Washington, D.C. — A recent “landmark” agreement among a coalition of automotive industry associations has ruffled the feathers of a fellow repairer advocacy group who are calling the motivation of the so-called pact into question.
The Automotive Service Association (ASA), Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), and Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators) reaffirmed the contents of a 2014 MOU before congress last Tuesday, which states that “independent repair facilities shall have access to the same diagnostic and repair information that auto manufacturers make available to authorized dealer networks.”
Justin Rzepka, executive director of the CAR Coalition, an automotive consumer advocacy association, issued a statement the same day the MOU was ratified, in which he “questioned the impetus” behind this agreement.
“While it is welcome news that the auto manufacturing industry acknowledges that ‘consumers deserve access to safe and proper repairs throughout a vehicle’s lifecycle,’ today’s letter from the Automotive Service Association, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and Society of Collision Repair Specialists, is nothing more than lip service and regurgitated platitudes,” read an excerpt of Rzepka’s statement.
“This pact masquerades as pro-consumer but, in reality, does nothing to expand consumer choices and give a vehicle owner access to repair data. The letter states that the organizations listed have recommitted themselves to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) from 2014 about patent abuse and data access. However, they were not original signatories of that MOU and they did not contact actual signers of the MOU for their input.”
Rzepka’s organization is far from the only one voicing its opposition to this agreement, having joined forces with six other industry associations that are also speaking out.
“While the agreement admits that there is a problem with access to repair data, the pact falls short of addressing specific current challenges and accounting for future innovation,” an excerpt of the statement reads.
“This unenforceable, voluntary pact between a small segment of the aftermarket is not the solution and undermines the consumer’s right to equitable access to vehicle data.”
The CAR Coalition published the findings of a recently conducted survey on the Thursday following the pact’s announcement, in which it was found that “a sizable majority of Americans support a federal vehicle right-to-repair law that would prevent automakers from restricting vehicle owners’ repair options.
“They also showed a strong preference for independent repair shops over dealerships,” read the press release.
Key findings of the survey included:
- “94 percent want to choose WHERE their vehicle is repaired;
- “93 percent want to choose WHO repairs their vehicle;
- “79 percent are willing to share their vehicle data with independent repair shops;
- “75 percent support legislation preventing auto manufacturers from restricting consumer access to vehicle data;
- “74 percent believe vehicle owners should have access to their vehicle data; and
- “63 percent would take their vehicle to an independent repair shop.”
