"Car Center Owner Kim, Are You Doing Well These Days?"... Rapid Decline of Repair Shops Amid Electric Vehicle Surge

Direct Hit from Recession in Maintenance Industry
Seoul 2,700 → 1,700 Businesses

With the advent of the eco-friendly car era, the spread and popularization of electric vehicles are progressing rapidly, dealing a direct blow to the maintenance industry, which is now facing a survival battle. In the Seoul area, the number of repair shops affiliated with the Kapos Seoul Association has sharply decreased from 2,700 shops five years ago to 1,700 shops today.

Tesla Model Y

Electric vehicles require much less maintenance compared to internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of structure and function. Although electric vehicles do not have engines, the maintenance industry still sees engine repair demand exceeding 50%.

Facing a crisis of recession and confusion, 30,000 repair shops nationwide gathered on November 8 at 2 p.m. in front of the Government Sejong Complex for a rally to decide between strike or closure, holding a resolution meeting to protect the survival rights of the maintenance industry. Representatives from each region of the Kapos National Federation participated.

The main agenda was to protect the survival rights of the maintenance industry and to protest against subsidies for electric vehicles, which pose safety issues, as well as the excessive policy of early scrapping of 1.3 million vehicles. The resolution statement from that day is planned to be delivered to the Presidential Office, the government, the National Assembly, and the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Committee Chairperson.

How to Choose an Economical and Safe Repair Shop ? Remember These Tips

The Korea Automobile Professional Maintenance Association held a rally to protect their right to livelihood in front of the Government Sejong Complex.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Professional Maintenance Association]

On that day, the Automobile Citizens’ Union presented methods for choosing economical repair shops, in addition to addressing the recession crisis caused by closures and strikes in the automotive maintenance industry.

Looking at the repair shop usage selection methods proposed by the Automobile Citizens’ Union by category, they include: ▲ obtaining free repair estimates before early or natural scrapping ▲ fully utilizing the new car warranty period of up to 10 years ▲ visiting specialized shops for specific issues ▲ being aware of the 30 to 90-day A/S period after repairs ▲ not being lured by cheap prices ▲ gathering information online in advance.

Regarding early scrapping, they emphasized, "Early scrapping conducted by the Ministry of Environment requires a normalcy inspection to receive subsidies, unlike natural scrapping," and added, "(Early scrapping by the Ministry of Environment) has had environmental effects such as a steady decrease in particulate matter (PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution since 2015."

The Korea Automobile Professional Maintenance Association held a rally to protect their right to livelihood in front of the Government Sejong Complex.
[Photo by Korea Automobile Professional Maintenance Association]

They continued, "Before early scrapping, you can also receive an estimated repair quote from a repair shop," and "Check subsidy eligibility and economic feasibility carefully through the Korea Automobile Environment Association website, and after repairs, be sure to receive and keep the repair statement." This is necessary for compensation in case of problems.

Regarding the A/S period after repairs, they stressed, "According to the Automobile Management Act, when repairs are done at a repair shop, a check and repair statement must be provided to the consumer, and a certain period of free after-service management is mandatory," adding, "Many consumers suffer inconvenience due to excessive or poor repairs because they do not receive repair statements after maintenance. Free warranty repairs are possible for 30 to 90 days depending on the driving distance after repair."

Lim Ki-sang, representative of the Automobile Citizens’ Union, said, "To achieve carbon neutrality, the government needs to support a just transition for the maintenance industry, and drivers need to know how to choose repair shops wisely during economic downturns."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.