Getting your car repaired after an accident may take you longer as auto repair shops face ongoing obstacles that continue to linger from the pandemic.
Supply chain issues, worker shortages, and the pandemic are affecting car repair shops nationwide. B&B Collision Repair shop in San Luis Obispo is among them.
“Before it used to be, order parts and get them the next day. Now you’re looking at a minimum of a week to a month to get the parts. We have a whole parts team that is constantly searching for parts," said Nikki Fasone, B&B Collision Repair estimator.
Fasone said some of the hardest parts to get right now are headlights. She says since covid a lot of companies have stopped mass producing.
The effects trickle down to car repair shops.
“Before we used to be able to just take keys and have customers come in now it’s turned into a whole scheduling game," said Fasone.
A scheduling game, Fasone said they are constantly playing to be able to help as many customers as possible.
“We’ve been pre-ordering a lot of parts. So any customer who is safe to drive we have been having them come in for estimates and then getting the parts pre-ordered and then scheduling them in for repairs once the parts get here," added Fasone.
“There’s also a shortage in rental cars and cars to buy. So from the insurance side, this all increases the amount it costs us when a person has a claim," said Janet Ruiz, Insurance Information Institute strategic communications director.
Ruiz said more people being back on the road is a big factor.
“We’re about back to the normal amount of people on the road pre-pandemic but the driving behavior is still really bad. So we are having frequent accidents and more severe," said Ruiz.
As the holidays approach, remember to slow down and think about how weather conditions may impact your commute.
If you do end up in a situation where you need a car repair, Ruiz advises drivers to speak with their insurance agent for tips on how to navigate getting a car rental and ask if the car part you need is delayed.
