The rise in the cost of fuel and electricity in recent months has affected all sectors. This had a significant impact on the tariffs for the services of car mechanics/repairmen. The SRA (Automotive Safety and Repair) trade association, recently introduced car repair report for 2022. Based on thousands of expert reports. Almost three-quarters of garages have experienced an increase in electricity consumption of around 10-20% in recent months. But that’s not all, because in addition to energy, the cost of the products themselves has also increased.

For example, lubricants increased by 49% over the year. Prices for valuable spare parts needed for repairs have increased by 38%. As a result, consumers were the first to feel the impact on their account. an increase in the cost of overhauling a car by an average of 9.4%. between 2021 and 2023, according to a study of 300 garages in France.

Galloping inflation that leads to self-repairing the car

The observed invoicing discrepancy is explained increased labor costs aimed at offsetting many of the cost increases. In fact, a quarter of the mechanics surveyed had to increase your hourly rate to save their cash. 30% of other mechanics surveyed plan to do so in the near future. While only 7% indicated that they do not want to change prices. Other decisions made include reduction of electricity consumption.

But also restriction of fluid intake, or changing suppliers to obtain parts at a lower price. However, rarely are these changes beneficial for quality. In this inflationary environment, more and more French prefer to service their vehicles themselves. To save money, they do their own repairs. This is observed carly company which offers OBD sockets for individualswhich send their diagnosis directly to their smartphone.

Find an alternative to garages

“Between fuel costs that remain high and increased maintenance and repair costs, the car is becoming a luxury that some are increasingly unable to afford. But for many French people, the car is the only way to get to work. To go shopping or take the kids to school. Therefore, there are more and more of them now look for alternatives to garages.

Today, more than 100,000 French people use Carly to detect car breakdowns and repair them themselves. And we see that this trend is accelerating. Over the past 3 months, our activity has increased more than 3 times. For example, replacing a car battery repairs that do not require technical knowledge. While the cost of labor is currently between €80 and €200 after the sale. Carly probably won’t be the only company offering this kind of service in the long run unless things improve…