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Hernando Today

Auto Repair Businesses Are Surging

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: February 22, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Chris Fuller can't believe what he has seen and heard during the last few months.

A man pulled up in a 1989 Toyota Corolla. The passenger side floor board was gone and replaced by an old rusty slab of sheet metal.

"The customer comes in and said, 'I need a car. Just fix it,'" said Fuller, who owns Brooksville Transmissions.

Body shops and auto mechanics are among the short list of businesses that are thriving during a sputtering economy.

More and more people are willing to pay top dollar up front to fix their old cars rather than take on another car payment for the next three to five years. Some are going to extremes.

"I'm just blown away by the cars we're fixing," said Fuller. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? You want me to fix that car?'"

His repairs are up by 50 percent. A year ago, his business was averaging 13 transmissions per week. Lately, he has been accepting nearly 20 per week, he said.

The way Fuller and others in the business see it, car owners realize the recession isn't going to end tomorrow. They are thinking ahead. They won't wait that extra 1,000 miles for an oil change. They're also more likely to remember to replace the air filter and check their brake pads.

They prefer to pay a little bit today and avoid a larger bill later.

"I've noticed our business has changed a little bit," said Justo Montes, the service director at Hernando Suzuki. "More people are coming in for their basic factory maintenance and general maintenance."
Car dealerships are not among the businesses struggling through the recession. While new purchases are significantly down, other phases of their business are revving - including used car sales and maintenance.

"I saw a Suzuki come through here that was a 1993 (model)," said Montes. "You would think he'd want to get rid of it, but no.

"People are going to spend $1,000 or $2,000 for repairs instead of putting that down on a new car," he continued. "They don't want that monthly payment."

Michael O'Conner is the owner of ToyoDoc in Brooksville. He said business has been on the "busy side of steady" since the recession started taking shape last year.

He has looked at vehicles and gone back to the owner and said the repairs could cost more than $1,200. In the past, most customers would wave it off and proceed to a local dealer. It would be time for a new vehicle.

"We haven't had anyone say, 'Forget it, I'm going to go get another car,'" O'Conner said.

He thought about it for a second and recalled one customer doing so, but she changed her mind a day or two later, he said.

To schedule an oil change at ToyoDoc these days, a customer will need to wait at least a week for an open slot, O'Conner said.

The local auto repair business has changed in various ways since the start of the recession, especially for Fuller.

He never imagined he would have customers requesting shorter warranties in exchange for reduced prices. They almost start haggling the moment they walk through the door.

Fuller never imagined he would do transactions that way at a transmission-repair garage, but he understands it. He is willing to change with the times.

"They're always coming up with new deals," he said of his customers. "I've started laying out payment plans in front of them ... I let them pick the deal they want. It's a lot like buying a house."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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