Snowy weather brought good business to auto-supply shops, dealerships

While retailers lamented the loss of sales during the recent snowstorms, companies in the auto business gained from the wintry weather.

Car dealerships, auto-repair shops, auto-supply stores and towing companies reported increased traffic during the last two weeks of December.

Chris Galbraith, general manager for several automotive-service centers on the Eastside, said a lot of business is coming from repairing four-wheel-drive systems damaged by navigating the snow.

At Midas Auto Service in downtown Seattle, manager Terrance Carter fielded about 150 calls within a week from people inquiring whether Midas sold chains; it doesn't.

"It has increased our business in certain areas that normally, from a retail standpoint, usually don't sell as much," Carter said. Popular products have been car batteries, tires, windshield-wiper fluid and de-icer.

Some drivers decided to go big, checking out four-wheel-drive and sport-utility vehicles with an enthusiasm some in the auto industry feared was gone forever.

"SUV sales are up drastically," said Dennis Butterfield, general manager at Hyundai of Everett. Hyundai's SUVs — the Tucson, Vera Cruz and Santa Fe — already appeal to customers because they get above-average gas mileage for their size. Now, their ability to handle snow is suddenly relevant, Butterfield said.

At Lee Johnson Chevrolet Mazda in Kirkland, a handful of customers called promising to buy vehicles on the spot if someone from the dealership would pick them up.

"I think it reacquainted them to why those vehicles were so popular to begin with," said Scotty Thompson, Lee Johnson's general sales manager. "They invented those vehicles for a reason, and I think those reasons were validated over the past 10 days."

SUV sales may help offset the large number of service cancellations at dealerships during the snowstorms. Lee Johnson also expects an uptick in parts orders for vehicles damaged in the snowy weather.

Still, Thompson doesn't expect interest in SUVs to last as more-typical rainy winter weather returns.

Other businesses that might have benefited from the snowstorms found themselves left somewhat in the cold.

Terry Clinton, general manager of Seattle's Fischer Plumbing, received several calls from people with water damage because of snow. But workers often couldn't reach potential clients because of slick roads.

"Our trucks are kind of like the buses, and it really limits where we can get," Clinton said. "Yes, there's more work, but it creates havoc when it snows. I don't know if there's a silver lining."

Local plumbing and water-removal specialists, who often provide the first response when basements or crawl spaces flood, said customers reported fewer serious problems than expected as snow began melting.

Seattle Public Utilities braced for severe wastewater and drainage problems as well as frozen or burst pipes.

As early as Dec. 18, when snow started falling heavily in many places, the agency had extra crews on standby and equipment placed in potential flood areas.

Then, nothing happened.

"We had a party, and nobody came," said Andy Ryan, a spokesman for Seattle Public Utilities, which asks people to call 206-684-3000 when sewers or storm drains become blocked or flooded.

People may have seen fewer problems with their pipes because the low temperatures were relatively brief and mild, said David Brown, owner of Fox Plumbing and Heating in Georgetown.

"I don't think we had cold enough temperatures for long enough periods of time," Brown said.

Clinton, whose business advertises emergency plumbing services, chalked it up to preparation. Although he's seen "small situations" where water has gotten into basements or crawl spaces, he's seen the same thing happen after heavy rains.

"I don't think it was as big an issue as people thought it was going to be," Clinton said.