[shahsingh]

Similar discussion thread on the subject of right to repair/ over the counter sales of parts-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...le-spares.html

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by mjothi

Very interesting. This would certainly help. I think the price is "decided" by the authorised dealers than the manufacturers.

Then I wonder how does the MRP appear on the sticker. Does the delaer make his own?

Originally Posted by motorhead666

The car service/workshop manual should also be available to the owner. It will help laymen understand the car better and not get fleeced by mechanics or dealers.

Agree 200%. I am sure the big independents like Bosch, Khattar's lot (I forget the name) and the like do get access to the manuals somehow. What they may not have are the periodic updates.

Given thaat we are unlikely to easily get access to the manuals, and definitely not to the updates, I have an option - let someone make the Haynes Manuals available in India. Then they can stuff their original manuals. Haynes are often better since they are often using substitutes for the specialised OE tools. Haynes have an operation in Chennai - What for?

[adityasiera]

Pankaj Doval, TNN | Jun 27, 2012, 05.03AM IST
NEW DELHI: A section of car makers has allegedly been found engaging in anti-competitive practices by withholding sales of spare parts in the free market, resulting in controlled and hefty prices at dealerships and service centres authorized by them.

The findings are based on a probe by the investigative arm of fair-play watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI).

If the above cases are levied then Honda, GM, Ford, and VW owners rejoice..

Source & Full Article : Times of India

Related Thread

Over the Counter Sales

[darklord]

The auto companies should be afraid of CCI, because only days ago they slapped 6000 crore fine on cement companies for cartel sales.

[srishiva]

If open spares on Maruti, M&M and Tata have not caused problems, everyone else should also fall in line.
Although, a part not fit properly and causing a problem could be perceived as a problem with the vehicle and hence the brand.

[vikram_d]

"Clearly it is not anti-competitive. Only accredited people should be allowed to fix parts as it is in the interest of the customers," said Toyota Kirloskar deputy MD Shekar Viswanathan. "It is inherently unsafe for non-trained people to fix parts."

This statement is absolute BS. I hope the cases are levied and parts are available in the open market.

[CoolFire]

At last we have a competition regulator which at least is trying something. Joy to all consumers, especially the most harassed of them all - we car owners

[RSR]

Good move by the CCI, and a long overdue one at that! Mr. Vishwanathan of Toyota is clearly talking non-sense. No one from the auto industry would dare utter such a statement in the developed countries with their strong regulators, consumer courts and anti-cartelisation policies. It is only folks like us who get taken for a ride by these auto manufacturers and their monopolistic dealers.

One can understand if the manufacturers feel that getting repairs done at independent garages during the warranty period would cause problems for them. But once the vehicle is out of warranty, the manufacturer has no right whatsoever to tell the customer where to get his car serviced or by whom. It is their duty and our right as customers to demand that they sell genuine spares in the market or at least over the counter at their own places.

I was delighted to learn that the CCI penalised the cement cartel for fixing prices, deliberately restricting supply and other following other unethical trade practices. It's high time the auto lobby is forced to follow free market principles.

[BoneCollector]

I guess Hyundai also should be included as their spare parts are not available in market(atleast in my area) and i have to purchase it from them and also pay the exhorbitant service charges.
I feel that the companies are correct in saying that they want things to be done properly by their "trained" workers.But then how does it affect if i want to get the silencer pipe replaced on my vehicle?I'm more than willing to get it replaced by a local mechanic but i would not get an engine/safety related work done in a local garage.They can release the not so critical parts in market and keep the critical parts with them if they are skeptical about the fittings by local mechanics.Moreover,so many times we have read horror stories of the service centers equipped by company's trained workers doing shoddy work on the vehicles so who is to blame for it?
CCI.Time for some

[raju2512]

Car companies can't be forced to sell spares in open market since fitment errors and sale of spurious parts by open market vendors can result in safety issues.

But CCI can take car companies to task over hefty pricing of the spares.The OEMs pay the same price to the vendors irrespective of whether the part is fitted in OE or sold as spare

[pjbiju]

It is indeed recommended to get important parts replaced/serviced from authorized personnel. But that does not have to be limited to dealerships only. For example automobile companies provide certificate training and the necessary tools to non-dealer workshop mechanics so that they are knowledgeable enough to attend to vehicles in case of break-downs.

Many people with decent technical knowledge and correct tools will be able to replace parts in a car/bike. Simple parts like wiper blades, fused bulbs, fuses, air filters etc. can be replaced by almost anyone. All that one needs are genuine spare parts available from authorized stores. There is peace of mind in knowing that you are getting a genuine spare part at a reasonable cost. Many companies do not allow their dealers to sell spare parts over the counter. This is really bad and I would definitely consider it as a restrictive trade practice.

Also the sum of price of all spares should not be more than the cost of the car/bike itself? Should it not be that way?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

This statement is absolute BS. I hope the cases are levied and parts are available in the open market.

Absolutely. The fact of the matter is that the auto industry, especially the new multinational entrants, in India have always operated under the premise of exclusivity and in an anti-competitive, monopolistic manner. This is no doubt a margin racket. I am really thrilled to read this article.

Let me give you a recent example - in one of the rare occasions where I forgot to replace my car's wiper blades (just the rubber blades, not assembly) every 2 years, I went to the dealer in April to get a new set of blades. I was informed it was not in stock, would take 2 days and I'd need to bring the car back to teh dealer as no OTC sales were allowed.

Though I have been really happy with Toyota's service I was not happy with this new 'policy for even consumable parts, though I must admit that in the past they have cooperated with me for coolant, filters, plugs etc. It must be said I have no intention of giving my car to another workshop for maintenance.

I faced the same issue with Honda with my City Type II. The Honda dealer told me that we won't even issue a bulb or a bottle of radiator coolant OTC! I was upset.

The CCI should direct car manufacturers to allow OTC sales of at least consumable parts like filters, bulbs, coolant, OEM engine oils and other essential fluids to verified customers at least.

[adityasiera]

I initially thought only the Americans were up to it. But got a shocker when i inquired about fitting fog lamps on my Brio, Honda A S S quoted 18k (you kidding me ??). And now the CCI has taken up notice, hope they buckle up and get their act straight.

[mayankk]

I dont know if this is a welcome move, but am quite sure this will be appreciated by people some years down the line.

Demonstrating:
I had a small leak on my fiesta's radiator about 8 months back.
The FNG had a replacement that he sourced from somewhere(refurbished), and quoted about a third of what just the part would have cost at ford.
And it was a horror watching the guy trying to get the radiator off of the car!!!
this bolt, that hammer, no this bolt, this latch, no put the latch back, remove the bumper, er how to remove the bumper............went on and on.
They didnt know how to work on the car.
At one point in time , I heard him say "start the car and put it in reverse"...
He finally figured it out and that fix has lasted me for 10k kms so far.

So you may think that I am a proponent of ford restricting the spares.
That its ford's training to its staff that enables them to repair efficiently.

NO.
Its precisely because these spares are not available in the open market that these cars dont get repaired in the open market.
None of our FNGs are Ford/toyota/honda trained.
where do they learn?


So I feel that if today the spares are made available, these guys will see a lot more fiestas coming in, and will be MS level experts in time for future owners.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Its precisely because these spares are not available in the open market that these cars dont get repaired in the open market.
None of our FNGs are Ford/toyota/honda trained.
where do they learn?


So I feel that if today the spares are made available, these guys will see a lot more fiestas coming in, and will be MS level experts in time for future owners.

I think it will be an incentive for existing mechanics trained by Ford, Honda, etc for setting up their own FNGs. Ultimately the consumer will benefit from this.