WASHINGTON, D.C. – An informational meeting regarding automotive service information was held this week on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., for congressional offices. Donny Seyfer, AAM, co-owner of Seyfer Automotive in the Denver area and chairman of the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) Colorado affiliate, led the meeting on behalf of the ASA.
The purpose of the meeting was to educate legislators and staff members on the availability of service information to automotive repair shops. Seyfer applied his own experience as a repair technician to demonstrate how he makes use of both third-party information Web sites as well as manufacturer sites. The presentation focused on confirming to attendees that dealers, independent repairers and consumers all have access to vehicle service and repair information.
According to Seyfer, “ASA’s meeting addressed many of the misconceptions regarding the availability of service information to independent automotive repairers. ASA hopes that, through such meetings and demonstrations, independent repairers and manufacturers can continue working together to share information without the interference of new federal regulation.”
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), introduced the Right to Repair bill, H.R. 2694 in the U.S. House of Representatives June 13, 2007, and it was referred to the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. To date, no bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. Both the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the chairman Better Business Bureau have questioned the need for legislation during congressional hearings.
ASA believes Right to Repair legislation would interfere with the voluntary, industry-supported service information process that currently exists. The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) was established in 2001 to accommodate the identification and correction of gaps involved in the access of automotive service information, diagnostic tools and equipment and training.
