BY Dinitha Rathnayake The prices of vehicle parts such as tires and batteries – for motorcycles, three-wheelers, cars, and buses – and lubricants have risen to unaffordable levels, rendering the maintenance of vehicles in optimum condition near impossible.Speaking to The Morning, several vehicle owners claimed that they have not been able to maintain their vehicles owing to such.“The cost per full service for my car is more than Rs. 23,000. I also heard that the prices of lubricants will increase in the coming months. We only spent Rs. 8,000-12,000 before. I cannot maintain my car anymore. Even the prices of spare parts have increased due to the non-availability of some spare parts in the market for a long time. The prices of some spare parts have increased by 300%.”Motorcycle tyres, which were priced at between Rs. 4,000-5,500, have now risen to more than Rs. 12,000. Bus tyres which were Rs. 35,000 have gone up to Rs. 75,000, and batteries which were Rs. 24,000 have gone up to Rs. 70,000. Car tyres increased up to Rs. 22,000 and a used tyre currently costs approximately Rs. 6,000.Dealers of vehicle spare parts say that importation issues pertaining to vehicle spare parts and the existing shortage have led to an increase in the prices of spare parts.
