NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Sometimes weeks and oftentimes months — this is how long it can take for many car repair shops to receive part orders these days.
This is causing a huge backlog.
Childress Collison Center in Nashville says not all, but a few of the cars in their shop have been waiting a month or longer just for one part.
"There's no one manufacturer that’s hadn't been affected by it. It’s just been across the board with Hyundai I've had to wait about three months for a couple of things, Jaguar I waited about six months for one piece to finish it," said Charles Childress.
Childress has been repairing cars for more than 30 years, but these past two years have been more difficult than years before.
He said not all but a few of the cars in this shop have been waiting a month or longer for just one part.
"I mean it's been anywhere from a door handle, a mirror, a door."
A combination of backed-up vehicle part orders and a labor shortage means it's taking longer for body shops to repair vehicles.
Back-ordered car parts have been an issue since the start of the pandemic, but it keeps getting worse especially when you add recall parts and a chip shortage to the list.
"One insurance company actually agreed to pay more for the use panels than they would have brand new panels and the customer was okay with using those," said Childress.
The longer these cars sit waiting on parts, the longer it takes for the business to get paid.
"To get your supplemental payment they want to see invoices and documentation to back it up because this will also need to be calibrated once it's done, which is going to be another five or $600 that I need to invoice to get paid for it," Childress said.
Childress Collision Center said if you can still drive your car after an accident continue to do so and wait to send it in to the shop until all the parts come in.
This will save you on cost for a rental, they said.
