Following the rise of the dollar, Iraqis are postponing maintenance of their cars and household appliances.

Following the rise of the dollar, Iraqis are postponing maintenance of their cars and household appliances.

2026-10-12

Shafaq News – Baghdad
The rise in the dollar’s price is no longer only reflected in the prices of imported goods, but its impact has extended to the cost of maintaining cars, electrical appliances, and furniture in Iraq, with the rise in prices of spare parts and raw materials, which has prompted citizens to postpone repairs or resort to less expensive alternatives, while owners of some professions are facing a decline in demand for their products and services.

While citizens are facing rising costs for new appliances and car parts, household breakdowns and damaged vehicles have become an additional source of spending, especially since some maintenance supplies are imported, making their prices vulnerable to fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate and shipping and distribution costs.

High spare parts prices delay maintenance

Citizen Mufid Ali told Shafaq News Agency that the maintenance of cars and electrical appliances has become expensive due to the high prices of spare parts, explaining that he often postpones repairing his car if it is involved in an accident, as a result of the high prices of parts and the wages of repair shop owners.

He added that maintenance fees have increased only slightly, but the prices of spare parts have seen significant increases, making the cost of repairs an additional burden on citizens, especially when the malfunction requires replacing more than one part.

For his part, citizen Mohammed Nasser, an engineer and government employee, told the agency that what bothers him most is the breakdown of his car due to the high cost of repairing it compared to his limited monthly income.

He explained that he resorts to using used or low-priced commercial spare parts to reduce maintenance expenses, indicating that repairing the simplest damage resulting from a car being hit could cost him at least 100,000 dinars.

The increased cost of maintenance supplies is not limited to cars, but extends to household appliances, especially refrigerators and air conditioners, as the rise in prices of spare parts and materials used in repair has led to an increase in the final cost borne by the citizen.

Spare parts have doubled

In this context, Abu Murtada, the owner of a refrigerator and air conditioner repair shop, told Shafaq News Agency that the number of customers has declined recently, coinciding with the financial crisis the country is going through and the recession the market is experiencing. He explained that citizens are now content with necessary repairs and are postponing breakdowns that they can live with temporarily.

He pointed out that maintenance shops did not raise their service fees, but the prices of spare parts rose significantly, as the prices of some parts doubled, while other parts recorded increases that exceeded double, which was reflected in the final cost paid by the citizen even with the technicians’ fees remaining stable.

He pointed out that a cylinder of Freon 22 gas used in air conditioners used to be sold for a price ranging between 80,000 and 110,000 dinars, but it has now risen to about 180,000 dinars, which increases the cost of maintaining cooling and air conditioning equipment and places an additional burden on families.

In the furniture sector, the impact of rising raw material costs was not limited to consumers, but extended to workshop owners who face competition from cheaper imported products.

The importer is threatening our profession

For his part, the owner of the “Sun Carpentry” workshop told the agency that work in his shop has declined significantly in the recent period, to the point that obtaining new orders has become rare, indicating that many citizens have turned to buying imported furniture, especially commercial furniture, because of its lower prices compared to locally made furniture.

He pointed out that the cost of manufacturing a bedroom locally reaches about 3.5 million dinars, while a Turkish commercial bedroom can be purchased for about 900,000 dinars despite its lack of durability. However, the price difference pushes customers to choose the imported product despite the difference in materials used and quality levels between the products.

The dollar is driving up prices.

In this regard, economist Mohammed Al-Hassani told Shafaq News Agency that the rise in the dollar exchange rate has led to an increase in the prices of imported goods by 10% or more, which has affected the cost of goods and spare parts that citizens need to maintain their cars and electrical appliances.

According to Al-Hassani, the high prices of imported supplies increase the financial burdens on families, especially as they are forced to pay additional costs to repair malfunctions, at a time when they are trying to reduce their expenses and postpone unnecessary purchases.

The increased cost of maintenance and local production comes at a time when the Iraqi market relies heavily on imports for a significant portion of its automotive parts, electrical appliances, and repair materials, in addition to facing competition from imported furniture and ready-made goods. This makes some local businesses more vulnerable to the pressures of both rising production costs and competitive pricing from imported products.

With the limited income of some families and the high cost of basic necessities, repairing a car or household appliance has become a decision that requires additional calculations. Some citizens are turning to buying used or commercial parts that are cheaper, while others prefer to postpone non-urgent repairs or continue using their appliances despite their need for maintenance.

On the other hand, local workshop and trade owners find themselves facing a difficult equation, which is the high cost of materials, rents and electricity, compared to the decline in demand and the tendency of consumers to go for cheaper options.

shafaq.com