2013 was one of the rainiest years on record - particularly the last half of the year. And then, the extraordinary rains in November and December wrecked streets and roads across Belize, and while the Ministry of Works has been scrambling to patch up potholes, car owners are trying to get their creaky cars road worthy once again. Anyone who knows someone with a car has heard the story of front end damage or suspensions wrecked due to too many potholes and soaked highways. The folks over at West Trac have heard it too. They're one of the biggest car parts vendors in Belize and today Neil Wolfe, the Manager at West Trac told Monica Bodden that their sales have gone up in the past 7 months.
Neal Wolf - Manager, West Trac
"Overall our sales have increased slightly during the last 7 months. It could be due to the roads."
"We do sell a lot of suspension parts like shock observers, ball-joints, tie rod ends and wheel bearings. That's one thing that tends to go bad especially when you have a lot of rains and you drive through high water."
"The biggest problem is that a lot of people has been driving far coming from a distance and there is a bridge that they need to cross, the wheel bearings are hot and then they drive into high water and that creates a vacuum which brings water into the bearings and damage it quite fast."
"I don't think there is any particular line of vehicle that needs the most parts. It has a lot to do with the driver, how fast you drive through those potholes. So yeah, I would say it has more to do with the driver than what kind of vehicle you drive."
Monica Bodden
"Have you guys had to stock up on parts because of road conditions?"
Neal Wolf - Manager, West Trac
"Not in particular. We try to have a good line in stocks. We try to keep parts in stocks for the vehicles we see most in this country."
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