Online servicing and repair jobs surging with 205% increase

Online bookings help maintain workloads throughout uncertainty with more drivers than ever turning to the web

Online servicing and repair jobs surging with 205% increase
Image: Bigstock.

Garage work provider, WhoCanFixMyCar.com has reported a 205 per cent surge in jobs requested, rising from 27,000 in April to 85,000 in September.

After initially seeing repair requests grind to a complete stop, the uncertainty of access to garages and the never-ending need for repairs, only accelerated digital adoption within the industry and saw record numbers of new drivers using WhoCanFixMyCar.com for the first time.

Between a mix of restrictions and worries over further lockdowns, more drivers than ever have moved online for their repair needs; being price or trust motivated, or even just to discover which businesses are still active in their area.

Related: Here we go again: UK’s independent garages remain open amid latest wave of lockdowns

Al Preston, co–founder of WhoCanFixMyCar.com said; “We’re pleased to see that throughout the uncertainty of recent times more drivers than ever are using us as their first port of call.

“We had anticipated a surge in work post-lockdown but what we’ve seen has superseded our expectations, with no signs of things slowing so far in Q4.

“The benefits of online work provision have really shone through since March; with drivers searching out price comparison and convenience making booking in for repairs online all the more appealing.”

“Thanks to this shift in consumer behaviour, work for our growing garage network has been secured and our primary focus has now switched from driver acquisition to garage network support and development.”

Job requests on WhoCanFixMyCar.com

Service Q1 – Q2 Drop Off Q2 – Q3 Recovery & Growth
MOTs Down 76 per cent Up 373 per cent
Full Service Down 23.3 per cent Up 63.2 per cent
Clutch Repairs Down 28.4 per cent Up 89.5 per cent

Related: Repair investment prompts 3.8 million owners to keep their car for longer

Owner of Delilah’s Mobile Mechanics and long-time WhoCanFixMyCar.com member, Joe Stevenson said; “The first few weeks of the lockdown in March and April were a nightmare; our entire diary emptied – one by one a full month’s worth of work was cancelled.

“About a month into the lockdown the floodgates opened; a mix of garages closing, drivers still needing car repairs and many moving online to try and find an available mechanic, this created an immense amount of work.

“It was a relief to go from nearly nothing to too much work, including a £3.5k job to replace a Mini Coopers engine – usually not an economical repair, but with dealerships shut the driver didn’t really have any other options.

OFFER: Discounted WhoCanFixMyCar.com garage sign up

“We’re currently busier than ever and have a new member of staff.

“WhoCanFixMyCar.com were there both physically and mentally, and while we’re still nervous about the future, we know we’re not going into it alone.”

As predicted, MOT’s dropped off massively throughout Q1 and the beginning of Q2 due to the government’s MOT extension scheme which ran from the end of March through to the beginning of August.

However, it’s clear that drivers haven’t waited until their extension expired to book in for repairs or their MOT, getting them done throughout Q3 instead, with MOT’s seeing a huge 373 per cent growth during that period.

Many drivers chose to delay clutch work between Q1 and 2 with a 28.4 per cent decline in job requests but by Q3, clutch jobs saw an 89.5 per cent growth.

Related: UK car parc is “older than ever” despite push towards electric vehicles

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