The auto industry is going through some changes. Just this week, GM announced layoffs, the company is in the process of shutting down plants, according to The Washington Post. Hard times have fallen on automobiles since they first rolled onto the scene. Few industries are as resilient as cars though, and they’ll find a way to spring back.
The auto industry is huge and affects several mediums, from dealerships to gas stations to car part manufacturers. A lot of businesses and people depend on cars to do well, or in some cases, not to. Auto repair shops exist to service cars and get them back on the road when they experience problems.
An auto repair shop comes in many forms. While there are many standalone shops, there’re also ancillary ones attached to other businesses, such as a dealerships or gas stations. It seems as though that for every auto repair shop out there, there’s an abandoned one too. With the rise of electric vehicles and other innovations, The Daily Herald speculates that a mechanic's job is in doubt.
It is a sad reality to see an auto repair shop out of business. The windows look shuttered, the paint comes off on the once colorful signs outside and abandoned car parts get left behind. Some may even have a car or two sitting around unfinished.
Collected here are photos of auto repair shops that weren’t able to survive. Closed for business, they no longer have the business that once filled the shop with cars coming in for repairs.
25 Demolition Imminent
Here’s an abandoned auto shop in all its glory. It’s likely that the shop looks nothing like this today however, as Reddit user mpolaris12 noted it was on its way to becoming rubble.
Scheduled for demolition, it’s likely that all this junk is long gone by now. There were even two cars still sitting there by the time they took this photo. With graffiti on the walls and the entire place a mess, it didn’t serve much purpose in its last days.
24 95th St Auto Repair
Here’s an auto shop that seems to have vacated the premises overnight. It is as if those that ran the shop couldn’t afford to remain open, so the mechanics up and left right away.
Underneath all the trash and decrepit state of things in the garage is a car still sitting unattended. According to the blog Abandoned Remnants, the location is called—and possibly even located on—95th Street. Once a one-stop destination for cars to roll in for a fix, it now stands abandoned.
23 Dead Cars And Dead Leaves
Without the line shining through, it’d be hard to see what’s left of this auto shop. What’s clear as day are the two cars and leaves sitting around, which reflect a once bustling repair shop.
Considering it’s a pain both financially and practically to move a car, especially ones holed up in a garage, someone found it pointless moving them. As a result, the entire property went unattended and gathered up pieces of nature, including the leaves and dirt scattered across the floor.
22 Clipper Mill
Car parts and equipment are valuable, even if they aren’t brand new. That’s why it’s a mystery to find any car parts still lying around in abandoned auto shops. Even if the owner left it, it’s surprising looters wouldn’t take advantage of unclaimed parts lying around.
A Pinterest user notes that this abandoned shop lies in Clipper Mill, an area in Baltimore. The tires still look like they’re in decent shape even among the walls of graffiti and the empty shop.
21 Seattle
Many of the photos on here only show the outside of an abandoned auto shop. This one shows what the inside looks like when employees have left. The floor looks big enough to accommodate several cars in need of repairs at once.
There’s even a work station in the corner where tools go. There’re some curious objects though in this photo, including newer looking wooden doors on the right sitting against the wall. Whether they were for restoring the building or not is unclear.
20 Route 66
This is a classic auto shop that’s on a familiar road. The famous Route 66 was a popular journey in the 20th century. According to National 66, John Steinbeck referred to it as the “Mother Road” in his book The Grapes of Wrath.
Today, thanks to planes and other modes of transportation, it’s not as populated. That leads to several businesses closing down, including this one, which sits across the way from a motel, according to the blog Light Rain Productions.
19 Salton Sea
The Salton Sea resides in California. Unlike its name, it’s actually a lake out in the middle of nowhere that rests on the San Andreas Fault. This photo shows an abandoned area that served many purposes.
According to the blog Unnoticed World, it offered gas fill ups, liquor, video rentals and car maintenance. One can even make out the “Tire Repair 24 HR” sign proudly touted at the top. That’s no longer true, however, as the entire area now stands abandoned.
18 Sunoco
The snow and gray skies around this building serve as a cold reality to what can happen. Like the building forever closed for business, that same sad state is evident in the environment around it too.
According to Flickr user Take A Guess, this is an abandoned Sunoco repair shop located in New York. In addition to servicing broken down vehicles, it also seconded as a filling station. With cars out front, it looks as if there’re still other shops in business around the area.
17 Yeehaw Junction
Even an abandoned property like this auto shop can look picturesque. Flickr user Jim reports that this is an auto shop in the Yeehaw Junction, which is in Florida. The walls look washed out and the windows all shuddered up.
Where words once shone brightly at the top, there’s now a white wall with faint red text. From the looks of the island out front, it could have also been a filling station. With the rampant trees and grass all around, it must be in the middle of nowhere.
16 Jardi-Service
Not only is this property abandoned, but the cars in front of it too. Ran When Parked reports that the cars include a Jaguar XJ6, a Ford Sierra, several Citroën XMs and more.
It’s a shame to see all those cars go to waste, especially when there’s a shop right there that once provided repair services. Once known by what its sign clearly spells out “Jardi-Service,” the paint is starting to peel off and everything looks closed. When the words fully peel away from this shop, there will be little trace left.
15 Berry St
This auto shop shows obvious signs of age. With a roof that’s in poor condition, including one section with frail wood showing like an exoskeleton, this property is struggling to hang on.
According to a Pinterest user, this auto shop is long abandoned and resides in Ford Worth on Berry. While the sign looks like it is still holding up, stating "Diagnostic Clinic" in the center, the shop itself is out of business. The sign also suggests it served as a fueling station.
14 Ada, Ohio
This sight looks more like a piece of nature than it does man-made. Already, green trees and foliage is taking over the boxy building that once served as an auto shop.
The blog Kaikurbex reports that it’s in Ada, Ohio and has stood since 1930 when they first built it. On the inside, the roof is falling apart, the floor is full of dirt and no one is around. It’s now left in shambles with little hope of a restoration around the corner.
13 Kings Auto Parts
Detroit isn’t what it used to be. Once the heart of the US auto industry, it since has fallen on hard times. Naturally, that also affected auto repair shops like this one. Kings Auto Parts not only closed shop but left behind this van as well.
Business Insider confirms the ride is a Chevrolet Astro that doesn’t even have its rear wheels anymore. That didn’t keep some trespassers from coming along and tagging the van. A thin layer of snow covers the rundown grounds.
12 Burned Down Shop
An auto shop can either thrive or go out of business. Many that go the latter route end up neglected and fall into a state of disrepair. In extreme cases, they go the route of this one, which burned down.
Based in Victoria Texas, the Victoria Advocate reports that the abandoned shop erupted in flames early one morning. The Victoria Fire Department got there to put the fire out, but by the time they arrived, the fire had already ripped through most of the property.
11 Howard Beach
This auto repair shop is in a sad state with little evidence of what it was before. Except for the “Auto Repair” text on the side of its brick face, few indications still exist that this place once serviced cars.
The entire property, which the blog Lost New York City reports is in Howard Beach, has a fence around it. The windows look broken in, the bricks making up its walls dirty and a wild growth of trees and bushes have taken over.
10 Lou’s Auto Center
This shop is a visual for sore eyes. Now that it is out of business, the colors aren’t as bright as they used to be. The paneling along the roof, once blue and bright, is showing gray. The text on the windows advertising car repairs, once red, looks washed out today.
The white paint along the walls and doors is also browning towards the ground, showing smudges around edges. A bicycle out front must belong to someone exploring the area.
9 Pie Town, New Mexico
If given a quick glance, one might assume this was a pie shop. A closer look reveals that it’s only the name of the realty company though (and the city). Instead, it once stood as an auto shop. Text spelling out “Garage” above the right door confirms as much.
The outside wall is chipping away to reveal a brown wood serving as its frail bones. The inside is so dark, it is completely covered in darkness. Flickr user Classic Film confirms that the location is off U.S. Highway 60 in New Mexico.
8 Brown’s
Auto repair shops are all over the place. That makes it a fiercely competitive field to work in. There’re a lot of cars on the road, which means the need is great. This one didn’t survive however, as it now sits abandoned.
The blog Abandoned Baton Rouge reports that the location is in Louisiana where it’s not the only property left behind. There’s also a shack, small homes and more businesses closed down nearby. All that remains are buildings like this one that goes by “Brown’s.”
7 Antelope Garage
Looking more like an old saloon from the wild west than it does an auto repair shop, this building is on its last legs. Those with sharp eyes will notice the words “Garage” faintly spelled out in the brownish wooden boards near the top.
Someone took great pains to block all the windows and board up the place, which a Pinterest user notes is in Antelope, Oregon. Skinny looking trees hang over the property, befitting its abandoned state in the middle of nowhere.
6 Small Auto Shop
It may not look like much, but this building once served as an auto shop of some sort. What little evidence remains is in the narrow garage, which looks to have had a roll up door. On the front entrance, there’s a small patio with tires still stacked up too.
Although the shop appears closed, and probably has been for many years, it continues to stand. The weeds now are taking over, growing around the edges of the property where the driveway used to be.