Fixed Ops Journal - October 2019 - F6

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

SERVICE COUNTER
 Go north, young tech

 Capital punishment

When the check-engine light came on last
year, motorists in the District of Columbia
faced the highest average repair cost -
$414.02 - according to a study by the
automotive diagnostic data provider CarMD.
com. Check-engine repairs were least
expensive in Ohio in 2018, at an average
cost of $354.24. Labor costs to perform
such repairs were lowest in Vermont,
highest in Mississippi. Parts costs were
lowest in Michigan, highest in Connecticut.
The most and least expensive locales for
check-engine repairs:

Fairbanks, Alaska, is the best city for auto service
technicians to pursue a career at dealerships and
other shops, a study concludes. The business
insurance consultant AdvisorSmith Solutions
surveyed 388 U.S. cities for availability and average
salary of tech jobs, as well as such criteria as overall
cost of living, vehicle demand and miles driven. The
top 10 cities for techs:

Highest costs
 District of Columbia .................$414.02
 Connecticut .............................$413.91
 California ................................$403.13
 Georgia ..................................$402.66
 New Jersey .............................$401.59

Source: AdvisorSmith Solutions Inc.

Lowest costs
 Ohio .......................................$354.24
 Maine .....................................$354.38
 Michigan .................................$356.16
 Wisconsin ...............................$356.84
 Vermont .................................$359.64
Source: CarMD.com

 Recruit and retain

A survey of 157 body shop operators in the
U.S. and Canada asked what they were
doing to hire and keep collision repair
technicians amid an industrywide shortage.
Among their responses (more than 1
permitted):
 More training/career planning .........56%
 Better pay .....................................36%
 Enhanced benefits .........................32%
Source: Supplement Advisory, Raymond James

PAGE 6

OCTOBER 2019

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Fairbanks, Alaska
Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Memphis, Tenn.
Homosassa Springs, Fla.
Waterbury, Conn.

 Bigger and costlier

The share of collision claims involving pickups,
SUVs and crossovers has risen steadily in the
past 3 years, collision management software
provider Mitchell International reports. In the
2nd quarter of 2019, such vehicles accounted
for nearly 48% of claims, up from less than 44%
in the first quarter of 2017 - a reflection,
Mitchell says, of U.S. consumers' growing preference for light trucks
over cars. On average, Mitchell adds, collision repair for light trucks
costs 14.6% more than for cars. Percentage of collision claims
involving pickups, SUVs and crossovers, by quarter:

 Shop floor (or ceiling)

6. Amarillo, Texas
7. Longview, Texas
8. Auburn, Ala.
9. Jacksonville, N.C.
10. Kankakee, Ill.
2017
2017
2017
2017
2018
2018
2018
2018
2019
2019

Q1 .......43.5%
Q2 .......43.8%
Q3 .......44.1%
Q4 .......44.4%
Q1 .......45.1%
Q2 .......45.5%
Q3 .......46.1%
Q4 .......46.6%
Q1 .......47.4%
Q2 .......47.9%

Source: Mitchell International

Among the 100 largest U.S. cities, Las Vegas has the most auto repair shops per person,
and Boston the fewest, according to a study by the personal finance website WalletHub. Las
Vegas has 11 times as many shops per capita as Boston, the study found. The cities with
the highest and lowest rates:
MOST SHOPS PER PERSON

FEWEST SHOPS PER PERSON

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

100. Boston
99. Irvine, Calif.
98. Laredo, Texas
97. Washington
96. New Orleans

Las Vegas
Orlando
New York
Miami
Houston

Source: WalletHub

http://www.CarMD.com

Fixed Ops Journal - October 2019

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