Owning a car is both useful and fun. But with its usual wear and tear, replacing the damaged or defective parts can at times be a nightmare. Though there is usually no shortage in Mauritius, prices keep soaring, mostly due to external factors.

Over the past three years, prices of vehicle parts in Mauritius have spiked by a horrendous 20% on average. As a result, car importers, garage operators and car owners are all facing dire hardship.

 On the international plane, the shortage of semi-conductors is slowing down the construction of new vehicles. This has impacted Mauritian operations too. As regards spare parts, however, most importers usually maintain a reasonably good stock and therefore there is hardly any risk of scarcity.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exacerbated the situation while freight rates have increased exponentially. The current global economic downturn is further compounding the difficult market condition. In addition, there is a proliferation of counterfeit parts which is seriously destabilising the market.

Second-hand parts

Many more car owners, both locally as well as internationally, are turning to second-hand parts which has always been a lucrative business.

Some heavily damaged cars are worth their weight in gold. They contain parts that are in great demand for repairing other vehicles as new parts are becoming more and more prohibitive to buy. Quite a sizeable number of customers are therefore turning to second-hand parts even for their relatively new cars.

Normally, broken and total-loss vehicles which are bought at scrap prices are appraised and the parts to be sold are recovered. They are then dismantled, cleaned and exported. Among the most sought-after parts are doors, cylinder heads, brake discs and electrical components. They are generally sold at up to four times less than the new ones.