Posted June 29, 2005, 9 a.m. EST
ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) called for passage of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, H.R. 2048, to provide fairness and free market competition for small businesses in the automotive aftermarket industry. The automotive aftermarket is a $200 billion a year industry with over 495,000 automotive aftermarket locations.
Testifying for CARE before the Small Business sub-committee on Workforce, Empowerment and Government Programs, Dennis Houska, of Houska Automotive Service in Ft. Collins, CO, outlined the problems small businesses in the independent vehicle repair industry are having because automakers routinely withhold diagnostic codes, technical information and tools needed to service these systems.
“Without access to vehicle information, it is difficult to maintain and repair vehicles,” said Houska. “Motoring consumers and all of us in the neighborhood garage business are at the mercy of the car companies and their dealerships. ”
The Right to Repair Act, H.R. 2048, is a bill to protect access, availability and choice for motoring consumers, and to promote fairness for small businesses. It will allow vehicle owners the right to have repairs performed in a timely manner and choose the replacement parts for their vehicles. “It’s as American as apple pie,” said David Parde, president of CARE. According to Parde, the bill has implications on the quality of the independent repair industry’s workforce.
“Without the Right to Repair, it will become increasingly difficult for the automotive aftermarket repair facilities to attract and retain a high quality workforce, said Parde. “If trained and certified automotive technicians at independent repair facilities continue to have trouble gaining access to diagnose and repair vehicles, they will be drawn away to dealerships where they will have immediate and full access to all repair information.”
Parde adds, “Without passage, current and future aftermarket repair jobs will be curtailed and eventually eliminated. There are only so many car dealership repair job and thus, eventually, they will not be hiring and the unemployment rate with dramatically increase.”
Vehicle systems such as transmissions, brakes, steering, airbags, ignition systems, check engine and dome lights, tire pressure, oil changes, fuel injection, climate control, sound systems, seats and more are monitored and controlled by computers. The Right to Repair Act makes certain that car owners and the repair technicians of their choice have full access to all information contained in these onboard computers. Automakers provide this information routinely and automatically to their dealerships.
According to Parde, the scope of the automotive aftermarket is an extensive segment of the small business industry. He said, “It’s manufacturers, distributors, rebuilders, jobbers, and retailers for parts and service of “motor vehicles” which include: automobiles, light and heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles, recreation vehicles and off-road vehicles such as agricultural and construction equipment, marine engines, all-terrain vehicles and lawnmowers. The aftermarket is the people who also make and sell equipment, chemicals, accessories, body repair supplies and products that enhance vehicles.
Supporters include American Automobile Association (AAA), National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Retail Industry Leader’s Association (RILA), 60 Plus Seniors Association, Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) and many other industry and consumer organizations. The Right to Repair Act gained significant ground in the last Congress, ending with 118 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House and 11 in the Senate.
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