Mechanics try to cope with slowdown
The hit to business was immediate for Paul Tremblay, co-owner of East Rock Auto Body, in New Haven.
As statewide stay-athome orders went into effect in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tremblay estimated a 40 percent dip in business. In adherence to the mandate, people were staying off the road and staying home.
For Tremblay and other mechanics, the virus had ushered in a period of what they hope will be only brief uncertainty. There is some cause for encouragement. In the last few week as the weather has warmed and the state plans a slow reopening, several reported a slight uptick in business.
But normal still feels a long way off.
“It started out very challenging, but I think people and businesses are very resourceful and I’m very hopeful that things will get better,” said Tremblay, who co-owns the business with Mike Caprio.
Around the country, mechanics are reporting losses, with fewer people driving during the pandemic and many struggling financially. Car maintenance, for many, is not a top priority during a public health crisis.
Mechanics have had to adapt their business models. Some have changed hours and reduced staff. And all are contending with a new, more timeconsuming way of doing business, that includes comprehensive cleaning upon entering or exiting a vehicle and at-home dropoff services to reduce contact with customers.
As a result, Tremblay said, more hustle is now needed to complete each job.
“People are afraid to come here and drop cars off, so we go get them,” Tremblay said. “We wear gloves, masks, clean the cars, clean contact services. It takes extra time, but we’ve kind of gotten used to it. That’s all to get the sale, to get the work.”
Harry DeBarnardo, a mechanic at North Branford’s RJ Shore Automotive, which also has locations in Branford and New Haven, said much the same.
“A lot of people, they call up and they inquire if we’re open and what we’re doing to protect them,” DeBarnardo said. “Before we even step into a car we have gloves, disinfectant. I have a routine where I wipe the door handle of a car before I even get in. And then I wipe anything I might have touched.”
DeBarnardo said the shop had to adjust its hours, but thanks to a federal Payroll Protection Program loan, has been able to maintain its full staff, despite a noticeable slowdown in business.
In the waiting room of Scotty’s Garage in Stamford, customers are barred, according to owner Scotty Sobeski. A stack of repair orders sit on an outside table near the door to the garage. Customers fill out the order, drop their keys and leave, never making direct contact with the mechanics.
Sobeski said business was down roughly 50 percent last month, compared to April 2019, and close to 70 percent so far this May compared to last year. He said there’s normally a lull during the winter, but spring is usually a boomtime for mechanics as people prepare for summer trips.
As a result, he’s had to, at least temporarily, let one of his mechanics go. He’s also started offering discounted rates on some services to help customers who may be facing financial hardship. But he remains confident that as summer approaches, people will begin to re-emerge and business will pick up.
“Yes, I think things are going to break,” Sobeski saiid. “Because people are going to want to start driving again. Look at how long they’ve been locked in their house.”
Tremblay, too, feels optimistic.
East Rock Auto Shop has been in the community for roughly 40 years and has built up a loyal customer base. It’s that loyalty, he believes, that will carry the business through this difficult period with no definitive end in sight.
“People I think are getting anxious,” Tremblay said. “They want to get out of the house anyway and use their vehicles.”
“We have to believe,” he said.