Preventive maintenance being deferred during Covid: survey

Independent repair shops in Ontario have reported a significant drop in business in April, according to a DesRosier Automotive Consultants poll.

The survey of 100 members of the Automotive Aftermarket Retailers of Ontario (AARO) found that the largest segment of respondents noted a decrease in revenue of between 26% and 50% in April.

Shops reported decreases in most job types, with preventive maintenance and diagnostic work seeing the largest declines.

The most common forecast of how 2020 will play out anticipated a decrease in business of less than 25%.

The survey, distributed by AARO during the week of May 11-15, found that the majority of businesses remained open (nearly 60%), but some of them (about 40%) with reduced hours. Almost half of respondents noted problems with parts supply, with these issues arising from both jobbers and dealerships.

Analysts at DesRosiers chose to focus specifically on the independent repair segment for this survey, saying that polls that include a wide variety of businesses – including parts manufacturers, distributors, and body shops – “lack utility or meaningful outputs.”

DesRosiers plans to publish a detailed market outlook this summer covering the entire aftermarket and outlining the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on warehouse distributors, parts manufacturers, retailers and installers. The report will focus on specific market data and provide a full five-year forecast at a national and regional level.

www.desrosiers.ca