The majority of vehicles, especially older ones, depend on Chinese spare parts in Pakistan. Dealers at spare part markets are of the opinion if there were no Chinese parts, old vehicles would stop running on the roads.
“Chinese spare parts are cheap and available in the market,” Muhammad Imran told Gwadar Pro. He had an accident in which the radiator and front bumper of his Japanese-made car were damaged. According to him, the Chinese bumper is four times cheaper than the original one, and the quality is almost the same.
The viability of Chinese spare parts saves money and time as well. “Instead of repair work, customers opted for Chinese parts. It saves time for both car owners and mechanics,” said Ghazi Khan, an auto mechanic at Chah Sultan, Rawalpindi.
Mr. Khan said Chinese spare parts are available for old and new cars. Car owners, with insurances, turn to car manufacturers for repair and replacement of parts; otherwise, not everyone can afford to buy original parts.
Old model cars, that companies stopped manufacturing decades back, are wholly relying on Chinese spare parts.
There are many cars on roads that the companies stopped manufacturing decades back. For example, Suzuki FX was assembled between 1980 and 1988 in Pakistan. The car is still running on Pakistani roads. “Other than body, mostly, I use Chinese parts in my FX car,” Yawar Hussain told Gwadar Pro.
Muhammad Yaqoob owns an imported 1800 cc car. “Even if you don’t go for all the parts, at least you will go for the Chinese air filter, oil filter and AC filter; here you have very little option,” he said.
According to Farooq Hassan, a spare parts dealer, Chinese filters, bearings, belts, bulbs, lights, seals and nuts are running items in his shops. He said Chinese auto brands have bright prospects in the Pakistani market.
“If we rely on Chinese spare parts for non-Chinese vehicles, it is better to opt for ‘made in China’ cars which are economical with no spare parts availability issue,” Farooq added.
