Auto parts and car repairs might force some people not to travel for the holidays, shortage issue hitting the businesses

Arkansas – It’s expected that more than 100 million people will travel by car for the upcoming holidays and this is one of the busiest periods of the year when traffic is expected almost everywhere across the country.

However, those who plan to repair their cars in the upcoming days or just perform regular service, might face real struggle since the auto parts repair shops are seeing serious parts shortage.

Just like everything else in the last couple of months, car parts are harder and harder to get and those who plan to repair their cars might get their vehicles fixed in weeks, and in some occasions in months. As expected, this just another problem as a result of the pandemic and supply chain problems.

The car industry is also hit since the start of the pandemic because of the supply chain issues and chips shortage, but still, the experienced business owners are doing well despite all the challenges they face since March 2020.

One of them is Mitch Ward who owns the Red River Auto Group in Cabot. He says that the business is going great lately, but the biggest challenge for him and his company is the auto parts shortage.

“We can’t satisfy the customer, we’re just trying to appease them at this moment,” he explained.

Ward says some parts take six to eight weeks to get to the shop, and sometimes he has to tell customers he has no idea when they’ll arrive.

“So, if a customer says, ‘When will you have my parts?’ It says we really don’t know when,” he said.

But the real disappointment happens when they wait for some parts for weeks and even months to arrive, and when they finally arrive, the parts are broken or damaged.

“Absolutely destroyed, which is frustrating for the technician, the service advisor and then, of course, the customers,” Ward said.

Just another business among the many that are facing this problem is Taylor’s Truck and Trailer service in Little Rock who are waiting some parts to arrive after the New Year despite the fact that they have ordered them few months ago.

“So, when the truck, you know, it sits here, we don’t make no money and the customer don’t make no money,” shop owner Tim Taylor said.

The problem doesn’t only affect the businesses and their customers, but the auto parts shortage also affects the transportation of general consumer goods. This makes the problem even much more complicated.

“Lord knows that everything we get comes by truck,” Taylor said. “Not only me and my customer suffer, but the whole country suffers.”

Not only is it a headache for everyone to have to wait so long for parts, but the scarcity of parts is also driving up the cost of doing business.

The advice from the shops for drivers needing repairs on their vehicles, get it scheduled now and have a Plan B just in case it’s not ready in time for holiday travel.