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Tribune

All the presents are unwrapped. The decorations are put away. The eggnog buzz has finally faded, and the tree has been ground into mulch. The car in the driveway with the weird rattle or the squeaky brakes consumes the space once filled by carolers. The inevitable can no longer be avoided. "I think around Christmas, people let their normal priorities go, so they can buy presents for their kids," said Daniel Lyon, owner of the Brake Stop. "Fixing their car is a priority, but they are headed to Toys R Us instead of the brake shop."

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All the presents are unwrapped. The decorations are put away. The eggnog buzz has finally faded, and the tree has been ground into mulch.

The car in the driveway with the weird rattle or the squeaky brakes consumes the space once filled by carolers. The inevitable can no longer be avoided.

"I think around Christmas, people let their normal priorities go, so they can buy presents for their kids," said Daniel Lyon, owner of the Brake Stop. "Fixing their car is a priority, but they are headed to Toys R Us instead of the brake shop."

The industry anticipates a lull in business when the holiday season approaches. Customers tend to put off repairs in favor of holiday shopping. According to David Ray, manager of Moneysworth Automotive, the time around Christmas is slow because people are recovering from overextending their credit and overspending. The exception is those who make sacrifices to get a repair done in order to take that holiday trip.

With the holidays now history, auto mechanics in Albuquerque are seeing a surge in business.

"It's a big surprise. Normally, the week or so after Christmas I've got mechanics whining and complaining that there is no work," said Auto Medic office manager Wayne Lamb. "But this week, they've all been telling me they can't take any more cars in, that they are all backed up. And it's a nice change."

Inside the garage at the Brake Stop, mechanics Jesus Rojos (left) and Nathan Schuler (in the cab of the truck), work to replace a bad clutch in a Chevy truck. It was almost closing time, and another vehicle was pulled into the garage for a brake replacement. They were busy all day.

"The only time we see people is when their cars aren't running," said Lamb. "I expected everyone to be (angry) and ready to bite my head off. But this week, everyone has been pleasant - like they knew what was coming."