I'm a tech an an Independent that i've worked at since 2013. While i've seen some ups and downs over the years, i haven't seen it this bad in terms of work....EVER !!

I have friends that work at other shops, and some who opened their own shop, and i've taken off during the day to pay them a visit, and they are dead. Maybe one or two jobs for the week. They say they haven't experienced a drop off in customers like this before, either.

In speaking with the ONE tool truck that comes by our shop, Cornwell, he says that even the big dealerships are struggling, some closing their body shop, some have a hiring freeze, and not replacing techs that leave, and some dealerships closing down altogether. My wife works at a dealership (Infinity) and they had to resort to paying the techs an hourly wage plus flat rate, because the amount of work is so little, they are afraid of losing the good techs that have worked there for years.

In the last month, i think we've worked on 14 cars, and nothing over 1k of work. And the last car I worked on (2004 Camry), the water pump and drive belt took an act of Congress to get the customer to approve the $658 bill. Our only way of getting the cost down was to use an Amazon water pump, because the ones at the parts store were over $120, our cost.

We are close to a Firestone and a NTB (National Tire & Battery), and just looking across the street, i can see that they both are empty most days.

Our labor rate is lower than both of them ($159 an hour). We've tried mailers, coupons, discount oil changes, new flag banners in front of the store.....it just seems that nothing is working. We are thinking about being open on Saturday, but with no increase in pay for anyone. I know of a shop that just went from MON-FRI for decades, to being open on Saturday as well.

Customers are coming in and NOT wanting a diag, bringing their own parts, and just want that done and nothing else, or getting the diag for 5 issues and one labor hour, and declining the work, most likely to do it themselves or have someone do it thru Facebook marketplace.

I've had to go back to doing side work, but even then, it's few and far between jobs and I have to negotiate prices....instead of $150 for front pads and rotors, it's $70, or diag for $55.

I've ben thru some bleep....like the time the shop went thru 12 managers in 10 months, the 2016 slowdown from hell, and the Pandemic. But nothing like this.

So, just how bad is it where you are? I'm in the Houston area, just so you know.

Mark Carranza
Technician
Mark Carranza
Houston, Texas, USA