Wendy Knowler pays tribute to Durban man who exposed the cost of cars' spare parts
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Malcolm Kinsey, a legend in South African motoring circles, and the man behind the Kinsey Report which exposed car parts prices for the past 30 years and kept the manufacturers in check, died last week.
Wendy took a long hard look at his last Report - his 30th! - released exactly three months ago - to find the most ridiculously expensive parts (compared with their competitors) and ask one of the manufacturers if they’ve adjusted their out-of-whack prices since the release of the report.
He and his wife Jill usually collect prices - directly from dealerships in the greater Durban area, to simulate the consumer experience - in May/June but last year that was the height of restricted travel and social distancing with many dealerships on light duty. So they delayed the massive job until September.
His approach was slightly different, too - along with personal visits to dealerships, he approached a few manufacturers to supply their retail prices, including VAT – which he then randomly checked at dealerships.
Wendy took a long hard look at his last Report - his 30th! - released exactly three months ago - to find the most ridiculously expensive parts (compared with their competitors) and ask one of the manufacturers if they’ve adjusted their out-of-whack prices since the release of the report.
He and his wife Jill usually collect prices - directly from dealerships in the greater Durban area, to simulate the consumer experience - in May/June but last year that was the height of restricted travel and social distancing with many dealerships on light duty. So they delayed the massive job until September.
His approach was slightly different, too - along with personal visits to dealerships, he approached a few manufacturers to supply their retail prices, including VAT – which he then randomly checked at dealerships.