Cars Available, but Repair Money Isn't / Up to 100% Price Hikes on Some Car Parts / Owners Squeezed, Mechanics Waiting

A market seller says: «Sometimes now the mechanic's labor fee has exceeded the price of the part itself, meaning the customer must pay not only for the part but also a large sum for installation and repair.»

Arman Zarei: These days, in the vicinity of Mellat Street and Cheraghbargh Street in Tehran, the auto spare parts market is more than anything under the shadow of high prices. In shops whose shelves are filled with all kinds of parts, sellers talk about the increase in the cost of supplying goods, and buyers go from one shop to another to find the part they need. Some people buy after a few minutes of inquiry, and others, when they hear the price, move on to the next store.

One of the market sellers says that the price of some parts has increased between 50 and 100 percent since the beginning of 1405. "Prices keep going up, but the customer is not what it used to be," he says about the state of the market. According to him, the increase in prices does not only mean that the goods become more expensive; As purchasing power decreases, the number of purchases also decreases. Customers who didn't wait to replace parts before, now charge higher prices and sometimes postpone the car repair to another time.

Asking prices from several shops has become a common behavior among customers. For the car owner, the story does not end with the price of the part; The cost of installation and replacement must also be paid, and if the car needs several parts, the final amount will increase. This issue leads some customers to cheaper options and others postpone the repair.

When it comes to the cost of parts, the exchange rate is one of the first factors that sellers bring up. Some of the parts available in the market are imported, and in the production of some domestic parts, raw materials, equipment or imported components are used. For this reason, currency fluctuations can increase the cost of providing goods and affect the final price.

Dependence on imports from China is also brought up many times in conversations with market participants. Sellers say that currency fluctuations, sanctions and restrictions on transportation and imports have increased the cost of obtaining parts and made access to some goods more difficult. A seller who sells his goods today must buy at the day's price to replace the inventory; An issue that can affect the next sale price.

However, not all market participants attribute the increase in prices to the exchange rate alone. One of the sellers says: "You can't blame all the high prices on the dollar." From the point of view of this group, the costs of distribution, mediation and pricing also play a role in the final price.

70% drop in the export of some car parts from China

The data published by the Chinese customs show that the export of four main groups of auto parts, including body, engine, gearbox and suspension system, to Iran in the first seven months of 2026 increased from nearly 298.4 million dollars to 88.7 million dollars; A decrease of about 70%. During this period, the export of body parts has dropped by 73%, engine by 77%, gearbox by 54% and suspension system by 65%.

Inside the country, measures have been announced to facilitate the supply of parts. The Ministry of Security has announced the approval of a separate foreign exchange quota for the provision of spare parts for imported cars, and in May of this year, Iranian Customs added 77 tariff lines for car parts to the list of goods subject to 90% clearance. However, the effect of these decisions on the market depends on the actual allocation of currency, the arrival time of shipments, the clearance process and the distribution of goods.

Cost pressure on importers

Mohammadreza Maududi, the former head of the Trade Development Organization, also discussed with Ekhtaznanews that trade with China has become more difficult under the conditions of sanctions and the increase in the cost of supplying goods. The main point in this discussion is the difference between continuing China's trade cooperation with Iran and accepting the economic costs caused by sanctions. Business continuity does not necessarily mean that Chinese companies are willing to accept all the risks of transportation, insurance and money transfer; A part of these costs may be transferred to the Iranian side.

The importance of this issue for the spare parts market is reflected in the replacement cost of sold goods. Estimates about shipping routes show that the cost of moving each container from China to the southern ports of Iran was about $3,000 in previous conditions, while land transportation can bring this figure to about $12,000. These figures depend on the route and conditions of transportation and are not the fixed cost of all car parts shipments; However, the cost difference shows how much changing the shipping route can affect the final price of the product.

When the cost of shipping, insurance and money transfer increases, the importer must allocate more resources to supply the same goods. If this cost increase is reflected in the selling price, the domestic buyer will also face a higher price. Of course, to determine the exact share of transportation in the cost of each piece, the actual cost of the shipment, the value of the goods, and other import costs must be checked; Not all the increase in market prices can be attributed to freight rates alone.

On the other hand, the decrease in the export of some groups of auto parts from China and the increase in supply costs are two related but different issues. The export statistics indicate the decline in the value of trade in certain groups, and Maududi's statements also point to the existing pressures on trade and the transfer of costs. In order to determine the effect of these developments on the Tehran market, it is necessary to see which parts have been imported less, how much goods are available in customs or warehouses, and how much the replacement cost of each group of goods has changed.

Another topic that is raised in the market is the difference in the price of parts in different stores. A customer may visit several shops to buy a certain item and face different prices. Parts that are similar in appearance are not necessarily of the same quality. Brand, country of manufacture, manufacturing quality and warranty period can affect the price. The time of purchase and the cost paid by the seller to secure his inventory are also effective.

However, when the product specifications are not clearly stated, the buyer cannot easily distinguish between the options. A higher price does not necessarily mean better quality, and a lower price does not necessarily mean a more economical purchase. To check overselling, identical goods with comparable specifications should be checked; Merely observing the price difference between two shops is not enough to conclude about the violation.

Checking the price of used car parts in the store shows that the cost of buying spare parts, even for domestic high-volume cars, reaches several million tomans. According to the announced prices for Azam clutch kit, the disk and plate suitable for Pride is about 8,380,000 to 9,800,000 Tomans, the model suitable for Peugeot 405 is about 10,500,000 to 11 million Tomans, and the disk and plate suitable for Peugeot 206 Type 5 costs about 13,760,000 Tomans. Also, the price of some models suitable for Rana reaches about 14 million and 150 thousand tomans.

In the brake pads section, the prices are different according to the brand and model of the car. For example, the front pad of Pride in some models is about 926 thousand to 1 million tomans and the front pad of Peugeot 405 is about 1 million 220 thousand to 1 million 370 thousand tomans. The price of some other brands, including Techstar, reaches 3,590,000 tomans for Peugeot 405 front pads and more than 4,300,000 tomans for Dana. These figures are related to the products specified in DigiKala and should not be considered as the final price of all stores in the market.

When the cost of repair is beyond the buyer's ability

The cost of maintaining a car is not limited to the purchase of spare parts. After obtaining the parts, the car owner must also pay the installation fee and the repairman's wages. Some parts are easily replaced, but to access others, different parts of the car must be opened and the repair requires more time and expertise. As a result, the price of the part itself may not seem that high, but the addition of the repairman's wages will increase the final cost.

This financial pressure has made some customers look for cheaper parts. Buying used parts or repairing an old part is one of the ways to reduce the cost. However, a cheaper initial price does not always mean a more economical choice. The technical condition of the piece, the amount of depreciation and the possibility of warranty are also important. If the second-hand part breaks again after a short period of time, the car owner will have to pay another fee for repair or purchase a replacement.

Expensive parts and increased repair costs for some car owners means postponing repairs. Not everyone can afford to pay for parts and labor immediately after a car breakdown. This issue creates daily problems for people whose car is their main means of commuting, and for those who earn money with the car, it may mean the loss of a part of the income. Of course, there are no specific statistics on the number of cars that are out of use due to the high cost of parts.

Besides the cost, there is also concern about the originality and quality of the parts. When prices go up, the customer is more likely to look for cheaper options, and distinguishing between parts becomes more important. A low-quality part may break down sooner and impose more costs on the car owner. However, without documented statistics of inspections and detected goods, it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the amount of counterfeit parts in the market. A higher price alone does not guarantee the authenticity of the product.

One of the market sellers says: "Now sometimes the repairman's salary is higher than the price of the piece itself; This means that the customer has to pay a lot of money for installation and repair in addition to the part money.

In fact, what is obtained from the conversation with the sellers of Mellat Bazaar and Ceragh Bargh is the simultaneous pressure on both sides of the market. Sellers complain about the increase in the cost of supplying goods and the decrease in the number of customers, and buyers are facing more difficulty in getting parts, paying for repair and ensuring the quality of goods.

Estimates by some sellers of a 50-100% increase in the price of a number of parts since the beginning of 1405 are the narratives of market activists about price changes and cannot be generalized to all parts. For a more accurate evaluation, the price of specific parts with the same brand and quality should be compared at different times, and import information, supply cost, and sales price should also be examined.

The danger of the boom of stolen parts in the car market

Sellers warn that if parts continue to be expensive and repair costs increase, some owners may resort to using second-hand parts and even stolen parts to reduce costs.

Finally, it's not just a matter of a piece becoming more expensive; The buyer must be able to afford the cost of purchase and installation and be sure of the quality of the product he is purchasing. When a customer goes for a used part to cut costs, postpones a repair or puts the car away until the money is available, the price pressure goes beyond the shelves of the nation's stores and light bulbs and reaches the daily lives of households.