Many independent shops are struggling to gain the parts they need to complete repairs as the United Auto Workers strike continues, Spectrum News 1 reports.

According to Wayne State University Professor Jeff Rightner, this is an issue impacting shops nationwide. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the supply chain and shortages in parts such as chips already, the strike has added more pressure onto an already shaky structure.

While dealerships are able to utilize resources such as distribution hubs, independent automotive shops have a much more difficult time accessing the parts they need. 

One shop facing this problem now is Timon’s Car Care in Cincinnati, where Jim Timon said he’s had to wait a month for an airbag from Detroit.

It took even longer for an air conditioner for a General Motors vehicle to arrive after waiting over 13 months for it to come back into production and anti-lock brakes for both GM and Chevrolet vehicles are currently completely out of stock.

Timon’s shop is filled to the brim with vehicles that need parts he cannot acquire any time soon. Though he’s been in the business for 60 years, he said he’s never dealt with waiting times as severe as this.

Aside from inconvenienced customers, many of the vehicles that Timon can’t repair are simply not safe to be on the road–but for most Americans, having that vehicle is their only way of getting around.

“Customers shouldn't actually be driving them, but they don’t have a choice,” said Timon. “If you’ve got to wait six or seven months for the part in this case that's bigger trucks that are having a problem and you know, they shouldn't be on the road basically.”