Independent auto repair shops are increasingly working on older vehicles as they struggle to keep pace with rapid advances in automotive technology, said an industry shop coach.
Murray Voth, president of RPM Training, said the shift is happening gradually and often without shop owners realizing it. As dealerships retain a growing share of newer vehicles, independent shops are left servicing much older vehicles, a trend he said is eroding profitability and increasing operational strain.
“We have now slipped into [servicing] older cars, not because dealerships are taking all the work, but because we have not paid attention to technology,” Voth said.
During his session at the AIA Canada National Conference, Voth pointed to industry data showing independent shops continue to lose market share, despite steady demand for repair work. He said many shops still appear busy, which masks the underlying problem.
“Shops wake up every morning and fix what shows up,” Voth said. “They do not notice the vehicle mix changing.”
Older vehicles, he said, are not necessarily easier to work on. They are often harder to diagnose, harder to source parts for and more likely to be owned by consumers under financial pressure. That combination increases friction at the counter and reduces opportunities for higher-value repairs.
“The older the car, generally, the more financially challenged the person that owns it, and those cars are harder to work on and harder to source parts for,” Voth said.
Most independent mechanical shops in Canada are small operations, Voth noted. About 60 per cent have between one and four employees, while nearly 90 per cent have fewer than nine. Smaller shops, he said, often lack the capital and time to invest in ongoing technology upgrades and training.
As a result, they fall behind newer vehicle systems, including advanced electronics and driver assistance technologies, pushing newer cars back to dealerships for service.
Financial pressures compound the issue. Voth said the average Canadian carries significant consumer debt, including rising auto loan balances. While vehicle ownership costs continue to climb, maintenance and repair spending is often deferred.
This creates a cycle where consumers hold onto older vehicles longer but underinvest in proper maintenance, leading to more breakdowns and unperformed repairs, he observed.
Voth estimated there are billions of dollars in deferred maintenance across Canada, representing lost opportunity for independent shops. Closing that gap requires better communication with customers and a stronger focus on professional service rather than price competition, he said.
Shops that fail to adapt, Voth warned, risk being trapped in a low-margin segment of the market, working harder on older vehicles while falling further behind technologically.
“Everybody in this room should be passionate about keeping Canadians in the cars they already own for longer, instead of pushing them further into debt,” Voth said.
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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