BEDFORD, TEXAS — Ron Pyle, president and chief staff executive of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), has responded publicly to the recent CBS News segment on repair issues at independent auto repair shops.
CBS News recently broadcasted a Consumer Alert segment in which the reporter said independent repair facilities are experiencing a lack of service information provided by the major vehicle manufacturers. In the report, CBS said it has become increasingly difficult for independent shops to repair today’s complex vehicles, thus leaving the motoring public with no alternative but to bring their cars back to the dealership for repairs.
In a letter dated Jan. 28, Pyle responded to the CBS News feature and said the premise that independent shops don’t have access to the information necessary to repair vehicles is false.
Pyle maintains that through the agreement between ASA and the automakers, independent shops receive the same information, diagnostic tool data and training that the car manufacturers provide their dealerships. “However, because some large aftermarket distributors are interested in also obtaining proprietary parts design and integration information, legislation to demand this information is being championed in Congress,” Pyle claimed in his letter.
Pyle told CBS , “The incident described in your feature regarding the inability of the shop to reset the check engine light is not brought about by a lack of information, but rather because the shop in question chooses not to invest in the tools or access to the information that would facilitate a successful outcome.”
To read a summary of the CBS story, or to watch the original video of the feature,: click here.
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