Car repair workshops across the city have witnessed a surge in vehicles queuing up for service, with most owners complaining that poor road conditions have taken a toll on their vehicles.

Automobile engineers heading teams at repair workshops said the issues ranged from damaged sides of tyres, malfunctioning electrical circuits, water seeping in through the exhaust pipes and brake shoes wearing out.

Traditionally, the period between July and August sees most car workshops see long queues and they struggle to meet deadlines.

This time, the number of repairs and requests for a thorough service have surpassed the figures of the past few years, engineers said. Battered roads riddled with potholes are mainly the reason for the state of the cars, they added.

“Most of the complaints are about damages on the sides of both the rear and front tyres because of abrasions from sharp and pointed objects. These occur when the vehicles fall into water-filled potholes. Some of these tyres are less than a year old. The owners can’t claim a warranty from the dealers,” said Rajnish Sood, who heads two Maruti Suzuki authorised workshops in Calcutta’s southeast.

Patchwork repairs began on some stretches in the city on Sunday. But several thoroughfares, including the Park Circus connector, stretches of VIP Road, Diamond Harbour Road and Belgharia Expressway are in deplorable condition and work have not started there.

Motorists struggled to navigate the potholes, some of which had grown in size into craters over the past few weeks.

Engineers at workshops said many electric vehicles (EVs) have been queuing up after coming to a sudden halt following exposure to water.

Repeated exposure to water results in a condition that prevents electrical cables from carrying power to the circuits, some of the engineers said. That brings the car to a halt.

“Exposure to water results in deposits of sulphur in the cables. The deposits can happen if water seeps into the car’s floor and the wires. The engine then behaves erratically and refuse to start,” said Anirban Sinha, manager of a car workshop in Kalikapur.

Navigating through slush-filled potholes has resulted in several cars developing problems with their brakes, some of the garages in central Calcutta said.

“Cars that would typically require brake pad and shoe replacements after 20,000km are now being forced into service after covering just a little over half that distance,” said Md Amir, a mechanic at a workshop in central Calcutta.

“The other problem that cars are facing is water seeping in through the exhaust pipe. It results in a condition known as hydrolock,” he added.

Several car owners said they have opted for app-based buses for their commute after packing off their cars to workshops for repairs.

“I had to drop my car at a service station for repairs last week, after battling the potholes on EM Bypass and Salt Lake. For the next two months, I have decided to use an app-based bus to commute,” said Srabani Ghosh, an Anandapur resident, off EM Bypass.

Some engineers said the shock absorbers of the vehicles were also taking a hit.

“The steering box, lower arm, joint box and the rubber on them are developing problems,” said Sood of the Maruti Suzuki workshop.