Business Booming At Auto Repair Shops Due To Lack Of New Cars
NORWOOD (CBS) - Pulling up to Norwood Gulf, it's easy to see business is booming. Customers' cars are parked all over, and this auto repair shop sees no break in sight.
"It's crazy. The phone goes off nonstop. It's good for us! We like it. But for everyone else - it's not good," said William Ajjouri.
What's not good is that ongoing worldwide microchip shortage and the trickle down impacts of the pandemic majorly driving up the cost of new and used cars.
According to recent Kelley Blue Book research, 80 percent of new car shoppers say they plan to wait it out - for at least three months, others for up to a year. That means a whole lot of drivers are sticking with what they have.
And for Will, that means seeing his regulars - even more frequently.
"That's what's happening a lot. It's a temporary fix for a lot of customers. Especially for the cars that are worth $2-to-3,000. It's better than buying a new or used car," Ajjouri added.
Some customers delayed repairs while they worked from home. For others, new issues arose while vehicles sat parked in the driveway. Whatever the problem, it'll probably cost more to fix it.
"Prices! Prices went up 20-to-40 percent on the parts if you can get your hands on it. I have to call three to four places to see who has it and who's going to get it to me the fastest so my costumer can be happy," Luis Perello explained.
Despite delays on receiving the parts, there's still so much repair work that this crew is working seven days a week just to stay on top of it.
"Even if they're working from home, we try to help them out as fast as we can," Ajjouri said.