LAKE PARK, Fla. — Bringing your vehicle into a local repair shop these days could cost a bit more and the wait times could be a little longer.
At Lake Park Auto and Fleet Repair, they’re making it work.
"I'm aware of all the problems that they're having now a days with the supplies," said customer Gerald Raftopoulos.
He got his brakes and radiator repaired on time, but when it comes to some things like tires, pack the patience
"I've never seen this happen. I mean, nobody has. It's basically the times that we're living in,” said Bruce Jacobs, who has worked the repair business for forty years.
Jacobs says tire prices are fluctuating all over the place.
"Maybe somebody needs an affordable tire. Well, we got to go right down the line and it may not be the tires that they're wanting," said Jacobs.
Jacobs said at the Lake Park shop, and his other business he runs, Military Brake and Alignment in West Palm Beach, he's seen tire prices jump $30 or $40 for tires the past 3 to 4 months.
For independent shops like these two, getting any repair part these days from a dealer could reveal the parts are on "factory back order."
That's happening a lot more and those parts are getting harder to come by because of the supply chain back up.
It's leading to a bartering game between local repair shops.
"We just have to work a lot harder and kick and scream until we get the parts because I'm just trying to fix a person's car, that's all,” said Jacobs.
He said he's resorting to ordering off Amazon for car parts because it's just taking too long locally to find them.
All in an effort to keep cars on the roads for the holidays and beyond
