Column: Bermuda Motors “Ask The Experts”

It happens to the best of us. One day you are driving your car and then out of nowhere, it breaks down and you have to take it to your dealership to get it fixed.

The car technician tells you what is wrong and explains what parts are needed to fix the problem. Then the dreaded words come out of his mouth, “We don’t have the parts in stock”. Your day then goes from bad to worse.

The technician tells you the parts will arrive in two to four weeks. Of course by now, you are enraged. How could the dealers not have the parts in stock? Why are the repairs going to take so long?

The answer is simple. Car parts stay in stock based on the demand of the vehicle. At Bermuda Motors, we sell more than a dozen models every year and every car has up to 30,000 parts. It would be virtually impossible to keep all the parts for every single car that we sell or service in stock.

“If your car is a popular brand and you see it whizzing by you on the road daily, chances are we will have parts in stock due to the demand of the car. But if your car isn’t a popular brand or it’s much older, the parts will likely have to be ordered from overseas.

“Parts come into the island via ocean-freight from Europe, the United States and Japan and take weeks to arrive. When a part is needed immediately, an emergency order can be placed directly with manufacturers and sent in by Fed Ex, as courtesy to the client if the item would normally be in stock.

“Sometimes customers try to get the part cheaper by ordering it themselves. We often have customers come in to the dealership and tell us they found the parts they need for their car online for a cheaper price. While the price may be cheaper, it doesn’t factor in the cost of getting it to Bermuda or the labour to install it. And most times, it’s not a genuine part.

“The prices of genuine parts are higher than generic parts because the genuine parts are taylor-made for your car. Yes, it’s often cheaper to go with generic parts but it isn’t always what’s best for your car. When you buy a generic part, you’re taking a chance that the part you buy will fit your car. The packaging may say that it will, but you won’t actually know until you buy it and try it.

“Another downside of course, is that there will be no warranty on the parts if you buy them yourself. Even if the parts work perfectly in your car, should any repairs need to be done later, your warranty will not cover the generic parts or any damage caused by their use in the vehicle.

“It may cost more money to pay for the parts from your dealers, but it should give you peace of mind knowing that the parts will work every time to do the job they were designed to perform. You won’t have to go through the hassle and the stress of hoping you have the right part, that it fits correctly, and that it works properly without causing damage to the rest of the vehicle.

“Another reason that dealership parts can be more expensive is because they must be ordered from overseas. The part itself might not cost a lot but by the time it lands in Bermuda, the price increases. It rises again when you add in the cost of labour at the dealership.

“So next time you bring your car in and your dealership gives you a quote that you think is expensive or a long wait time, remember we are doing the best we can so that we can give our customers, you, the most reliable option.”

Krishna King [pictured] has more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry, and chairs the Automotive Occupational Advisory Committee for the National Training Board. For more information on automobile maintenance, contact Krishna King at Bermuda Motors: 292-0893 or KKing@bermudamotors.bm.

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Category: All, Business