Results of a Market Study of Vehicle Repairs Covered by Compulsory Motor Third Party Liability Insurance

Abstract

In 2022 there emerged difficulties with supply of car spare parts, which, among other things, caused difficulties with repair of insured vehicles. At the end of 2022, the Department of Insurance and Social Economics of the Financial University, as part of the ongoing applied research work, conducted a market study of service stations and car repair shops, which helped to identify the main problems that have arisen and prospects for development of repair practices commissioned by insurance companies. The main hypothesis of the study was that due to a significant change in the timing of repairs, the attitude of car owners to the use of remanufactured and aftermarket spare parts has also changed, which necessitated a change in the operating practices of Russian service stations and car repair shops, as well as in their development strategy for the short and medium term.

The problematic issues identified during the study comprise: a change in attitude towards the use of remanufactured and aftermarket spare parts, an increase in repair time. The article gives a consumer assessment of the impact of these factors on the quality of repairs. The quality of recycled spare parts, if the replacement of the part does not affect the safe operation of the car, is assessed by most unauthorised services stations as acceptable. At the same time, car service customers are ready to downgrade the category of spare parts to speed up repairs or reduce the price of repairs. The decision is influenced by the age of the car and the likelihood of receiving a discount or a reduction in the repair time.