Toyota Echo Saved From Wreckers
August 22, 2007 by George Skentzos
The bane of small affordable cars is that if they are involved in an accident, often despite being completely repairable the cost of these repairs along with replacements parts often means declaring the vehicle as a write-off.
Toyota have acknowledged this issue by announcing that they will temporarily reduce the price of the replacement parts for the Toyota Echo meaning less will end up in the wreckers yard.
For a short time a 45 per cent reduction in price of selected Toyota Genuine airbags, airbag sensors and seatbelts means cheaper replacement part costs for damaged vehicles, leading to fewer Echos being written off by insurance companies and more work for repairers.
“The discounted prices on selected safety parts will benefit the businesses of smash repairers, ensuring more Echos can be repaired,”
Matthew Callachor, divisional manager, Toyota Customer Services Division.
For example, a particular seatbelt which once cost $417 to replace will cost just $229.35 under this new scheme. By reducing the costs of key Toyota Genuine safety parts, it is more likely that a damaged Echo will be repaired and returned to the road.
Print it: 
Is this a rare insight into the high margins enjoyed by manufacturers?
Please don’t tell me this temporary relief is charity.
Increase the prices I say. The fewer of these pieces of junk on the road, the better……
How generous of toyota. I once held a position where i set pricing for OE collision Panels. My guess is that Echo collision parts sales have plummeted due to the now very low prices of these cars, and Toyota are merely cutting their margin and their dealers margins on these safety items in order to sell more panels. Honestly was an echo seatbelt at over $400 realistic?? Toyota Australia probably paid around $70 for it. I hate to think what an airbag Retailed for!!
on the other hand, if an airbag has deployed in an echo would you want to drive that car again after it’s been repaired?
i say write em off. if it is touch and go whether it is cheaper or not to repair i guess the damage is great enough to have atleast stressed the chassis or created wheel alignment problems that will never be fixed. who wants a car that has been in a decent crash????
Does anyone remember the level Toyota tried to price these cars at when introduced? $20000+,the market thought differently.
Whole car was probably spat out at $5000 a piece & even that might be generous.
Prius replacement battery pack? What is it really worth?
amazing how they charge a ton for something thats worth so little.
Always surprised at peoples rejection of a repaired crashed car my family have had 2 and a friend had theirs repaired twice once quite serious airbag set off etc but no problems with either, of these good to see manufacturers dropping prices to allow repairs
I would treat a crashed small car just like a motorcycle helmet. Might look ok after a bingle, but you just never know….
Well done Toyota.. not only producing the best vehicles but passing the fruits of their success onto consumers.
Yes, well done Toyota. After ripping your customers off blind, jolly old Father Toyo Christmas will reduce parts costs by 45% and undoubtedly still make lots of money.
I wonder if he’ll make the same offer available on Camrys’ peeling cloth door trims?
Ripping customers off? Toyota customers pay a very slighl premium for their class leading cars… proven survey after survey as the most reliable and unrefined vehicles in the market. And customers get in return year of troublefree driving, the cheapeast cars in the market to repair due to construction (I Think it was the Corolla that was named cheapeast in segmant…Fords Focus I think it was being LAST) and now the parts themselves are also cheapest. Id say thats value for money. The only people being ripped off are those buying Fords with have to return to the dealership within 5 months for unscheduled (ie fark up) maintenance.
unrefined lol REFINED
But…but…what about the peeling door trims? Surely, they must be able to offer cheap replacements for them as well?
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I’ve got an echo and it has now done 240,000 kms with no problems, and the only part that I have had replaced that was broken (not wear and tear) was a blinker light. It’s still on it’s original brakes, exhaust, radiator, engine and drivetrain, clutch etc. It’s been a bloody marvel and i’ll drive it into the ground before i replace it. It will always get genuine parts (not that i’ve needed any) and so will the avalon that my wife has. Shame the 95 Ef falcon my son has is such a piece of shit. If it wasn’t fitted with LPG i’d torch it.
Ouch John, you hurt my feelings! I drive an EF, well maybe not anymore as it got hit by a bus today, but gee, I would have thought I was living the dream in my 96 Ford?