Not to mention, all of this can be done from the comfort of your couch. And, everything arrives at your doorstep. Pretty neat!

Coming to why I started this thread:

Dealerships (lovingly nicknamed stealerships) have been charging a bomb for servicing or repairing your car. Cheap service is most definitely a myth, I assume.

There have been instances of pure daylight robbery;
1. Charging for work that wasn't supposed to be done in the first place ( For eg: the service bill on my Zen had 160 bucks charged for “all lights check”. I'm sorry, I don't remember asking you'll to do that. Also, 160 bucks to check if 4 pairs of lights are working? Seriously?)

2. Quoting unnecessary repair jobs to be carried out

3. Exorbitant labour rates

4. Money making tricks (AC Disinfection, VW Oil Scam)

5. Worst of all, fake parts (As seen in MadMonkey's LandRover case)

With all these instances on the rise, many of us have resorted to our friendly neighborhood garage aka FNG. Not only is there an element of trust (since most workshops are handled by the owners themselves), but also a level of comfort knowing the wallet won't take a major hit.

The only doubts that arise while getting our cars repaired at FNGs are the authenticity of parts being used. I beleive this is one of the major deterrents that compells us to visit the authorized service stations. The question I'd like to ask is: Would you buy spare parts online?

It'd be a situation wherein you take responsibility for the part and the garage takes responsibility of the labour.

[rohanjf]

I voted Yes.
For my Palio Stile, I haven't bought any spare part from anywhere else ever since I discovered www.99rpm.com. It costs a little extra because of shipment charges though.

The friendly neighbourhood garage guy tells me what parts to order. I don't think I have the knowledge to decide what parts I should order. The problem is, the local mechanics use a different term compared to what the website uses. So, searching is not always easy or straightforward.

In other words, an online buyer should know what exactly she/he is looking for and how and where that spare part fits into the whole car.

[yogeshnagpal]

Yes, I would most definitely purchase spares online.


I've purchased car accessories online from Snapdeal and the likes, and have been satisfied with the online purchase.

If any portal is able to provide spare parts with 100% accuracy (read exact part for that generation of vehicle), I would be more than happy to buy it online.

Although, question remains, genuine parts.

Maruti sells mgp via Western mgp, and Hyundai sells OTC too.

Others have started selling OTC too.

I believe Amazon has started selling parts online too, right?

A step in the right direction should definitely be able to disrupt the market.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

For my Palio Stile, I haven't bought any spare part from anywhere else ever since I discovered www.99rpm.com.

In other words, an online buyer should know what exactly she/he is looking for and how and where that spare part fits into the whole car.

Been using 99rpm since a couple of years for my ten year old Palio Sport. All items fitted perfectly.

As the parts are genuine, I have not paid attention to the cost / shipping.

I actually found the web site pretty user friendly, as the detailed parts diagram helps to me zero on the item I want. May be owning the car for ten years and my DIY attempts comes in handy?

[Mr.Boss]

I voted "YES" though I haven't ordered any spares online yet.

There are certain drawbacks as well,
1) Vehicle Warranty
2) Responsibility when the part fails
When the part is purchased and fitted by A.S.S or FNG and during a premature failure, they (A.S.S / FNG) hold the responsibility (for most cases where the failure isn't a regular wear or customer abuse) and they replace by their own. But when we purchase the spares online and face a premature failure, online seller will blame the process (fitment) or the user and the mechanic will start blaming the product (quality)
3) Lead time
Almost all essential parts are available off the shelf at dealerships. Online purchase will take at least a day for the parts to arrive

[Abhi_abarth]

Right question at the right time.

I just bought a pre-worshipped Palio S10 and the first thing I wanted to replace was the rpm sensor. Fiat guys as usual wanted 10 days for the order delivery. I ordered the product in 99rpm.com and got it delivered within 24 hours.

So my straight answer is 'YES' specially if you are a FIAT owner and looking for genuine spares.

[jagzrk]

Would definitely prefer the online option given a manufacturer like Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and the like. But from what I can see the spares easily available are of manufacturers like Maruti, Tata, Fiat who already have a good distribution network and lots of options for service centers. Unfortunately, it is really hard finding spares for my Honda City 2006 even online. I usually call up spareshub and they oblige to arrange the spares but in some cases even they do not have the full inventory.

For fluids, I order everything from 99rpm. It would be actually nice having online spare stores stocking parts from manufacturers whose customers are disgruntled with their A.S.S. and disgusting pricing + labour. But as of now, Maruti and Tata seem to have the upper hand even here.

[goldie_malhotra]

Originally Posted by jagzrk

centers. Unfortunately, it is really hard finding spares for my Honda City 2006 even online. I usually call up spareshub and they oblige to arrange the spares but in some cases even they do not have the full inventory.

I am in NCR, and I didnt have any problems replacing routine consumables like bearing, suspension, clutch, brakes etc.
Yes - the OEM electrical parts (say central locking) can be tricky to source.

[jagzrk]

Originally Posted by goldie_malhotra

I am in NCR, and I didnt have any problems replacing routine consumables like bearing, suspension, clutch, brakes etc.
Yes - the OEM electrical parts (say central locking) can be tricky to source.

I'm in Pune and the only option for genuine spares is the Honda A.S.S. Just once, I got oil and oil filter changed at a garage and a week later noticed that the oil filter was leaking. Since then I stick to the A.S.S. and made some friends there who allow me to use my own synthetic oil, but its still too costly. It's almost impossible to know whether a compatible after-market part is a perfect fit or not without actually using it. This time I'm experimenting with one more FNG who assured compatible branded spares, keeping fingers crossed.

Mumbai (Opera House) is the nearest place where all spares are easily available. Just curious, what options are there in Delhi for Honda Spares?

One more point that I've missed is that you need to know which spares exactly you would need. This requires a first visit for diagnosis say a few hundred kms before scheduled service, order online and wait for the parts delivery and then the second visit.

[goldie_malhotra]

Originally Posted by jagzrk

I'm in Pune and the only option for genuine spares is the Honda A.S.S. Just once, I got oil and oil filter changed at a garage and a week later noticed that the oil filter was leaking. Since then I stick to the A.S.S. and made some friends there who allow me to use my own synthetic oil, but its still too costly. It's almost impossible to know whether a compatible after-market part is a perfect fit or not without actually using it. This time I'm experimenting with one more FNG who assured compatible branded spares, keeping fingers crossed.

Mumbai (Opera House) is the nearest place where all spares are easily available. Just curious, what options are there in Delhi for Honda Spares?

All the best.

I have a FNG close-by, and have been doing all my routine services post-100k and all replacements post-50k from there. No problems with any work done so far, and all replacements are doing good. He has plenty of 1st gen City and Civic as regular clientele too.

Have no idea where the parts are sourced from - but guess its Kashmiri gate. Guess he wants to keep his margins intact.

[Akshay1234]

Very interesting thread.

To be honest I would definitely buy parts online, but I would have a few apprehensions too.

For service parts I would want the same day, or next day delivery.

About giving it to a local workshop, I would prefer if it was certified or had a tie up with the people selling me the parts. It would just give that much more confidence.

A warranty on the parts would be an added bonus, also showing sellers confidence in the same.

Also sites like Amazon which have already got in to it will be a bigger help for smaller cities/towns, since I would think sourcing parts there would be quite difficult for anything besides a Maruti/Hyundai.

[sajjt]

Yes, I do shop for spares through online sites. I trust my FNG guy than the so called 'professionally trained technician' because I know how they treat the client to rip them off with hidden charges. I know its a universal fact, but wish these cut throats behave some more genuine attitude. If that was the case, am sure there wont be any FNG fans.

Coming back to topic, I find this process is more convenient than visiting the ASC as its takes time most of the times. Usually I had to wait for at least 15-30 minutes to get the required spare as counter sale from an ASC. But here, you can order it at your convenience at any point of time and the main advantage in online purchases are the door delivery service If the things are coming to your doorstep then who will go for the ASC and wait for that unnecessarily? Another plus point if you shop from reputed portals like Amazon, if anything goes wrong, you can simply return the item and your money is safe. Can anyone think of returning anything to any ASC if something wrong after taking the delivery? I bet not even in any of the wild dreams. Another pro is you may get a chance to get the same item at a discounted rate

[jfxavier]

I have purchased tyres online but haven't got any spares yet.
I went to 99rpm & saw that they dealt with only Tata & Fiat.
The usual search online gives all foreign suppliers sites.
Are there any more Indian suppliers/ sites that deal in foreign cars spares?
Thanks in advance.

[Rudra Sen]

Yes – For routine services + replacements gets maximum vote (as of now) I see.

So, you buy stuff online and take it to service center during service? And Service center obliges without raising a question?
I'm sorry if my questions sound stupid but I'm under the impression that dealers make more money in service than selling cars and they don't allow this practice. Unless, of course you know them personally.

Please enlighten guys.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

So, you buy stuff online and take it to service center during service? And Service center obliges without raising a question?

The answer is Yes, 90% of the ASC guys will object to getting spares by our own and getting it fit at the ASC. Hence most visit FNG's due to this issue.

What I feel overall though I have voted for the same point is that - Till warranty is running all jobs, replacements will be done at ASC by their own parts. Once warranty expires I go the FNG route.

I own a Maruti Suzuki so getting parts is never an issue be it at ASC or at their MGP dealership (Over The Counter). Same is the case with Hyundai who do have part sales via over the counter system.

Even if do go but the parts online, I'll enquire at the ASC for the price and check the same online. If the difference isn't much I'll go ahead with the ASC.