Current Collision Repair Parts Procurement Trends
PartsTrader recently reported on the current state of collision repair parts procurement trends by gathering data of quotes by parts suppliers within the PartsTrader network. Our findings have shown a robust and timely overall market supply. We have since received questions regarding the impact on European and Asian brands versus domestic brands. To help address these questions, our data was parsed by major manufacturer and vehicle country of origin. Our top domestic brands include Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram trucks. For European car makers, we selected BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volkswagen. We then chose Toyota, Honda and Nissan and split out Kia and Hyundai to isolate any difference in Korean manufacturers. Additionally, we focused on the four most frequently sourced major part types: front bumpers, hoods, fenders and front lamps. We then updated the data to reflect the most recent parts procurement trends in quote frequency and delivery times through April 3, 2020.
When looking at data points for front bumpers, it is important to note that recycled bumpers are, in most cases, quoted as the entire bumper assembly, including absorber and reinforcement bar. Salvage yards are often hesitant to separate a bumper assembly from an entire front sheet metal section, so you will see a lower quote rate for recycled bumper assembly than the other three part types.
Number of Quotes Received Per Request — Front Bumpers
We have seen a slight increase in the quote volume for front bumpers for domestic brands and Japanese and Korean OEM parts, while European brands remained consistent from January volumes. Similarly, we have seen an uptick in the quote volumes for OEM fenders for domestic and Japanese brands, while Korean brands have also remained consistent.
Number of Quotes Received Per Request — Fenders
Seeing that the parts procurement trends and average quotes per part for fenders and bumpers remain strong for the major brands, we took a look at the ‘total market,’ meaning quotes for all vehicles being quoted through the PartsTrader system. In the chart below, we look again one of the four most commonly replaced parts in the collision environment, front lamps. This category includes park lights and turn signals. This chart shows an expanding number of quotes for OEM, aftermarket and recycled since January 30, 2019 through Friday April 3, 2020.
Number of Quotes Received Per Request — Front Lamps
Lastly in our top four rankings, we looked at hoods. Our findings show that the biggest increase in part type for hood quotes was actually the OEM parts channel.
Number of Quotes Received Per Request — Hoods
While the number of repair jobs has begun to decline, the PartsTrader data shows there has still been strong parts procurement trends during this time, regardless of type. There was concern that when the car manufacturers shut down production, the availability of new OEM parts would be impacted for collision repair needs. However, recent data has proved that the new OEM channel, as well as recyclers and aftermarket supply, is bidding at the same or higher levels on the four major part types and performance is strong for the major car brands from both domestic and foreign manufacturers.
