Car part costs

Press, 14 April 1982, Page 24

Car part costs

Sir,—Despite the ending of the. television series, “Dick Turpin,”., highway robbery is rife in a most insidious form in New Zealand. The number of unwarranted fitness tickets issued during the Auckland blitz comes as no surprise. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has failed lamentably in not promoting a more vigorous probe into the escalating costs of vehicles' replacement parts. The current appeal by the Ford company against the import of cheaper pattern spares from overseas, is rather ironic when their once prestigious badge

graces a Japanese car. Recently a small rubber hose which carries hot water to the intake manifold jacket of my Cortina burst; the approximate dimensions of the hose are 12 inches length with outside diameter 1 inch. The itemised cash sale receipt lists the price at $17.15 for which exorbitance there is no justification, particularly as this rubber item would come under the New Zealand content legislation. — Yours, etc., N. ROBERTSON. March 27, 1982.

(Mr E. P. Lucie-Smith, parts and service manager, Ford Motor Company, replies: “The hose in question is imported from the United Kingdom as it is a high-quality moulded, reinforced hose carrying high-pres-sure hot water at a temperature above boiling point. The quality of this hose is critical as any rupture would permit the sudden, escape of the engine coolant and this could result in serious and immediate engine damage. The suggested retail price of. $17.15 reflects the quality cost premium together with 45 per cent. import duty and 20 per cent tax, as well as the normal margins."].