Car accessories, repairs a costly affair

JEDDAH: With financial companies extending loans to be repaid in easy installments, owning a car may not be a difficult task. However, maintaining them certainly is, at least in the Kingdom.

Car accessories are sold in Saudi Arabia at more than twice the price they are available in the country of origin, sources said.

“Besides this, the charges for repairs too are high in the Kingdom.”

For example, a brake rotor of an American-made car costs around SR400 a piece in America, but SR1,000 in Saudi Arabia.

This price difference is not limited to spare parts for American vehicles; it is the same when compared to different other countries. For instance, the AC filter of a Japanese car is sold for the equivalent of SR35 in Japan, but for SR65 in Saudi Arabia, sources were quoted as saying in a local media report.

According to industry experts, the difference is the result of money exchange and shipping fees.

“Car agencies have to comply with the unified international prices that the manufacturing company gives, even if the Ministry of Commerce and Investment is unable to monitor all these agencies,” said an expert.

The ministry allows around 15 percent profit margins on sales of cars and spare parts.

On a different note, there has been a 45 percent increase in charges for car maintenance in Jeddah, and they might even reach a 100 percent increase, said the industry sources.