Postwar Relief May Not Reach Auto Repair Shops Soon
A possible U.S.-Iran agreement may end the fighting, but it is unlikely to quickly ease the supply crisis hitting auto repair businesses in Japan and beyond. The article says the Middle East conflict has disrupted global supply chains for months, with shortages of engine oil, paint and other petroleum-based products affecting garages in Tokyo, dealers in Detroit and suppliers in the United States. The immediate shock came after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz, which carries nearly one-fifth of global oil flows, creating bottlenecks that still have not cleared.
President Donald Trump said a preliminary deal had been reached to end the war, but the details remain unclear and shipping through the strait will take time to normalize. In Tokyo, Hiroyuki Nakamura of the Taiwanese auto repair firm Shin Atsu Denso said he has been trying to survive what he called the worst engine-oil shortage in his 35 years in the trade. He said oil deliveries have nearly disappeared since the war began in March, with no new shipments arriving since April, and that the business is also short of paint thinners and diesel urea additives.
The shortage is especially severe for Japan’s popular “pearl white” finish. At Fuchu Car in suburban Tokyo, manager Masato Yagai said he recently obtained only one 300 ml bottle, enough for about two weeks, after a two-week gap in deliveries. If supplies run out, he said he will have to stop offering paint work on cars coming in for repair to avoid turning customers away. About one-third of the roughly 160 cars the shop handles each month are painted in that color, and cars can legally return to the road without the paint work finished, with the job completed later.
The pressure is also worsened by strict storage rules for materials such as motor oil, which limit how much stock companies can keep. Suzuki Motor said some dealers have temporarily stopped taking new orders for engine-oil and brake-fluid changes because of delayed deliveries. In the United States, raw-material shortages for coatings and lubricants have pushed prices up, and the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association said they are unlikely to fall before mid-2027.
The broader disruption followed a March attack on Shell’s liquefied fuel production facility in Qatar, which constrained a major Middle Eastern producer of high-grade base oil used in synthetic vehicle lubricants. Nissan has started rationing oil supplies to dealerships, while the Japan Automobile Dealers Association has voiced concern about shrinking synthetic-oil inventories. Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, said the government is working to increase supplies of paint raw materials and thinners, and the transport ministry has begun surveying garages nationwide on inventory, deliveries, prices and shortage risks. Analysts say small businesses are bearing the brunt because major paint makers are prioritizing automakers, and buyers are rushing to stock up before further price rises.
