By Jay Kirschenmann
Gannett News Service

Mechanics at the corner garage still pound out several automobile repairs a day, but some say it's getting harder to keep up with technology training and to buy the tools needed to repair today's computer-driven vehicles.

Technology advances are driving many of the smaller garages out of business.

"In the next few years, there may not be any more independent shops," said Al Kirkpatrick, owner of Al's Auto Repair in Sioux Falls, S.D. "They're a dying breed, on the endangered list, unless they're a real high-specialty shop that concentrates on one thing, like a transmission shop."

Some diagnostic and tuning equipment costs tens of thousands of dollars per machine for each make of automobile. There are more than a dozen computers controlling and determining virtually every mechanical function of a late-model car.

Dealerships, being affiliated with the manufacturers, have the advantage over the independent shops. But they, too, must constantly add to their high-tech toolboxes and must retrain mechanics each year.

The number of general-repair, independent mechanical shops in the nation has dropped from 78,673 in 2001 to 78,034 in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet the number of cars on the road has increased from 211.6 million in 1998 to 220.9 million in 2002, R.L. Polk reports.

Ford, GM or Chrysler computerized testing machines can cost up to $20,000 each, Kirkpatrick said, and the monthly fee and updates are an additional $125 for each machine.

Kirkpatrick keeps on top of the technology through training and by subscribing to an online service that gives his mechanics quick access to data for virtually any passenger car or light truck.

Technological advances have made automobiles a complicated mix of mechanics and computer-driven devices, said Ken Roberts, spokesman for the Automotive Service Association, a national trade group representing independent auto service businesses.

"There is a growing complexity of cars, so it's not unusual for an automobile to have 15 or more separate computers controlling and determining virtually every mechanical function of the vehicle," Roberts said.

There are sophisticated systems required to constantly monitor and adjust emissions output and electronic braking as well as increased electronics on board including CD players, VHS-DVD players, climate control, electric seats, air bags and more.

Training is vital to keeping up with diagnosing and repairing complex electronic malfunctions, said Norm DeHaai, service director of Lithia Dodge of Sioux Falls.

"We just do what we have to do to keep on top of the technology and serve the customer," he said.

Mechanics need to keep skills honed

A recent poll of independent shops across the nation by the Automotive Service Association revealed that mechanics' top concerns are:

•  Keeping up with technology.

• Availability of repair information.

• Recruiting good technicians.

• Getting technical training.