When it comes to fixing a car, there's good news and bad news for drivers. On the bright side, visits to an auto repair franchise are becoming less frequent as manufacturers improve individual parts and build cars to last longer. Unfortunately, when these automobiles do go in for repairs, the price of the work is rising.
Overall, there was a 10 percent increase in auto repair costs, which puts the price tag up to pre-recession rates. This was largely because older vehicles are staying on the roads, and many of them need more vehicle maintenance and extreme repairs to keep them in good driving condition.
"On one hand we're seeing an increase in car repair costs that can be attributed to factors such as a market correction and a higher percentage of more expensive repairs related to the aging vehicle population, but on a more positive note we see costs for hybrid repairs continuing to drop and drivers making fewer check engine-related trips to the repair shop," said Ieon C. Chen, CEO of CarMD.
Hybrid car repairs were one of the few bright spots. According to Green Car Reports, the cost of repairs for hybrid vehicles went down, mostly because there's a larger supply of replacement parts available and more technicians are familiar with fixing the cars.