by Amy Antenora
Editor, aftermarketNews.com

WASHINGTON, DC -- As HR 2048 – the Motor Vehicle Owner’s Right to Repair Act – continues its path on Capitol Hill, proponents on both sides of the issue continue to get their messages out.

On June 30, the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) announced it would begin producing a newsletter called “High Beams: Shining the Light on H.R. 2048: The Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act.” CARE said the publication will “shine the light on the truth and spotlight information car companies want to keep in the dark.” Shortly thereafter on July 10, the national publication Consumer Reports published an article entitled, “Bogus solution to high auto-repair costs,” which told readers that HR 2048 may not cut repair costs to consumers, and could potentially compromise vehicle antitheft systems “and allow unscrupulous mechanics to retune vehicles to crank up performance -- and tailpipe pollutants.” The article went on to say advocates of the bill, such as AutoZone, CARQUEST, Jiffy Lube and NAPA, are exaggerating a problem that affects only 0.2 percent of auto-repair customers. Consumer Reports stated it analyzed CARE's data as well as Congressional testimony, which indicated the problem the bill addresses has already been solved.

On the other side of the debate, today, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) released a new survey of more than 1,000 independent repair shop owners, service managers and service technicians, which found that $5.8 billion in service and parts sales are being lost every year due to lack of access to OEM repair information needed to properly diagnose and repair those vehicles. The study, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, also found that independent repair shops lose additional sales when forced to turn away approximately 1.2 million consumers each year because they do not have the information and tools to diagnose and repair their customer’s vehicles. According to AAIA, 70 percent of survey respondents said they have no confidence that vehicle manufacturers will always provide them with the necessary tools and information in the future.

The next step for HR 2048 before it reaches the house floor will be a review by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee. In May, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection passed the bill by a 14-13 vote.

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