A survey was conducted by IMR at the beginning of this year asking independent shops what they predict their biggest hurdles will be this year, Automotive Research reports.

IMR spoke to 500 independent automotive repair shops between January 1 and January 31, 2023. They were asked about what they foresee as the biggest challenges for the industry this year.

The top 5 biggest concerns for 2023 were finding affordable parts (45%), finding qualified/responsible technicians (33%), staying current with diagnostic/software updates (22.8%), getting parts on time (22.4%), and keeping up with technology (16.8%).

The results had some similarities to past years, particularly 2019, with three of the top five challenges echoing 2023 concerns: staying up to date with advances in diagnostics (31.6%), keeping up with advances in vehicle technology (31.1%), and finding good, knowledgeable, and motivated technicians (29.2%).

The only similarities between concerns this year and in 2022 are finding affordable parts and getting parts on time, and concerns about finding qualified/responsible technicians and staying current with diagnostic/software updates have been increasing.