BOISE, Idaho — As winter weather conditions continue to cause slide-offs and vehicle collisions throughout the Treasure Valley, auto body and tire shops are seeing longer wait times.
Capitol Auto Body Shop in Boise typically sees five to six cars a day. Since the snow accumulated this week in the Gem State, they are now seeing over 20 cars coming in for repairs daily.
“You get a lot of suspension damage, slide-offs, wheel damage, that's a big thing you see this time of year,” Tyler Scott, an estimator at Capitol Auto Body Shop said.
According to Scott, a typical busy winter season has a wait time of up to three weeks. Customers are currently waiting almost two months to get their vehicles repaired.
“With how many accidents there are in the valley, there's not enough shops to do all the repairs in a timely manner,” Scott said.
Tire Choice in Boise also said they are experiencing higher than normal demand for repairs and replacements.
“There’s been a large influx of vehicles coming through our location here that's just the biggest thing we are seeing," Blaine Koller, district manager for Tire Choice in Boise said. "The amount of cars per day has increased dramatically."
The typical car count at Tire Choice has increased by 50 to 70 percent.
“We are seeing lots of cracked wheels, we are seeing damages to vehicles, their steering components when they hit curbs, that kind of thing,” Koller said.
Koller said those who have winter tires should not wait until the last minute to get them installed. He recommends Idahoans prepare for the winter of 2022-23, ahead of time.
“If you know that you’re going to want to purchase winter tires, don't wait," Koller said. "We are seeing lots of price increases right now almost every tire manufacturer is taking a price increase, so tires now are less expensive than they are going to be a year from now."
Both Scott and Koller urge drivers to slow down, be cautious and avoid driving entirely unless necessary.
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