For months now, auto repair shops around the country have been overwhelmed as they find a way to deal with the global shortage of repair parts.
"We’re at the mercy of the suppliers," Larry Huston, McCombe Body Shop owner in Columbus, Ohio told WSYX ABC 6 News, adding that a lot of the delays are due to where the parts are coming from.
"Unfortunately we’ve resourced outside of the country," he said. "We need to manufacture in our own country."
The shop owner of 37 years said this is the worst supply shortage he has seen.
"Right now, we do have to turn cars away because we virtually have no more spots to put a vehicle," Huston told the news outlet. "Scheduling customers out four to six, even eight weeks is not uncommon. It's hard to schedule a customer and give them a promise date that they can count on."
On top of that, auto thefts have been on the rise nearby, which is not helping the situation any.
"I would say we get about 10 Kia's and Hyundai's every week," he said. "Most of these cars aren’t drivable because you can’t secure the car. They broke the windows out and the steering column is broken. It’s happening all across the country, not just here, so that supply and demand is really high and it becomes first come, first serve."
Huston sympathizes with his customers.
"What we have to remember as a repair facility is that for some customers, it may be their first experience being in an accident and needing repairs to their car," he said in the article. "It’s tough enough when things are going good, but when they are going like they are now, it really makes this a bad experience for them. We know it's frustrating."
