Potholes, road conditions slam auto repair businesses with jobs in Metro Detroit

FOX 2 (WJBK) - It’s one call after another at Jay's Auto Repair - drivers looking for help for their wrecked vehicle from potholes.

"Good afternoon, thank you for choosing Jays, this is Damon - how may I help you?" says the employee answering the phone.

Large potholes looking more like craters are eating up tires, and damaging vehicles.

"I hit a pothole and got a flat," said Charles Stokes.

That's not the only damage drivers can suffer from potholes this time of year.

"Suspension,control arms, cradles, tie rods, wheels, tires sometimes to the point where they get into the bottom of the oil pan and does severe damage," said owner Jay Salaythah.

Recent snow and icy roads are also major culprits.

"This is another vehicle, they hit the curb so bad they twisted the control arm," he said.

At Jay's Auto Repair on Van Dyke, as soon as one vehicle is fixed and on its way - another vehicle takes its place. In fact, tje business has seen an overflow of vehicles in recent weeks.

"I would say about 60% more vehicles yeah," he said.

Jay, the shop’s owner, says this work has his team working hard to get these vehicles back on the road.

FOX 2: "How do you meet that demand?"

"Longer hours and try to employ more employees which is difficult," he said,

And the cost for parts and labor involved to fix the vehicles is also painful to customers.

"They average anywhere between a $1,000 to $3,000 sometimes, if they do damage to cradles - that's part of the sub-frames," said Salaythah. "We're taking about a $2,500 repair."

As drivers bring these vehicles in for service, some may encounter another problem - a wait for parts.

"These (vehicles) are all waiting to be serviced," he said. "We haven't even gotten to them yet, they've approved the repairs but I'm waiting for parts - Wednesday I get them."

"We haven’t even gotten to them yet they approved the repairs but they’re waiting for parts. Wednesday, I (got) them," he said.

As the roads get bumpier, Jay's got advice for drivers.

"Drive slow, pay good attention not to the way you drive but to other drivers are doing," he said. "Keep that distance, pay attention and you should be alright."

But drivers like Stokes have another message:

"Fix the roads," he said.