Shortage of auto parts delaying repairs

With the auto industry in crisis and the demand for auto parts high, handing your car over for even a simple repair could mean you'll be without wheels for weeks.

Unsure of the future of the auto industry and cut off from credit, more and more people are choosing repairs over buying new cars. So many, in fact, that car parts are in short supply.

At Coachworks Auto Body Shop in West Haven, there is plenty of work to go around, but cars are sitting in the lot a little longer than usual.

"Basically, we can't get parts as fast as we used to," said Scott Walstedter, owner of Coachworks.

Walstedter said because of the shortage of auto parts, jobs that used to take a few days now may take a few weeks. It's a frustrating new reality for him, and it can be infuriating for his customers.

"The customers don't always understand that, and they look at our shop and they say, 'you're taking too long to fix my car,' but we're just waiting for the parts," said Walstedter.

The parts shortage is the trickle-down effect of the auto industry's troubles. Walstedter says it's no coincidence he's having the toughest time getting parts from U.S. automakers like General Motors and Chrysler.

"They're not gonna give you an explanation other than, 'I don't have it, I ordered it, it's coming from so-and-so, and you'll have it then,'" he explained.

Walstedter says the "parts problem" has been developing over the last two months or so, and at this point, he doesn't think it will end anytime soon.

"For the long haul, especially with the news we're hearing - GM shutting down some plants, Chrysler shutting down some plants- it scares us just 'cause of the parts," said Walstedter.

Auto body shops like Coachworks don't have a lot of other options. They say they could look into after-market parts, but when they do that, they can't always guarantee the quality.