70 percent of Perodua owners still return to an authorised service centre, even after warranty

Nearly 70 percent of Perodua owners prefer to have their cars maintained by an authorised Perodua service centre, making one of the highest, if not the highest for any automotive brand in the country.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday for Perodua's 2019 business review, President and CEO Dato' Zainal Abidin Ahmad said the figure is two percent higher than the Perodua’s forecast. Last year, Perodua’s network of service centres received over 2,347,000 cars, an 8.3 percent increase over last year’s performance. Overall, Perodua’s after-sales division grew by 15 percent year-on-year.

With margins from new car sales becoming increasingly tight due to stiff competition, after-sales has become a crucial revenue stream for a sustainable car business.

Retaining a customer after the vehicle’s 5-year warranty has expired however, remains a huge challenge as there are many independent workshops out there who can do the same job at a cheaper price. Despite the questionable work quality and risk of imitation parts used, most consumers value the immediate savings over quality.

In a bid to keep the maintenance cost of its cars low, Perodua’s service centres now offer its owners of post-warranty Perodua vehicles two options – genuine Perodua (Daihatsu) parts or ProGranti approved original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. The former still meets Perodua’s minimum standards, but it is priced cheaper than Perodua genuine parts.

For convenience, customers can also book their service appointments via Perodua’s UFirst app. For customers staying in remote areas, Perodua will even send their M-Team mobile service truck to periodic visit smaller towns. What a nice gesture!

For 2020, Perodua will maintain the same 67 percent target for its service intake, and to grow its after-sales business’ value by 2.6 percent.