The US is facing an ongoing shortage of auto mechanics, and local repair shops are struggling to fill their bays with qualified servicemen and women.
KMOX Auto Expert Greg Damon is General Manager of Sparks Tire and Auto Center in St. Charles.
"The average age of a technician right now is 49 1/2 years old," Damon tells Total Information AM.
And not a lot of younger workers are coming into the field.
"It's very difficult. We have been looking for a technician for about 2 years."
Damon says he's scheduled more than 200 interviews and only 25% have even shown up.
"A lot of the seasoned technicians are retiring or just getting out of the business just because it's so hard. It's really tough to make money. The pay scale in the automotive world is changing a little bit but guys that worked at the dealerships and worked flat rate it's very difficult for them to make a good living at it. It's like a double-edged sword that's going on in the industry."
So what's that mean for you?
"Prices are going to go up unfortunately."
