Twenty-three percent of the shops responding to the 2010 Counterman Professional Automotive Repair Technician Survey (P.A.R.T.S.) say they keep wheel bearings in stock and perform an average of five jobs a month that require this part. They rely on an average of 2.5 sources when ordering wheel bearings.
Who do the shops rely on as their primary source? Jobbers maintained their position as the largest source of wheel bearings to professionals in 2010. Fastest delivery, availability and best sales reps continued to be the leading reasons shops depend on their “first call.”
Brand trust slipped in importance just slightly over the past year, giving up a few percentage points to “I trust my source to choose the brand.”
These and other statistics can be found in P.A.R.T.S., produced annually by Counterman magazine. Ten years ago, Counterman began surveying repair shops annually to determine when, how and why they source specific automotive parts and products. The resulting data, published every fall, offers perspective on how sourcing and brand-loyalty trends have changed.