Your proudest possession may be a showroom fresh Chevrolet “Caprice,” Ford “Explorer” or Chevy “Suburban.” But woe to you if your new car is out of warranty and requires servicing — particularly when you rely on the services of an independent automobile mechanic. Repair-shop owners complain that they are losing business because auto manufacturers aren’t sharing critical information about their increasingly high-tech cars. Owners of American repair-shops, believing the problem has become acute, they recently took their complaints to the US Congress.
“Cars are getting more complicated, and we can’t fix problems concerning anti-lock brakes, steering, power windows or airbags without the right equipment and codes,” John Vallely, owner of an independent auto-repair business in Elgin, Illinois, said during recent Senate testimony. Many of Vallely’s fellow mechanics — both in the US and abroad — share his misery. Automotive associations and independent mechanics, at last week’s Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, urged lawmakers to enact legislation that would require auto manufacturers to disclose information on onboard diagnostic (OBD) systems at affordable prices to auto technicians.
“Emissions and non-emissions services information are being denied to the independent repairer at an increasing rate,” testified Bill Haas, vice president of the Automotive Service Association.
Haas said independent technicians can not diagnose and repair critical safety systems, such as anti-lock brakes, airbags, and electronic traction and stability control, without access to vehicle data. “The only alternative left to the customer is to send their car to the dealer to get it fixed,” he said.
Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota), who introduced the Motor Vehicle Owner’s Right to Repair Act, said car shops have the right to see information on the repair, diagnosing or servicing of a vehicle under the Clear Air Act of 1990. “However, technicians are still being denied access to the information,” Wellstone said. “The effect is to reduce consumer choice for auto-repair services, as well as endanger the livelihood of thousands of small independent repair shops across the country.” “We estimate there are around 178,000 independent repairers who take care of more than 1 billion repair orders and services annually.”
The US Department of Commerce estimates there are another three million US cars and trucks traveling roads overseas. John Nielsen, the American Automobile Association’s director of automotive services and repair, said 70 percent to 80 percent of vehicle servicing is done through non-dealer shops.
“We aren’t concluding that customers shouldn’t go to their dealers to get cars fixed,” Nielsen said. “But they should have the right to send their car to the corner repair shop and get it completely fixed.”
Dale Feste, owner of an auto-repair shop in Hopkins, Minnesota, told the Senate panel that manufacturers don’t sell enough of the necessary equipment to repair computer-related problems.
Auto-industry officials conceded that information has not gotten to all private mechanics in the past. But John Cabaniss, director of environment and energy for the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, said Wellstone’s bill is not necessary because manufacturers are closing the information gaps with independent technicians. Cabaniss said the industry is working to resolve the miscommunication problems and to train private mechanics to use the latest equipment.“The last thing we want is to have our customers angry because they had to drive out of the way to a dealer to get their car fixed, instead of having a trusted repair shop do it,” he said.
The Senate committee is expected to discuss the bill for another two weeks before bringing it to a vote. Send questions and comments to: [email protected].
