💵 Most drivers can’t cover a $500 repair

A new Midas consumer survey of 1,000 U.S. drivers found that 66% could not pay for an unexpected $500 repair out of savings. Half of drivers say owning a car puts moderate to extreme pressure on their budget. More than half delayed or skipped recommended maintenance in the past year, and half of those say they simply could not afford it.

The first services to get pushed off:

Brakes and batteries are less likely to wait. A lot of drivers are also trying the work themselves. About 37% have attempted a repair they would normally take to a shop, rising to 46% among drivers ages 25 to 34.

Why it matters: The most useful part of the survey is what gets drivers to say yes even when money is tight. The top three answers were a clear upfront estimate, a trusted relationship with the shop, and a way to pay over time. Coupons and reminders landed near the bottom.

Trust also edged out low price as the top reason people pick a shop. For some shops, that may be a reason to lean harder on estimates and payment options than on promotions.

The DIY trend cuts both ways too, since some of those driveway attempts will end up in your bay in worse shape than when they started.

Read more

A new report from the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades looked at demand across 124 hands-on jobs and found employers will need to fill about 1.7 million openings a year through 2035. Right now, the country trains about 55 people for every 100 it needs. Automotive service technicians made the list of jobs with the tightest shortage.

The surprise is that interest is not the problem. Most teens and parents say they would be proud of a career in the trades. The leak happens later:

Why it matters: If fewer than half of apprentices finish, the hiring problem is partly a keeping problem. A shop that brings on a young tech and loses them in year one has spent the training money with nothing to show for it.

That lines up with other recent reports, where clear pay, mentoring, and a visible path forward kept people longer than a raise did. For some shops, the first year of a new hire may deserve as much attention as the search to find them.

Keep reading

Klipboard, which already builds software for some of the largest tire and service chains in North America, launched Autowork. The cloud-based system is aimed at single-location independent shops. It puts these in one place:

The first AI feature handles scheduling, finding open appointment slots so the service advisor does not have to work through the calendar by hand. Klipboard says more AI features are on the way.

Why it matters: The shop management market keeps getting more crowded, and more of these platforms now pitch AI as part of the package. That gives independents more options, but switching systems is a real cost in time and retraining.

For some shops, the better question may be less about any one product and more about how many separate tools you run today. If your team spends real time moving data between them, that may be worth fixing.

Full story here

🔋 Volkswagen is recalling 22,524 ID.4 EVs from 2023 to 2026 over a battery fire risk, with no fix yet and owners told to keep charging at or below 80% in the meantime.

🛑 Mercedes expanded its S-Class brake hose recall to 30,064 cars after failures showed up outside hot, humid regions, and dealers will replace both front brake hoses for free.

🛞 Stellantis is recalling 16,385 2026 Ram 1500 trucks because a change to the tire and wheel assembly process may have damaged the tire pressure sensors.

🏫 Austin Community College opened a new automotive technology building in Round Rock, which will house the only EV maintenance program in Texas.

🎓 The University of the Aftermarket Foundation marks 40 years with a fundraising campaign, after awarding 525 scholarships this year and more than $10 million since 1986.

One question for you: Are you seeing more customers try a fix at home before they come in? What does the car usually look like when it gets to you? Hit reply and tell us.

Thanks for reading. Send us any feedback too. We read all of it.