Why repair needs are only going to grow

As more technology is added to vehicles, the more likely owners of those vehicles will be visiting an automotive repair and service shop for help, according to an analytics company leader.

Renee Stephens, vice president of We Predict, a predictive analytics company based in the United Kingdom, explained the growing repair needs more technologically advanced vehicles will need. She explained her thoughts in a piece for SME, a non-profit association of professionals, educators and students for the manufacturing industry.

She noted that staying on top of repair trends will be critical going forward. For example, despite COVID-19’s impact on driving, model year 2020 vehicles are projected to see a 5 per cent increase in repair frequencies in the first three years of ownership compared to 2019 models, according to data from the company’s Deepview report.

Electrical repairs are the top reason why — 2020 models are seeing 21 per cent more electrical repairs than 2019 versions in those first three years of ownership. Exterior and body structure repairs are projected to jump 7 and 3 per cent, respectively, in that same time period.

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“On the other hand, chassis, powertrain, interior and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) areas have experienced lower repair frequencies overall, showing improvement trends over the past six years,” Stephens noted.

But as more advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are added to vehicles, the more likely a vehicle is going to come in for repairs, We Predict found. Repairs of ADAS technologies are predicted to go up 181 per cent on 2020 model year vehicles compared with those from 2019.

Stephens also reported that mature segments have seen an increase in repairs. For example, wiper repairs are up 22 per cent. Exterior lighting repairs is up 24 per cent with 2020 models and that is expected to jump 188 per cent on 2021 models.

“While these trends are important, the big question on many people’s minds is: Will EVs have fewer repairs than vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs)?” Stephens asked.

“There are fewer parts to fail. Sure, some components are still the same, but service facilities should expect to see these vehicles less often. For maintenance, and as over-the-air updates are used more often, EV owners should expect fewer visits to their local service centre.”