COST OF CAR REPAIRS SOARS BY A THIRD
The average costa car repairs has soared in recent years, with some elements more than doubling in price in the last three years.
Advances in technology, materials and production methods are being blamed for the 32 per cent rise in the average repair cost.
That rise has pushed the average repair bill to £1,678, accordingto insurance data from 2016. The price of replacing a wind screen has risen even more dramatically, with as much as a 123 percent rise for certain models, meaning some customers facing bills in excess of £700.
Car makers are now being urged to work with the repair industry to bring the soaring costs under control.
According to Peter Shaw of Thatcham Research, due to changes in materials and productionmany parts which once could be repaired are now having to be replaced entirely, driving up the cost of the work. He commented: “[The increase] has been driven by the reparability of parts such as headlamps, increasing complexity of vehicle materials and technology and the rising cost of spare parts.”
He highlighted the use of complex safety and driver aid systems, particularly when it comes to wind screen repair and replacement. sensors and cameras mounted behind the wind screen are used for systems such as autonomous emergency braking and traffic sign recognition.these are expensive to fit and require exact calibration to ensure they are working correctly after any repair.
Speaking to industry leaders on Tuesday, Mr Shaw warned that with the increasing adoption of such advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) repair costs could spiral even further.
He said: “The cost for windscreen-mounted ADAS calibration spans from £0 to £700 –across car manufacturers and often across similar sensors and technology. ”
The cost of replacing a windscreen increases dramatically if the car is fitted with ADAS. In a VW Golf, for example, it will cost 78 per cent more for an Adas-equipped car than for one without. in a ford focus the increase is 123 per cent.
Beyond the complexities of ADAS, Thatcham Research says that new materials and paint finishes make repairing a panel more difficult.
Thomas Hudd, operations manager at the Thatcham Research Repair Technology Centre, said: “The rising use of a mix of new materials in modern cars is leading to more intrusive repairs.
“This means that where we were once able to partially replace a panel, we now need to replace it. this is especially true of aluminium panels, which are challenging the repair industry as it is stiffer and harder to reshape than steel.”
And where fixing a broken headlight was once a simple process of replacing a bulb or lens, the introduction of LED, LED matrix and even laser units mean they often cannot be repaired at all and have to be replaced at the cost of hundreds of pounds.