South Coast auto shops open, but business stuck in neutral during coronavirus crisis

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Auto repair shops are deemed "essential" businesses that can stay open, but there's been a noticeable lack of customers at small South Coast shops over the past two weeks.

As the coronavirus crisis continues, people are hunkering down at home and driving less, meaning fewer are taking their cars in to be fixed.

"That's good, because they are safe," said Jose Lara of JVS Auto Repair in Santa Barbara. "But there's no business."

Lara says his usual five or more customers per day have dwindled to about one per day.

Many shops are offering discounts or free pick-up and delivery for cars that need work.

Westside Auto Repair in Santa Barbara is one example, though owner Andrew Almanza says business is down 90 percent over the past 10 days. And the rent is still expensive.

"We need a lot of cars here to survive," he said.

The same can be said for the other repair shops on the same block.

"We talk every day," Almanza said of the neighboring shops. "They say they don’t have work. And we say we don’t have work. But we’re hanging in there. We don’t wanna go home. I’ve been here 13 years. I don’t want to close the shop.

"We’re gonna just keep going til we can’t do it anymore."

Shops are also taking extra precautions to keep themselves and their customers safe. David Muñoz of Muñoz's Auto Repair says he goes through about six gloves per car, with plastic protecting the driver's seat and steering wheel.

The inside of the car is also sanitized before being returned.

"Not much contact physically with the customers, at all," Muñoz said. "Because our computer system will do an electronic signature for authorization."

But that isn’t just for customers’ peace of mind. David and his wife, who run the business, have to worry about their own health. They could close up shop if COVID-19 spreads enough locally.

"We’re both in our sixties," Muñoz said. "And so for that reason alone, we’d probably just go ahead and shut it down [in that situation.]"

Service departments at dealerships aren’t immune to the slowdown, either. Mechanics are still working at Santa Barbara Nissan, but with fewer customers these days.

"People have needed [service], there’s no doubt," Santa Barbara Nissan owner Doug Connor said. "We’ve had cars towed in and all that stuff. That production’s down to 45 percent, opposed to last year, maybe better. Every day it seems to be getting a little bit less and less and less."

And for local mechanics, every day seems more and more uncertain.