Mark-up On Franchise Parts Is Enough To Drive You Spare

The price of replacement car parts can vary by a staggering 517 per cent, according to a new study. Cover provider Warranty Direct compared the cost of some common spares for a number of vehicles.

Auto Express Car Reviews

08th February 2005

Prices were gathered from franchised dealers and high street motor accessory shops, and in eight out of 10 cases the main agents proved to be more expensive. The biggest difference was on a new wheel bearing for a Honda CR-V SUV. Although a replacement was available for only ΂£21.88 on the high street, a Honda main agent wanted a staggering ΂£135.13 for a similar part - that's ΂£113.25 more!

A Warranty Direct spokesman said: "We used four-year-old models in our study as these would no longer be covered by the manufacturer's aftersales cover. For anyone who has owned a car from new, this is when you start paying for everything that goes wrong and realise it's well worth shopping around."