Inflation is forcing a new kind of creativity in car ownership and the ripple effects are everywhere in the automotive aftermarket. We talk with Rob Pietrowski, VP of Research at IMR, about what the data says when repair bills rise faster than household budgets: where demand stays steady because maintenance is non-discretionary, and where the real movement happens underneath through brand switching, outlet choices, delayed maintenance, and more price shopping.
Rob walks us through how IMR measures vehicle maintenance and repairs at scale, including large consumer surveys and monthly repair shop surveying that captures what shops are seeing at the counter. We get specific about the trends that signal financial stress: growing interest in financing major repairs, the “install it for me” path where drivers source parts but pay for labor, and DIY remaining surprisingly resilient thanks to cost pressure and tools like YouTube. We also dig into how shops respond, including reported increases in customer price sensitivity and the reality of entry-level or private-label parts in certain situations.
We zoom out to the long game too: high new-vehicle prices, longer loan terms, and an aging vehicle parc are pushing more owners to approve major repairs that might have been avoided years ago. Then we challenge easy assumptions about EV repair with replacement-rate insights across categories like steering and suspension, HVAC, and tires and why “EVs need fewer repairs” isn’t a complete strategy.
Finally, we look at AI from two angles: shifting employment uncertainty for consumers and the growing battle to protect market research from AI-enabled survey fraud, plus the controversy around synthetic survey data. If you care about forecasting, consumer behavior, aftermarket trends, or EV repair opportunity, this conversation brings practical signals you can use. Subscribe, share the show with a colleague, and leave a rating and review. What trend are you seeing first hand in your shop or household?
To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org.
To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast
