Car parts delays leave drivers waiting weeks or months for repairs

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - If you’ve recently been in a wreck and your car is in need of repairs, auto repair shops say buckle up. It’s going to be a long wait.

Auto repair shops around the Jackson metro area said if you’re looking to get your radiator or even your catalytic converter replaced, it’s going to be a long wait before you can get your wheels back on the road.

In the past, car repairs wouldn’t take more than a week to get in and get out. However, customers who’ve recently had accidents like Marcus Jones said that’s no longer the case.

“I’m with the rest of the world or whoever else is waiting for just one or two parts. So, we’re gonna say weeks,” Jones explained.

Jones isn’t the only one dealing with a long wait. Mechanics at Bolden Body Shop said they’ve been waiting on a catalytic converter for over 3 months now with no arrival date in sight.

“It could take weeks, it could take months. It just depends on you know, cars have a lot of parts. So, you know, it could be anything, you know, it could be just a little bracket that you need might take two-three weeks,” mechanic withy Bolden Body Shop, Gregory Holliday, said.

So, is there a part that’s more difficult to get in?

“You can’t really pin it down to one specific type of part or one specific type of vehicle and you know, it just comes and goes,” a technician with Freeman’s Auto Repair, Josh Malone, said.

However, local mechanics agree parts coming directly from manufacturers rather than aftermarket products are the toughest to come by.

Because of the delay, shops have had to adjust to allow customers to stay on the road and get parts delivered in a timely manner in hopes customers will be understanding.

“We had to turn work away today and push it out to a week or a month or two weeks down the road, you know, work with has, if we could have got the stuff at that point in time, you know, it would be done and moving on to brighter, greener pastures,” Malone said.

“Other people’s cars are way worse than mine. You’re just being realistic, and other cars are not even drivable. Of course, it’s frustrating and disappointing. But you know, it’s an add our hands and has been for a while,” Jones explained.

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