Motorists steer into repair shops
They shun new cars, but some skimp on routine prevention
November 11, 2008 | Staff and wire reports
Arizona Daily Star
With auto sales slowed to a trickle and the economy in the tank, many auto-repair shops are cashing in.
U.S. repair-shop business is up 16 percent this year, according to the Automotive Service Association. In a poll by the trade group, 76 percent of shop owners said they expect increasing sales next year as well.
But the picture is a little mixed when it comes to the kinds of work customers are willing to pay for.
Some auto-repair-shop owners say consumers are making more repairs aimed at keeping their wheels turning, while perhaps skimping on routine maintenance.
Scott Ahrens of North Dallas Auto Care said more customers are shelling out for major repairs aimed at extending the lives of their vehicles.
"People are fixing things they wouldn't fix a year ago," he said. "They would have just gone and traded it in. Now they are scared about what tomorrow is going to bring."
He said he's doing twice as many major repairs this year, as people stretch the miles out of their Hondas and Fords.
But some shops say many customers aren't doing routine preventive maintenance, and some are even skimping on needed repairs.
"Shop business is down probably 20 percent, the car count. Our average maintenance ticket is down about $100," said Will Marsh, of Will's General Automotive Repair, 4657 E. First St.
But it's a pay-me-now or pay-me-later situation, Marsh said. Repairs caused by skipping routine maintenance often cost many times more than the original work, Marsh said.
"Repairs are always bigger tickets than maintenance," Marsh said.
Waiting too long for a brake job is a good example, Marsh said. Ignoring the squeal or brake-wear sensor light that warns it's time for a brake job can more than double the cost of a brake job that's going to have to be done anyway.
Continuing to drive too long on worn pads will ruin a car's brake rotors — the metal discs inboard of a car's wheels. Rotors can cost $150 each on many cars, adding as much as $600 and doubling the cost of a routine brake job.
In the case of ignoring automatic transmission maintenance, Marsh said the pay-me-later penalty can be much worse. He said automatic transmission rebuilds can easily reach $3,000, while preventive maintenance such as a transmission flush or service may run only $150.
For some, the focus has shifted toward prolonging the life of their vehicles, said Ron Pyle, president of the Bedford, Texas-based Automotive Service Association.
"People tend to believe that cars are built to last longer and therefore put off normal maintenance," Pyle said.
"But now they are realizing they should have been paying attention to this."
Some mechanics are seeing customers plunk down money for mandatory fixes or scheduled tuneups — but little in between.
Jason Phan's shop in Garland, Texas, sees mainly older models brought in for minimal service or major repairs.
That has led to a 50 percent drop in Phan's business since last year.
"People just don't have money to spend," he said.
The trend is a little harder to discern at niche shops.
Roy Key, owner of The Swedish Connection, 3331 E. 28th St., specializes in Volvos and depends on owners who stay up with maintenance to keep their old cars on the road. The cars are known for going several hundred thousand miles, and owners are used to making repairs rather than buying new.
But in recent weeks, Key said, the "phone just quit ringing."
"The last four weeks have been the slowest I've ever had," Key said. He specializes in pre-1996, rear-wheel-drive Volvos.
But Key said this is just the flip side of the situation four or five years ago when the economy was stronger and the building boom was coming on. Then he had several longtime customers with old Volvos who chose to buy new cars.
Marsh's shop, which has been open for three years, is hurting. He's still paying off expensive diagnostic equipment needed to work on modern cars.
His business had grown to six mechanics in the third year of operation and was starting to make a profit. But, with the downturn, he's cut two mechanics.
"We'll be lucky to survive it. If this doesn't turn around in a year, forget it," Marsh says.
"I'm just optimistic that people will move on with their lives. If people don't maintain their cars, I'll see 'em anyway."
• Includes information from Star reporter Dan Sorenson, The Dallas Morning News and The Denver Post.