According to the Union of Car Services of Russia, in the period from March to October (for 8 months), nearly 300 car services are closed in Moscow, and 150 in St. are growing very slowly.
In addition, some drivers are looking for workshops where they can maintain cars more cheaply, while others are already doing it themselves. As a result, the demand for filling stations fell by 20%. This also happened because auto services have nothing to offer customers – there are not enough parts and consumables and for premium cars they are completely gone.
Gas stations are not only closed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. For example, in Tomsk, 15 car services stopped, and in Nizhny Novgorod – 13. Also, there were fewer gas stations in a number of other cities.
“In my opinion, in the current circumstances, people change their priorities: they buy fewer cars, they use them less. Many began to save money for more necessities, – Izvestia quotes the words of Ilya Plisov, a member of the board of the Union of Car Services of Russia, deputy director of EuroAvto Autocomplex — Due to the sanctions, most manufacturers do not have the right to import part of their goods to Russia. And since auto parts for, for example, cars are more expensive than 50 thousand euros fall under the luxury goods category, there is a major shortage of expensive spare parts, and new distribution routes are not yet able to meet the needs of the market.”
After the closure of the services, hundreds of craftsmen will be out of work, who will be able to service cars privately.