Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2023, IMR Inc. surveyed 500 independent auto repair shops to get insights into what they believe their biggest challenges will be in 2023. The challenges they expect to face this year are different than 2022 and before.
In 2019, prior to the pandemic, independent repair shops listed their biggest challenges as …
• Finding time for hands-on technician training (42.6%).
• Staying up to date with advances in diagnostics (31.6%).
• Keeping up with advances in vehicle technology (31.1%).
• Finding good, knowledgeable and motivated technicians (29.2%).
In 2022, the challenges were …
• Finding parts I need/parts shortages (35.8%).
• Bringing customers back/providing incentives (31.8%).
• Finding affordable parts (29.4%).
• Getting parts on time (27%).
In 2023, three of the Top 5 shop challenges are similar to those expected in 2019; however, “Finding affordable parts” ranked first at 45.0%, and “Getting parts on time” made the Top 5 at 22.4%. The other three challenges in 2023 are …
• Finding qualified/responsible technicians (33.0%).
• Staying current with diagnostic/software updates (22.8%).
• Keeping up with technology (16.8%).
When looking at the results by number of bays, IMR notes differences. For example, the No.-1 issue for shops with one to three bays is “Finding qualified/responsible technicians” with “Finding affordable parts” ranked second. For shops with four or more bays, “Finding affordable parts” is the top challenge.
Click here to see more of IMR’s findings.
