South African motorists should expect delays in automotive repairs due to an “acute shortage of motor body repair components,” said the South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (Sambra).
The group, which represents almost 1,000 motor body repair businesses accounting for over 80% of all insured repair claims in the country, said that the supply shortages are expected to last “for many months to come.”
Sambra’s national director Richard Green said the association’s members will “do everything in their power to inform clients accurately when dealing with authorised repairs on the state and timing of the repair required.”
“The situation is, however, totally out of our control,” he said.
“The supply constraints have affected the production of alternative parts in the same manner and we are finding that there has been a knock-on effect on the quality of available alternative parts,” said Green.
Global supply concerns
Green attributes a large part of the supply issue to a four-fold increase in the cost of international cargo container logistics over the last 12 months.
In addition, the global motor industry has been facing supply issues for a long time due to several external factors – from an unanticipated bounce-back in demand for new vehicles that left the industry struggling to keep up, to shortages of components such as semi-conductors that are common in many new vehicles.
More recently, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has further disrupted global supply lines, resulting in rising costs for new vehicles and vital goods such as petrol.
Green stated that Sambra will liaise with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to obtain critical parts and that, where possible, motorists should try to repair rather than replace parts.
“Developments in repair technology have advanced substantially over the recent years, significantly improving the ability of our accredited Sambra members to repair metal and plastic panels on a motor vehicle,” he said.
Finally, Green recommends that motorists that do not have hire car cover on their vehicle insurance policies should consider expanding their coverage to include it, as it is “inevitable” that motor repairs will take far longer than normal until supply chains are restored.
Keyword: Car repair delays expected in South Africa