Falcon crash repair costs blow out

THE new BA Ford Falcon is 28 per cent more expensive to repair in a low-speed crash than the previous AUII, according to figures released this week.

But the Falcon was so inexpensive to repair that, in spite of such a large increase in cost of repairs of the new model, it remains the second cheapest to repair of all cars tested in the survey and the cheapest in the large car segment.

In the RACV/NRMA survey, a large pendulum is swung into the front of each car to simulate a crash of 15km/h into a solid barrier or 30km/h into a parked car.

The repair cost is estimated by experienced insurance assessors based on repair times, parts and labour costs. The survey is designed to help motorists choose cars that will attract lower insurance premiums. It is not a safety survey.

The survey measures the actual repair cost and also rates the repair cost as a percentage of the total cost of the car.

The assessors estimated the BA Falcon repairs would cost $2948 - the second lowest of any car. The figure represents just 8.5 per cent of the Falcon purchase price - the lowest percentage figure of any car in the survey.

The VY Holden Commodore took a leap in repair cost over its predecessor, gaining 10 per cent to $3313 - 9.8 per cent of the purchase price.

The cheapest car overall was the Daewoo Tacuma at $2814, followed by the Falcon at $2948, the Hyundai Accent at $2969, Mazda6 at $3013 and Mitsubishi Magna at $3046.

The Mazda6 recorded the best improvement. It was 36 per cent cheaper to repair than the Mazda 626 it replaced. The new Subaru Forester ($3557) was 27 per cent cheaper to repair than the old model.

The most expensive car to repair was the latest Honda CRV at $7409 - a 22 per cent leap over its predecessor. That makes the Honda about $4400 more expensive to repair than the Falcon for the same accident.

Other big bills were racked up by the Renault Scenic at $7342, Toyota RAV4 ($7300) and Hyundai Trajet ($7276).

The most expensive car to repair in terms of its purchase price is the Ford Ka2. The pendulum inflicted damage worth $5700 to the Ka, which accounts for a whopping 35.6 per cent of the purchase price.

Small cars fair particularly badly when measured against their purchase price because they are the cheapest cars to buy but quite expensive to repair.

As a group, small cars average 27.3 per cent of purchase price to repair compared with large cars like Falcon and Commodore that cost an average of just 9.8 per cent of purchase price to repair.

Winners and losers

(as a percentage of purchase price):Large:
Best: Ford Falcon 8.5% ($2948)
Worst: Toyota Avalon 12.7% ($4304)Medium:
Best: Mazda6 8.9% ($3013)
Worst: Holden Vectra 16.9% ($4903)Small-medium:
Best: Subaru Impreza 10% ($4207)
Worst: Nissan Pulsar 31.1% ($6378)Small:
Best: Holden Barina 18.7% ($3273)
Worst: Ford Ka2 35.6% ($5700)People-movers:
Best: Daewoo Tacuma 10.4% ($2814)
Worst: Renault Scenic 23% ($7342)Small 4WDs:
Best: Subaru Outback 9.5% ($3830)
Worst: Daihatsu Terios 27.1% ($5090)* Airbags not includedIt is important to note that the survey does not take into account if an airbag deploys during the test.

Twin airbags can add between $2000 and $5000 to the cost of repairing a car. Apart from the cost on new airbags, deployment in most cases damages the steering wheel boss and the fascia, and can break the windscreen as well.

RACV chief engineers vehicles Michael Case said airbag deployment was not accounted for because the organisation did not want to penalise car-makers for providing additional airbags nor encourage them to delete airbags in order to get a better insurance rating.

He said some airbags in imported cars had deployed during the low-speed test. Airbags in imported cars are set to go off at lower speeds than Australian-made cars because they are designed for markets where seatbelt wearing is optional.

In Australia, the bags deploy in higher-speed crashes where seatbelts are losing their effectiveness because of the higher impact on drivers and passengers.

2002 Low Speed Crash Test Results

	Vehicle	Repair Cost % of Purchase Price	Total
Small 4WDs	Subaru Outback 2.5L 4-dr automatic wagon	9.53%	$3830
	Subaru Forester XS 2.5L 4-dr automatic wagon	9.75%	$3557
	Mitsubishi Pajero iO 2.0L 4-dr manual wagon	11.05%	$3315
	Suzuki Grand Vitara Sports 2.5L 4-dr automatic wagon	11.89%	$3912
	Nissan X-Trail ST 2.5L 4-dr manual wagon	18.93%	$6057
	Honda CR-V Sports 2.4L 4-dr automatic wagon	19.25%	$7409
	Kia Sportage 2.0L 4-dr manual wagon	20.67%	$5164
	Toyota RAV4 Edge 2.0L 4-dr manual wagon	22.71%	$7300
	Daihatsu Terios DX 1.3L 4-dr manual wagon	27.09%	$5090
		Average 16.76%	Average $5070
People-movers	Daewoo Tacuma 2.0L 5-dr automatic wagon	10.42%	$2814
	Toyota Avensis Verso GLX 2.0L 4-dr automatic wagon	12.66%	$5306
	Kia Carnival LS 2.5L 4-dr automatic wagon	13.43%	$4700
	Holden Zafira 2.2L 4-dr automatic wagon	14.06%	$4779
	Hyundai Trajet GLS 2.7L 4-dr automatic wagon	17.80%	$7276
	Mazda Premacy 2.0L 5-dr automatic hatch	20.83%	$6366
	Renault Scenic Dynamique 2.0L 5-dr automatic wagon	22.95%	$7342
		Average 16.02%	Average $5512
Small	Holden Barina 1.4L 3-dr manual hatch	18.74%	$3273
	Hyundai Accent GL 1.5L 3-dr manual hatch	20.21%	$2969
	Toyota Echo 1.3L 3-dr manual hatch	24.05%	$4182
	Mitsubishi Mirage 1.5L 3-dr manual hatch	27.65%	$4892
	Daewoo Lanos SE 1.5L 3-dr manual hatch	28.57%	$3997
	Kia Rio 1.5L 5-dr manual hatch	29.19%	$4668
	Mazda 121 Metro Shades 1.5L 5-dr manual hatch	29.22%	$5621
	Daewoo Matiz 0.8L 5-dr manual hatch	29.35%	$3739
	Daihatsu Sirion 1.0L 5-dr manual hatch	30.18%	$4383
	Ford Ka2 1.3L 3-dr manual hatch	35.65%	$5700
		Average 27.28%	Average $4342
Small-medium	Subaru Impreza - WRX 2.0L Turbo 5-dr manual hatch	10.03%	$4207
	Subaru Impreza RS 2.5L 4-dr manual sedan	10.92%	$3604
	Peugeot 307 XS 1.6L 5-dr manual hatch	15.62%	$4059
	Toyota Corolla Seca Ascent 1.8L 5-dr manual hatch	20.67%	$4471
	Hyundai Elantra GL 1.8L 5-dr automatic hatch	21.04%	$4245
	Holden Astra City 1.8L 5-dr manual hatch	21.88%	$4894
	Honda Civic Vi 1.7L 5-dr automatic hatch	22.49%	$6286
	Mitsubishi Lancer GLi 1.5L 2-dr manual coupe	24.43%	$4639
	Nissan Pulsar ST 1.8L 5-dr manual hatch	25.20%	$5541
	Mazda 323 Astina 1.8L 5-dr manual hatch	30.45%	$6088
	Nissan Pulsar LX 1.6L 4-dr manual sedan	31.13%	$6378
		Average 21.26%	Average $4946
Medium	Mazda 6 Classic 2.3L 4-dr automatic sedan	8.92%	$3013
	Subaru Liberty RX 2.5L 4-dr automatic sedan	9.89%	$3848
	Toyota Camry Altise 2.4L 4-dr automatic sedan	13.55%	$3860
	Holden Vectra GL 2.2L 4-dr automatic sedan	16.87%	$4903
		Average 12.31%	Average $3906
Large	Ford Falcon XT 4.0L 4-dr automatic sedan	8.53%	$2948
	Honda Accord V6-L 3.0L 4-dr automatic sedan	8.93%	$4385
	Mitsubishi Magna Executive 3.5L 4-dr automatic sedan	9.23%	$3046
	Holden Commodore Executive 3.8L 4-dr automatic sedan	9.77%	$3313
	Toyota Avalon Conquest 3.0L 4-dr automatic sedan	12.74%	$4304
		Average 9.84%	Average $3599

* Prices as at 31 October 2002 as quoted by manufacturers or distributors. All prices include air-conditioning and power steering where available.
* Air-conditioning has been regarded as standard equipment on some vehicles which have had extended marketing deals.
* Prices include 10% GST.