Local Subaru shop braces for price hikes

Name: Auto tariff impacts in Washington
Uploaded: 2025-04-02T17:18:26-07:00
Description: The 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, set to take effect at midnight Wednesday, has some Seattle-area customers concerned.

Auto tariff impacts in Washington

The 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, set to take effect at midnight Wednesday, has some Seattle-area customers concerned.

LAKE FOREST PARK, Wash. - President Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, set to take effect at midnight, has raised concerns for local businesses like Suburb Service, a shop specializing in Subaru repairs.

Local perspective:

At the Lake Forest Park auto shop, owner Debra Christner has been fielding a lot of questions from her customers, many of whom are worried over how the new tariffs will affect the cost of repairs.

"There’s just so much uncertainty. People just don’t want to do repairs right now," said Christener. "This is just straight out, ‘okay, we’re going to raise all these prices 25%.’ That’s a huge hit to a lot of customers."

For the past 18 years, Suburb Service has focused on Subaru vehicles imported from Japan. Christner, who specializes in servicing this brand, explained that the impact of the tariff is still unclear, but it is expected to raise the cost of imported parts significantly.

Christner pointed to common items like oil filters, air filters, and wiper blades — all imported from Japan or other countries like Mexico.

Auto part import tariffs to raise car prices

President Trump's tariffs will go into effect on Wednesday, and automakers are concerned, saying car prices will rise for Americans. But, it's mostly due to imported car parts, not where the cars are assembled.

In anticipation of the hike, Christner stocked up on essential parts. The hope was to give her customers two weeks of relief before the sticker shock sets in. However, once her stock runs out, the price increases will be unavoidable.

"What it is today is not going to be what it was last week," added Christner.

The Source: Information in this story is from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.