What's hot
Each of the top 10 valve cover gasket applications captured in Activant eCatalog transactions in February are import vehicles. In fact, seven of the top 10 applications are Honda Accords.An observer might conclude that the Accord has an unusually high incidence of internal engine repair. But most of the Accord applications — ranging from the 1991 to 1997 model years — fall within the common aftermarket repair cycle.
As Honda dealers will confirm, the average life expectancy of an Accord is longer than that of many comparable domestic models. The same can be said of the other three applications in this month's top 10 — the 1995, 1996 and 1997 Toyota Camry.
Another factor driving replacement rates across the Accord platform is that timing belt replacement — a key scheduled maintenance item — requires removal of the valve covers on these vehicles. This unusual design clearly boosts shops' demand for replacement valve cover gaskets — and shows that the service providers are doing the job the right way, as opposed to reusing the old gaskets.
"Knowing that Accords and Camrys typically need timing belts at 70,000 or 80,000 miles, we might be seeing vehicles that are on their second or third owner and second or third timing belt. That's an excellent reliability record," a gasket source said.
The regional snapshot tells a different story. In the Midwest, Ford Focus models were three of the top five valve cover gasket eCatalog transactions in February.
"In this case, you're seeing the regional bias toward a lower-priced domestic model as well as the fact that the OE valve cover gasket is made from a lower-end material," a product manager said.
Serpentine belt replacement is another scheduled maintenance item with a fairly steep demand curve as applications enter the aftermarket repair cycles. Most notable among February's data were the 2000 and 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickups, which rose 10 and 23 places, respectively, from last year.
In addition, the 2001 Ford Taurus rose from 35th place to eighth place overall (year-over-year) across Activant's national sample.
There were relatively few spikes in demand within the CV joint half shaft category, where 10-to 14-year-old Accords, Civics and Camrys dominate the top 10.
Finally, the fastest riser in the month of February was the 1998 Civic, which rose a total of 13 spots overall.
What's not
Just as demand spikes occur as vehicles enter prime replacement age, the Activant Vista data highlights declines in eCatalog transactions as vehicles age. With valve cover gaskets, the fastest "fallers" are the 1992 and 1994 Honda Accord models and 1998 Dodge Caravan minivan.
"Older Accords might be on their third or fourth owners, who are less likely to follow scheduled repair recommendations," says a gasket manufacturer. "The Caravan is more likely a case where the demand has started to level off ."
Dropping out of the top 10 nationally in the serpentine belt category are the 1997 Ford F-150, 1993 Chevrolet/GMC C/K 1500-3500 pickup, 1997 Ford Explorer and 1998 Ford Windstar. CV half shaft applications that fell include the 1997 Nissan Maxima, 1994 Toyota Camry and 1999 Nissan Altima.
Methodology: The Activant Vista market intelligence tool captures point of sale information from a national panel of aftermarket stores. This information is processed and aggregated through Activant's unique statistical methodology on a daily basis before being delivered in reports to Vista subscribers. Collected information includes eCatalog lookups, product availability and sales transactions by vehicle and SKU.
Rod Bayless is the product director for Activant Solutions, Inc. For additional information regarding Activant Vista market data, write to [email protected]. Activant is a leading innovator and the industry standard for information and supply chain technology in the automotive aftermarket.
