From the Magazine: Subtle shifts

As new challenges emerge, there are small signs pointing to changes in how your shop customers want to do business

The auto repair industry is undergoing subtle yet meaningful changes, reshaping how shop owners approach their business and do business with their jobber partners.

Traditionally, parts availability was the cornerstone of a successful repair shop, ensuring that repairs could be completed promptly and efficiently. However, recent trends indicate a shift in priorities, with relationships, brand preference and online purchasing gaining prominence.

These were the three areas that saw these subtle changes. Perhaps not significant enough to the point where definitive change can be called out, but worth noting nonetheless. Some shops have reported a softer start to 2025; parts distributors have noted the same as well as changes to the parts shops are seeking.

In the Jobber News Annual Shop Survey, shop leaders were asked about what they value in their relationship with their jobber, what they would like to see change, where challenges lie, how their own behaviours have changed and more. The survey was sent to the readers of CARS, this magazine’s sister publication.

Shops are facing customers with many questions about their financial future, ranging from geopolitical factors to increased cost of living to higher new and used vehicle prices. As tariffs threaten price increases on everyday purchases, they may think harder about how they approach their current vehicle. New vehicle prices are expected to rise. The used market has been in poor shape for years — a lack of supply has driven up prices over the years — and the situation looks bleak for a few more years, according to experts at Canadian Black Book.

So consumers may turn to their automotive service professional to keep their vehicle running in tip-top shape. But for that to happen, shops — as they always say — explain that the jobber’s inventory availability is what’s going to drive success.

But that’s not all…

Paying more attention to relationships

It’s still true today: The immediate availability of parts is crucial to the jobber/shop relationship. Shop owners rely heavily on their jobbers to provide the necessary components quickly.

While availability remains important, emphasis is shifting more towards building strong relationships with parts distributors.

Indeed, when asked which factor is most important when making a jobber your first call, product availability and inventory reigned supreme as always at 41 per cent. But its grip slipped — last year, that response was chosen by 45 per cent of respondents.

Picking up the slack was relationships, jumping to the top choice for 31 per cent of respondents from 26 per cent in 2024.

Price saw a slight dip to 10 per cent from 11 per cent the year before — but notably, brand crept up to top preference of 8.2 per cent of respondents. In fact, when asked to pick their next top choices, brand came in third, chosen by 53 per cent of shop owners. It followed the usual suspects  of availability/inventory (74 per cent) and price/discount (62 per cent) — but placed ahead of relationship (49 per cent).

When it comes to availability, shop owners emphasized the need for parts to be readily available to avoid delays in service.

“If they don’t have it, we can’t sell it,” said one respondent. “If they aren’t located near us, we have to wait too long for the inventory. If the counterperson or the organization is difficult to deal with, well, why bother dealing with them then?”

Another respondent noted that OEM warehouses don’t have the local warehouses like a jobber does, while offering better price points. 

“We need inventory, we need inventory at a fair price, we need inventory at a fair price from someone we trust and work well with,” observed a different shop owner.

They can be the nicest jobber in the world but what good is that if they can’t deliver, pointed out a respondent.

“I am loyal to my suppliers, so that’s first. Secondly the availability is important. It could be free, but that means nothing if it’s not available for when it’s needed,” they said. “Brand is tied in with availability and price matters to my customer and I believe loyalty helps price along.”

Relationships

The responses from shops when talking about how much of a bond they have with the staff at their local parts distributor help to understand why they value the relationship with your store. Most everything becomes easier for jobbers — the shop wants to buy more from you, they are willing to let small mistakes slide and they will see you as a reliable partner.

“Relationships make jobbers look forward to dealing with you and vice versa. Warranty, pricing and availability all tend to get better when relationships are good. Your jobber will work harder to make each a priority for you,” one said about developing the relationship.

“If two jobbers have the same price and availability, I’m calling the counterperson I like better,” another respondent said, noting that price, parts quality and location are important factors.

“I need counterpersons to be friendly for my staff’s sake so they don’t dread calling for parts,” one pointed out. “I need the counterperson to be very knowledgeable.”

It’s a two-way street, said a respondent. “Our relationship is just as important as everything else. I want the jobber to be as comfortable to ask questions as my employees.”

A few raved about their jobber in particular.

“He is priceless. We all feel like one big family in a world that can get quite exhausting, physically and emotionally. It is a tough world out there for our customers so I need my staff to be in the best head space to handle it,” said one of the responses. “Integration with software has nearly eliminated the relationship with counter staff, so relationship with the sales rep is more important than ever. They need to have the right product at the right time as well, but without a good relationship with good communication, they will never know what they don’t have.”

Price

Auto repair shops — and their customers — are willing to pay a fair price for a quality product. If jobbers can deliver that, on top of a great relationship and having that product in stock, they’ve hit the trifecta of what ASPs are looking for.

“Price is a factor but quality and accurate service are more deciding points,” is how one summed up what they need.

“We do not sell our services on price point. Our customers’ expectations are quality at a fair price,” one respondent said.

“Everyone is looking for quality products at a good price in a timely matter. Knowledgeable, friendly counter people are always a plus,” reported another.

Or, as one aptly put it: “Time is money in this industry.”

Going online

While the numbers may not bear it out, the comments left in the survey point to an industry that really likes the ability to order parts online. It was, after all, a top-five consideration of importance when deciding on the first-call jobber.

Many highlighted speed, convenience, accuracy and bypassing the front desk as key factors with some (31 per cent) turning to online ordering for 90 per cent of their purchases, up significantly from last year (20 per cent). The number who are ordering zero to nine per cent online fell from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.

“Online ordering is important to consider because it is easy to have multiple screens open and checking inventory and prices on many parts and can order them easily and quickly, instead of calling multiple suppliers and waiting on hold for them to finish and get to the phone,” one respondent said.

“Technology and integration are critical in our vendor relationships,” one said, calling for greater use of the tool.

“I’m very satisfied with online ordering. Works well for us as it is the easiest way to get parts,” said another who noted they’re ordering more online.

“We order more online because our suppliers are integrated with our software. We like being able to see the parts and know if they’re in stock,” explained a respondent.

“This is a constant for me. I would rather do my own parts selections,” said an ASP. “In my experience, it has decreased the amount of wrong parts brought in. When they are wrong, I have only me to blame and it keeps the relationship with the vendor better.”

But that’s not to say there aren’t challenges. From missing the counterperson’s expertise to some system holes, it’s not for everyone. Not yet anyway.

“I do not like online ordering. I like to invest locally and have personal contact on purchases so warranty problems can be addressed easily. The jobber needs to dictate to the distributor what name brand and diversity of parts they should provide. Distributors tend to dictate the brands they will sell, therefore, making service centres look for different outlets,” one respondent observed.

“We try to do online if possible, especially if it saves time and money. Some sites work very well, and some are brutally frustrating. We tend to avoid those in our daily purchasing routines,” was one response.

Others noted that it can be more time-consuming to order parts online — and maybe it’s not worth the investment of having staff order parts online instead of tackling the volume of orders in the shop.

“Online ordering is good for everyday parts, but still prefer to call in on some of the harder-to-find items,” one respondent said. “Overall, quite satisfied with online ordering. More/better images of actual parts would be a great improvement to confirm style or fitment.”

Better data, images and stock information was highlighted by a number of ASPs.

“We order more online because our suppliers are integrated with our software. We like being able to see the parts and know if they’re in stock,” one said.

“With the proliferation of parts today, we’re sometimes forced to order online although its my last choice. I don’t like the facelessness of online shopping,” according to another.

“We are not big fans of online unless we absolutely have to. I feel the communication is important for both the jobbers and my staff,” said a respondent.

Who gets the call

It appears shops are calling around and leaning on a greater network of jobbers to get the parts they need.

While most still buy parts from several jobbers, in 2024, half of the respondents to the survey said they buy from three to four jobbers every month. This year, it dropped to 44 per cent. Even those buying from just one or two dropped from 35 per cent to 23 per cent.

The number of shops saying they buy from five or six jobbers jumped from 9.5 per cent in 2024 to 23 per cent in 2025 — those buying from seven or more jobbers jumped to 11.5 per cent from less than 5 per cent last year.

However, nearly one in five (18 per cent) said they buy upwards of 90 per cent of their products from the jobber they call first, a jump from 12 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, 61 per cent said they haven’t changed how much they buy from dealers and 28 per cent have increased their purchases in the last year.

“More and more OE parts are being required for some jobs, along with competitive pricing from OE, especially with Ford,” noted one respondent.

Another responded in the survey that dealers are getting more aggressive in price matching and often have better supply than the aftermarket.

“None of my parts distributors meet my requirements, therefore, I need more outlets,” one said.

“We’ve diversified our buying habits across more jobbers — finding pricing to be a main factor. If we can get the same brand part with similar warranty for half the price, no brainer,” said another, adding that online ordering has made this process easier.

Quality

Aftermarket parts quality has been a regular concern from shops but markedly picked up in last year’s survey.

Little seems to have changed this year. It’s one of the reasons some are calling their local dealer to get their desired parts and components.

“It has increased due to quality of aftermarket parts getting poorer,” one said when explaining why they’re choosing the dealer more often.

“Availability of the aftermarket to supply and even if they can, the quality is not good enough,” said another of turning to dealers.

“Quality has slipped dramatically over the last five years. Yes, jobbers offer warranties on their products, but these products seem to have a much shorter life when compared to OEM. They do not offer any reasonable explanation as to why this is happening,” said a concerned shop owner.

One shop owner said their spending at dealers is up 2 per cent “because of lack of quality parts and jobber inventory.”

Anecdotally, automotive aftermarket professionals from both the distribution and repairer side have told Jobber News that there has been more of a push to buy and sell more premium replacement parts and components as customers see value in repairing their vehicles to last longer due to higher prices of new and used vehicles.

When put to the CARS readership, most (51 per cent) reported that they are buying the best, highest quality branded parts — 47.5 per cent said they mostly buy the better. The remaining said they turn to the “good” products line. None said they seek out unbranded private label options.

While the shop will listen to the customers’ concerns about price sensitivity, they will push for them to make the better investment.

“We always recommend best quality first and sometimes will move down to mid or low grade if the customer requests this,” one respondent noted.

“Most customers trust our recommendations — however, if there are choices, the different options are presented. Rarely does a customer have any brand preference,” another said.

For one, when the customer asks for the cheapest, they said they don’t install those. They also said they know which brands perform best and choose to stick with those.

“My best customers understand my purchasing reasons and want the best for their vehicles,” they added.

“We buy what we recommend, not what the client thinks is best,” one respondent said, adding that they are the experienced professionals in the relationship.

Another noted that what they buy and install is based on the customer’s needs. Do they drive a lot where they need something more reliable, or very little, not making the investment worthwhile?

“We are the professionals and we educate and counsel our clients for safety, reliability and efficiency of their vehicles based on their personal driving habits and we work within their budgets but we recommend using good quality parts to save them money in the long run,” observed a respondent.

Some pointed out gaps in quality when examining which brand to go with.

“We have been asked more in the last year about economy-grade parts or finding cheaper parts, which we will do, but typically always recommending premium parts,” a respondent said. “Overall, as we use a few, we haven’t had much issue with distributors meeting our needs — though sometimes finding that the price gap between economy grade and premium parts isn’t steep enough. That is to say: Economy and used parts are too expensive for what they are.”

“Buying based on quality, value, and experience with the product – many ‘high quality’ brands are not high quality anymore — used exclusively until quality dropped and began having issues,” one highlighted.

Ease of getting parts

About two-thirds of respondents (68 per cent) reported that it was somewhat or very easy to get parts from their distributor. However, the overwhelming number of shops said it was “somewhat easy” (58 per cent). Three in 10 said the level of difficulty was somewhere in the middle.

So while many noted that their jobber is meeting their needs, some noted some of the issues they’re having.

“Time is our biggest problem. How do we install parts ordered before noon the day before and also make up the list for supply the next afternoon when we cannot have bays open for diagnosis before noon?” one commenter wondered.

Another pointed to delays and rising costs as ongoing issues.

“It has made ordering some parts not realistic. Jobbers are doing the best they can and can meet the needs most of the time,” they added.

One shop that specializes in European vehicles has turned heavily to the dealer network to get what they need, even if that means stretching timelines. “Doesn’t change our belief in OEM parts as the only true fit solution, though. Our dealership network works very well with us.”

A few rural shops noted that their location can be a hindrance in getting parts at times. When the local jobber doesn’t have what they need in their location, the shops have to wait for a delivery from the nearest major centre. Another pointed out that pre-ordering parts is a must.

One noted they’re challenged to schedule jobs because their jobber doesn’t have common parts in stock. Another pointed out that supply is still catching up post-COVID.

A respondent noted cutoff times at warehouses as a significant challenge.

“Our first-call jobber’s cut off is 9 a.m. to have something for the afternoon, but often it’s hard to have all our inspections complete this early to have parts the same day, pushing our jobs into next day completion,” they explained. “This is somewhat us-specific, but we are in a rural location, so we have issues with lack of shotgun runs/late afternoon runs. Our last delivery is 3 p.m., but we’re open until six (often much later), so we could use an extra afternoon run.”

Timing is an issue for another shop — they’re open weekends but their jobber is not. “If there is a parts issue on the weekend it is next to impossible to rectify,” they said.

Not having the right part in stock can mean using an inferior one, a commenter said.

Local availability is an issue at times, becoming more frequent on older vehicles and certain brands/models of vehicles,” said another. “Parts being phased out, limited stock, etc.”

Impact

Most shops are paying attention to technology — be it in their customers’ vehicles or in their own shops to make business run smoother. Those who are not said they’re likely retiring soon so they’re not getting on the bandwagon.

“Moving forward in future years, we see technology as a major growth area as many shops are not changing or growing and we are embracing this change,” said one commenter.

“Demand due to the general lack of qualified technicians and the added time/cost involved in repairing and maintaining late model automobiles. Labour rates will need to continue to rise to accommodate higher technician wages, equipment investment and demand for service will increase,” said another.

One respondent noted the challenges of increased technology and rising costs could push customers to look elsewhere for their needs.

“It is intertwined, technology and business. If the costs go up, the technology goes up, and the business may suffer due to rising costs. Many customers shop around looking for the best price,” they said.

“More training, more investment in tools and equipment. Have to keep prices modest to hold clients and make some profit,” observed a respondent.

ADAS requires equipment updates and training that will take a while to pay for themselves. I will be spending money and time upfront and wait to see the effect,” one explained.

One noted how they will keep chugging along. “In my business in particular, it will not have an impact on our bottom line. There are still plenty of vehicles out there that require basic maintenance. People want to keep up the vehicles they already have until they are forced to do otherwise. I don’t see much of a difference for us.”

Looking at their business, one noted that they’re wary of some of the technological advancements.

“Business-wise, I think future technology is really leaning towards AI assistants, but this takes the personal touch out of the business and we likely won’t be following that path,” they said. “Overall, with every significant technological advancement in vehicles, everything gets harder to work on, and more expensive to repair for the customer — making our jobs more difficult.”

“Training will become even more important for our technicians to be able to service newer vehicles,” one pointed out.

“As long as the right to repair act is always met and standardized all independent shops who charge properly and keep up with investing in equipment and training, it will be a good change,” said another.

This article originally appeared in the May issue of Jobber News.