GREEN BAY, Wis. — For five or more hours in the morning Moua Pao Lor sees a steady stream of vehicles pulling into one of the service bays at Auto Select on the east side of Green Bay.
He handles many of the oil changes and tire-related repairs.
“On a busy day, about one every hour all through the day until about noon, then it starts to slow down a little bit,” Lor said.
On one particular day, he was changing oil and replacing a flat rear tire on a car.
In the latest report on consumer prices and inflation, the U.S. government said Americans paid 12.5% more for vehicle maintenance in February than they did the previous year.
Lor said customers have noticed the increases but aren’t complaining.
“An oil change is an oil change,” he said. “It’s maintenance for your vehicle, so if it’s got to be done, it’s got to be done.”
Jaramey Plager is the manager at the Auto Select on the east side of Green Bay. Plager said prices are tied directly to what’s happening in the rest of the world.
“Oil costs have gone up quite a bit,” he said. “Anything oil-related — oil, tires — because of the cost of petroleum products going up.”
Some of those prices have stabilized in recent months.
“They seem to be holding fairly steady right now, but for a while tires were going up 2-3% every month or two, which is pretty significant when you’re talking a couple hundred bucks a tire,” he said.
Lor said his job is making sure other people's vehicles are safe and operational. Regular maintenance can not only keep cars running but head off more expensive repairs later.
“It’s good to keep up with your vehicle,” he said. “The longer you maintain your vehicle, the longer it lasts.”