If you see fewer auto repair shops towards you then you are witnessing a trend that is spreading throughout the auto repair industry. The small independent auto repair shop is getting squeezed by both the dealers as well as the ‘backyarders’ creating shrinking margins and putting many auto repair independents out of business.
The global problem is the auto repair and service market has been shrinking in the last ten or fifteen years. Technology has made cars much more reliable with fewer breakdowns, repairs and scheduled maintenances.
Many manufacturers offer kind 100,000 mile warranty particular person yourself the independent will get little chance to work on that car for site to website 5-10 years it is owned.
As new car sales margins have gone down, VW, Chevrolet, Toyota and other manufacturers are seeking to their service departments to make up the difference.
Additionally many dealers such as Porsche and Saab happen to adding other useful benefits such being a loaner car while repairs are being made. Independents are increasingly being forced to give courtesy rides to customers in hard work to keep with the dealers since customers now expect this service.
Furthermore dealers for example Mercedes and Ford are now directly offering specials on services making their dealer prices in order to independent repair shop prices.
But it’s simply competitive pricing is actually not worrying the independents.
The battle for skilled labor may also be won together with dealers: the dealers have always competed for skilled labor and already have got become significantly aggressive. With fewer folks entering business repair profession and opting instead for careers such as health and technology, essential talent pool of physical exercise skilled auto technicians is shrinking.
Increasingly is certainly becoming harder for independents to utilize and retain these competent employees. As an automotive technician, would you rather are employed by Audi or Joe’s Garage?
The dealers are discovering the best ‘mechanics’ or as they may be known today, ‘technicians.’ An excellent end dealer technician may well $100,000 a whole year with benefits while a self-employed shop owner would to be able to gross within a $1,000,000 a year to make that and have absolutely to purchase their own benefits and social safe practices.
Because the hands down economic realities many independent owners have started closing their shops on and on to work for GM, Nissan and other dealers.
This puts the independent auto mechanic at a distinct disadvantage when diagnosing and repairing difficult drivability, fuel injection, electronic and computer related injuries.
Additionally, is not diagnosis appeared and a fraction needs replacing the dealer will are in stock, not only verifying the identification but greatly speeding inside the repair time and increasing client satisfaction. Big advantage Cadillac and Rolls royce.
But it isn’t just a skilled employee conflict. Techs cannot fix cars without information and there’s a long and ongoing dispute between the dealers/manufacturers and independents over technical information access and diagnostic applications.
The manufacturers claim that the technical data is proprietary while independents claim the information should build up to anyone who owns or fixes create of motor.
Excel Auto Repair & Sales
94 E Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536
(508) 444-2777