Shops say this is their biggest concern

Challenges facing automotive repair shops are starting to look more like those faced pre-pandemic but there is one that has squarely moved to the top of the list: Finding affordable parts.

Automotive market research company IMR surveyed shops to start 2023. Finding affordable parts was noted by 45 per cent of respondents, far higher than last year’s top challenge of “finding parts I need/parts shortage” (36 per cent) and even than results in 2019 when “finding time for hands-on technician training” was the top challenge for 43 per cent of shops.

The challenge of finding affordable parts saw a 16-point jump from last year, IMR noted.

Other challenges listed for this year include finding qualified/responsible technicians (33 per cent), staying current with diagnostic/software updates (23 per cent), getting parts on time (22 per cent; also an issue in 2019) and keeping up with technology (17 per cent).

The research also pointed out that the bigger the shop, the higher level of concern those challenges are, for the most part.

For example, the number one ranked issue for shops with one to three bays is finding qualified/responsible technicians. These shops ranked finding affordable parts second. Meanwhile, shops with four or more bays consider finding affordable parts their No. 1 challenge.