What Impacts Car Repair Costs and Service Times?

By Ben Ajayi

For the past few years, getting your car repaired has been a very frustrating experience for a lot of people. Car repairs are more expensive than ever and take longer to repair.

We touch on a few key reasons why this is taking place and what you can do to save money and time.

Like many of you, we have all noticed the increased time for car repairs, and the majority of that can be attributed to supply chain issues. Automotive repair shops across the country have all cited the reason for increased vehicle repair times were due to delays in parts delivery. The price of a new vehicle has continued to rise, forcing potential car buyers to hold on to their used vehicles for a longer period of time. This has led to an increased demand for car maintenance and repairs.

What You Can Do

To prevent the high costs for repairs as well as a lengthy wait time, we suggest preventative maintenance. We all have received a diagnostics sheet on our vehicle at some point that gives us a list of things we should do, but is not a high priority at the moment. We suggest taking care of those issues while they’re minor before they end up costing you more money down the road.

Lastly, if you ever find yourself in an accident, here’s what you can do. Before you drop your car off at the mechanic, you must ensure the repair shop has the necessary parts to repair your vehicle as quickly as possible. You don't want to find yourself in a position having to pay out of pocket for a rental because the mechanic is taking longer than expected due to a lack of parts. We suggest if they are minimal cosmetic damages to your car, that you continue to drive your vehicle until your auto repair shop has ensured they have the necessary parts. You don't want to find yourself in a position of spending more than you need to.