Automakers issue equal access report on repair info

Jan. 1, 2020
With Right to Repair legislation in Massachusetts heading out of the legislature and onto a statewide ballot initiative, two major automotive manufacturer trade associations have issued what they describe as a "comprehensive resource guide" showing w

With Right to Repair legislation in Massachusetts heading out of the legislature and onto a statewide ballot initiative, two major automotive manufacturer trade associations have issued what they describe as a "comprehensive resource guide" showing where independent repairers can access factory tools and service information.

Called Equal Access, the report was compiled by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers. Available at www.repairshopequalaccess.org, it includes a list of how to access diagnostic and service information, factory scan tools, and training information for all makes and models. In addition, automakers have worked with the New England Service Station and Automotive Repair Association (NESSARA) to develop awareness initiatives designed to assist Massachusetts aftermarket repairers in accessing these resources. NESSAR is a member of the Massachusetts Auto Coalition, which opposes the right to repair legislation currently being considered in that state.

"If you have been tracking this right to repair debate in Massachusetts over the last several years, you will have heard the aftermarket folks say this information is not made available," said Dan Gage, spokesperson for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "We don't believe that to be the case. This was an effort to share and verify how the manufactures make these tools and information available for purchase at the same prices the dealers get them."

According to the associations, OEMs have a vested interest in making sure independent repairers have access to repair information, since 75 percent of post-warranty repairs are handled by the aftermarket.

“Automakers can require dealers to be ‘service ready’ through their terms of their sales and service agreements," said Annemarie Pender, spokesperson for the Association of Global Automakers. "For the aftermarket community, automakers can only provide independent technicians with affordable and equal access to the same tools and service information that dealers have and encourage investment in them.”

The 10-page report includes information about OEM diagnostic tools, stating that "the price of tools sold to independent repair shops is generally consistent with the price of those purchased by dealers as required through their franchise agreements with manufacturers." The also provide "data stream information" to the Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) to support the design and sale of generic scan tools.

While these generic tools provide most information for most brands, the report states that they don't include all information for all repairs on every make and model, and that the decision on what to include is made by companies like Snap-on and Bosch that develop them.

 

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The report includes Web sites and phone numbers for all major OEM repair information.

"Cars are becoming increasingly complex, and becoming more and more electronic and computerized," Gage said. "Repairing a car is a lot more complex than it used to be. Dealerships have to be able to fix any vehicle brought to them in their nameplate, and in order to do that, they have to invest each year in a host of tools and training and service information, and they have to pay for that."

That point, about affordability and equal access, is at the heart of the Right to Repair debate going on in Massachusetts and across the country. According to Right to Repair supporters, purchasing and maintaining the scan tools and data necessary to repair all makes and models could potentially cost shops more than $200,000 per year – more than most could afford to maintain.

“Car companies want to make information available only on their terms, which is not in the best interest of consumers or independent repair shops,” said Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition. “Big manufacturers want to keep the system complicated and expensive for non- dealers. We seek to simplify the system which will result in a level playing field for repairers and savings for consumers.”

Right to Repair supporters are now focusing on the ballot initiative for next November, although the signature drive may finally prompt the legislature to act. "We're well on our way to getting the measure on the ballot," said Aaron Lowe, vice president of regulatory and government affairs at the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). "We're still hopeful that the popularity of the ballot measure will encourage the legislature to take it on without actually going to the ballot first."

Right to Repair ballot measure moves forward

With the legislation stalled in committee, right to repair supporters gathered more than 106,000 signatures in order to place the measure on the state's November 2012 ballot. The ballot measure would give repairers access to diagnostics and repair software using laptops connected to a vehicle's onboard computer via the J2534 standard protocol.

 

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Significantly, the ballot measure differs from the original legislation. Under the ballot initiative, manufactures would have to maintain a diagnostic resource that shops could access, much like a cloud computing application. This could potentially solve the cost of access issue, since shops would subscribe to the service for a specific make/model only when they needed it, rather than investing in scan tools and training that they may only utilize for one out of every 20 vehicles that comes through the shop.

"The reason they went this direction is because one of the biggest problems with manufacturer tools is that they are changed and updated all the time," Lowe said. "Some manufactures are already going this direction, in fact."

Toyota, for example, makes repair information available this way. "We want the same capabilities that the OE has, and we need it in a way that makes sense for our industry," Lowe added.

Opponents of Right to Repair, however, still hold that the bill is unnecessary, and the new resource report proves it. "We honestly feel that the information that is needed is available, and that it is made available in the same fashion and same format and at comparable prices as it is to dealers," Gage said. "There's a lot of misinformation out there. Our goal in this was to demonstrate, to lay it all on the table in plan English, and say, 'Here's where you can get it.'"

About the Author

Brian Albright

Brian Albright is a freelance journalist based in Columbus, Ohio, who has been writing about manufacturing, technology and automotive issues since 1997. As an editor with Frontline Solutions magazine, he covered the supply chain automation industry for nearly eight years, and he has been a regular contributor to both Automotive Body Repair News and Aftermarket Business World.

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