Highly Inflated Costs of Spares

I have just had my 2011 Renault Koleos serviced at Nelspruit Multifranchise. On inspecting the invoice the cost of the spark plugs seemed high (NGK DILKAR6A11 / 22401JA01B, which is branded a Renault genuine part). The cost was R2,906.32 for a set of four. Without shopping around, I found the same spark plugs elsewhere, retail and new, in South Africa, for R1,217.00 for a set of four. Other spares or replacement parts on the invoice also seem costly. For example, oil at R825.00 compared to R499.00 from a local retail outlet. I believe these to be totally unreasonable inflation of prices on Nelspruit Multifranchises' / Renault's part. The service pricing is on the back of getting a price for replacement boot-struts. The quoted Nelspruit Multifranchise price is approximately R8,000 for a set of two, fitted. An alternate service provider has quoted R1,100.00 for a set of two, fitted with a 2-year warranty! Another example is a set of three windscreen / window wiper blades. The Renault price is R890, compared with R400 from an alternate local supplier. These are examples from the last week. I have others from the last year. I think the lesson here is shop around. You can get the same or better levels of service using the same or equivalent parts from alternate service providers for a much lower cost (for both parts and labour).