How long does it take to fit extras to a new car?

By Ané Theron 

So you’ve ordered that brand new car with everything from a nudge bar to rear-parking sensors to roof rails…but how long will it take until you can drive your new car home?

This differs not only from manufacturer to manufacturer, but also from accessory to accessory. Most manufacturers have all accessories in stock from when their new cars go on sale. With some manufacturers such as Volvo, fitment is done quite quickly – on the same day, where possible. However, it depends what you plan to have fitted. 

The process and time needed to fit roof rails, for example, would be completely different from fitting a rearview camera.

Most manufacturers use sales figures to predict how much stock needs to be kept in the warehouse, but occasionally they might run out. In that case, a part or accessory may have to be ordered from overseas (if the cars aren’t locally assembled), which may delay the whole process somewhat.

Your best bet would be to ask your local dealership or salesperson to give you an approximate time frame to have your selected options fitted. Sometimes you just have to be patient, but there are cases where promises have been made to customers that weren’t kept. If you are left without any transport due to unavailability of an ordered part or accessory, a courtesy car should be made available to you.

If you feel that you have been waiting for far longer than necessary, you can contact the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA) and make a complaint. www.miosa.co.za