Washington, District of Columbia, United States — IMR Automotive Market Research interviewed 500 independent auto repair shops in the United States and found that it’s taking considerably longer to repair customer vehicles in the wake of consumer shortages.
Much like Canadian businesses under the whim of parts and materials deliveries, 85 percent of American auto repair businesses said repairs are taking “a little longer,” while the other 15 percent said they are taking “a lot longer.”
The average cycle time for vehicle repairs in the U.S. is a day-and-a-half longer than pre-pandemic records show, said IMR.
Half of the businesses surveyed said they are “frequently” experiencing disruptions in parts deliveries, while 34 percent are “occasionally” having such problems.
The top three reasons cited for delays were delayed parts deliveries (46 percent), parts distributor staffing shortages (41 percent) and shortages of technician support (25 percent).
