The ongoing United Auto Workers union strike is adding to the pressure on an already tense auto parts market. These words came from several managers of subway repair shops. “The bad thing about a strike is that the effects are felt for months, if not years, especially after the strike.”The current supply chain is already fragile and is already having problems sourcing the right parts. And it just makes the nightmare worse,” said Alan Hereford, owner of Jocko Auto Repair in Merriam. Hereford gave one example: This is a used aftermarket electrical module that he bought for his $3,000 2010 Chevrolet truck, and new it’s a $500 part. But the dealer told him it would take him six to eight months to get one, so he took a chance. “I bought a used part and it didn’t work. I’m currently ordering parts from dealers and aftermarket shops. It’s just a matter of who gets it first. We’ll take care of it.” Bob Kirk drove his SUV home from the 95 Hendrick and Troost crashes in Kansas City, Missouri today. Eleven weeks have passed since the tree fell in his front yard. The vehicle was involved in a collision during the July 14 storm that hit the metropolitan area. Kirk’s problems were mainly due to a backlog of insurance claims, but he wasn’t able to fix everything. Instead, he planned to buy and install an aftermarket driver’s side mirror himself. “I think I ordered it online before the strike or whatever happened, so it might have been out a while ago, so maybe it was would have been the deal there,” Kirk said. Hendrick Collision General Manager Tony Jungman said the parts supply chain has not fully recovered since the pandemic. Currently, orders for the grill have been going on for 14 months. Mr Hereford said another issue was a labor shortage. This means customers have to wait longer for repairs to be completed. “We have a great technician here, but he could hire three or he could hire four,” Hereford said.
The ongoing United Auto Workers strike is adding to the pressure on an already tense auto parts market.
This quote came from several managers of subway repair shops.
“The bad thing about the strike is that we have an already fragile supply chain, especially as it stands now, and we already have problems sourcing the right parts, and it’s only going to make the situation worse. It’s been a nightmare.” said Alan Hereford, owner of Jocko Auto Repair in Merriam.
Hereford said one example is a used aftermarket electrical module he bought for a 2010 Chevrolet truck for $3,000, compared to a part that would cost $500 new.
However, the dealer told me it would take 6-8 months to get it, so I tried using used parts, but with no luck.
He is currently ordering parts from dealers and aftermarket shops.
“So it’s a matter of who gets there first. We serve customers as quickly as possible,” Hereford said.
Bob Kirk drove his SUV home today after the Hendrick crash at 95th and Troost in Kansas City, Missouri.
It’s been 11 weeks since the July 14 storm that hit the metro area caused a tree in his front yard to fall on top of his vehicle.
Kirk’s problems were primarily due to a backlog of insurance claims, but not everything was fixed.
Instead, he plans to buy his own aftermarket driver’s side mirror and install it himself.
“I think they ordered it online before the strike or whatever happened, so it might have been out a little while ago, so that was probably the deal there,” Kirk said.
Hendrick Collision general manager Tony Jungman said the parts supply chain has not fully recovered since the pandemic.
He has been ordering the grill for 14 months now.
Another problem, says Hereford, is the lack of labor.
This means customers have to wait longer for repairs to be completed.
It also means paying more money to hire and retain technicians.
Those higher costs are passed on to customers.
“We have great technicians here, but we could probably hire three or four more,” Hereford said.
