CINCINNATI — Finding repair parts for your car has been tricky the past few years, with pandemic shortages finally easing by the start of 2023.
But now, things may be about to get worse again.
Jordan Jaskiewicz is getting a taste of the auto parts shortage that has been frustrating car owners and repair shops for three years.
"We had a fender bender, and had a two-week expectation to get the vehicle back," he said. "But we are now seven weeks in."
Jaskiewicz's almost brand-new 2023 Honda CRV was in a small front-end crash and now needs a front grill and clips.
But almost two months later, his body shop has no idea when the parts will come in and his insurance company will no longer pay for a rental.
"We had a loaner car for 30 days, but that has now expired," he said.
His car, a Honda, was not directly impacted by the UAW strike, which has shut down a number of Ford, GM and Sellantis plants. It is simply a victim of the still-ongoing pandemic parts shortages. But now those are getting worse.
GM, Ford, Jeep, Ram parts on back-order
Repair shops are starting to report parts shortages for GM, Ford, Jeep and Ram vehicles directly due to the strike.
At Dave's Auto Care in Norwood, Senan Odeh says the UAW strike is starting to cause problems because many automakers use "just in time delivery."
"The demand for everything is at an all-time high right now," Odeh said. "And the supply for everything's at an all-time low. ... We tried to order a GM part the other day for a Cadillac. I called for the ETA and he's like, 'There's one in the country.'"
If the strikes drag on a few more weeks, a growing number of vehicle owners may find themselves like Jaskiewicz — waiting and waiting for a part that should have been easy to find.
"It's frustrating," he said. "We have a car we had for a couple of months, under 5,000 miles and making payments on it, that we can't drive."
We contacted Honda corporate, but have yet to hear that his front grill is on the way.
With any hard-to-find repair part, you may want to help your shop by calling local dealers and even searching for it yourself online, so you don't waste your money.
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