Battle Creek body shops bogged down by international auto parts supply chain disruption

Aaron Schley and his team at Lakeview Body Shop aren't necessarily busier than usual.

But the president and owner of the automotive collision repair business at 344 W. Columbia Ave. in Battle Creek says customers, particularly those with newer cars, can expect longer wait times amid international supply chain disruptions.

"Our parts issues have been newer cars and the fact, even getting through to suppliers, they don't have enough people to answer the phone," Schley said. "They are telling me they are inundated, a couple of them telling me, 'I haven't seen it this busy.'"

Collision specialists and dealerships continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic, namely industry-wide supply chain issues as well as labor shortages that in some cases are causing a backlog of services and longer wait times for customers.

"It's a process," Schley said. "Most people don't realize that, unfortunately, this isn't Amazon. We're not going to get your part next day. A lot of times we do, but it really depends on that supplier we're required to utilize to get that part."

The semiconductor shortage is also creating a domino effect, as fewer new vehicles are being manufactured, causing increased demand and prices for used vehicles, which require more maintenance.

Due to the supply issues, walk-in estimates are no longer feasible at places like DeMaagd Collision Center Auto Body Repair at 160 Grove St.

"We're scheduling people in every day, scheduled out until the middle of January," said Chris Merry, assistant shop manager. "We've been fortunate enough, a lot of our customers are understanding, but it's hard to tell your customer we can't get to your car until January. That's where we're at."

One problem, Merry noted, is that insurance policies often dictate using specific after-market or recycled parts. And newer vehicle models can be difficult to diagnose through inspection due to the amount of small intricate parts and what is obscured to the naked eye.

"Sometimes you can't see behind a headlight or bumper or radiator, and you try to add all that stuff you can't see that is broken. You put it on there, the insurance company takes it off because it can't see that it's broken, even though repairers know that it's broken," Merry said. "Next thing you know, that radiator is broken, now we have to order a radiator that's on backorder for months and now we have this car torn down here."

Auto insurance providers typically include vehicle rental in their comprehensive and liability coverage policies, but those rentals can expire before maintenance is finished, potentially forcing the customer to pay out of pocket or get stuck with the bill.

With fewer vehicles on the road in 2020 due to stay-at-home orders and the effects of the pandemic, Calhoun County recorded 3,422 accidents that year, according to michigantrafficfacts.org. That marked a 19% drop in accidents from 2019.

Over the past five years, the data shows, the highest number of accidents locally have occurred between November and January. This not only coincides with winter weather arriving in southwest Michigan, but also deer rut season. Last year, there were 936 accidents related to deer in Calhoun County.

Kim Grinage of Keyes Auto Body at 711 E. Emmett St. said the winter months are typically busier. He noted that the supply chain issues are just one of a number of challenges, such as finding technicians or qualified inspectors to write the estimates amid the labor shortage.

"It's really sad that you can't have X-ray vision when you look at a collision and not know every component that you need," Grinage said. "It seems like every component you can't live without, it's the shortage item. Normally, we order the parts and they show up in a couple of days.

"I've been in this business 40 some years, it's something. I just take it in stride and keep going on."

Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek body shops bogged down by supply chain disruption