The earthquake in Japan may affect not only new-vehicle inventory, but the availability of replacement parts for dealership service and parts operations. I took an informal poll of service and parts managers and fixed operations directors, and most said the earthquake has had little effect so far. But there are rumblings from the factories about possible parts shortages in the future.
Some shop managers say certain paint colors are unavailable for collision repair.
Mike Vogel, fixed operations director for Carson Toyota-Scion in Carson, Calif., says body parts for the Toyota Yaris, Scion xB and Scion xD, and shock absorbers for models such as RAV-4 and FJ Cruiser are affected.
Read Article