Can you recall the three biggest lies you'll ever hear? 1. "Your check is in the mail." 2. "Your shipment is on the way." 3. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!"
To err is human, but if you really want it screwed up good, involve the government. It's entirely possible you'd have to deal with a bureaucrat who has not the slightest clue what the car business is all about. They'd actually have the power to close your shop or deny you the right to earn a living at the thing you know best - fixing cars. All they gotta do is suspend your license and you're done.
If we simply look at the results of government licensing in states where this has already been done, we'll see not much has changed in the way the industry really functions in those states. They have the exact same problems as the "unlicensed" states, except they have to pay (for licensing) in order to work.
In theory, it sounds like a good idea, in reality, it creates more problems than it solves. My vote is Nay.
George Witt
THE INDUSTRY NEEDS IT
In general, we at the board of the ASA of Illinois and Dakota-K Auto Repair are in favor of licensing shops. We feel that it will "raise the bar" of professionalism for our industry and help to weed out the backyard mechanic. The licensing of auto repair shops should consist of proof of business and workman's comp insurance, and a local business license - where applicable. Each shop should be licensed separately. Unresolved and/or an undue amount of complaints should result in a loss of license. We might use the Better Business Bureau as a filter for this since they are set up to deal with these situations.
