The Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) applauds United States Reps. Neal Dunn (R-FL), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Warren Davidson (R-OH-08) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) for reintroducing the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act (H.R. 906).
The legislation, the ABPA says, will “ensure the preservation of consumer choice, a competitive marketplace and the continued safe operation of the nation’s 292 million registered passenger and commercial motor vehicles,” 70% of which are maintained by independent repair facilities.
“As vehicle technology becomes even more complex, the car companies create new barriers that limit consumer choice which increase the cost to repair and maintain vehicles,” the ABPA states. “The REPAIR Act will reduce these barriers, putting consumers’ interests first.”
The REPAIR Act, the ABPA states, will accomplish this by:
- Preserving consumer access to high quality and affordable vehicle repair by ensuring that vehicle owners and their repairers of choice have access to necessary repair and maintenance tools and data as vehicles continue to become more advanced.
- Ensuring access to critical repair tools and information. All tools and equipment, wireless transmission of repair and diagnostic data, and access to on-board diagnostic and telematic systems needed to repair a vehicle must be made available to the independent repair industry.
- Ensuring cybersecurity by allowing vehicle manufacturers to secure vehicle-generated data and requiring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop standards for how vehicle generated data necessary for repair can be accessed securely.
- Providing transparency for consumers by requiring vehicle owners be informed that they can choose where and how to get their vehicle repaired.
- Creating a stakeholder advisory committee and providing them with the statutory authority to provide recommendations to the FTC on how to address emerging barriers to vehicle repair and maintenance.
- Providing ongoing enforcement by establishing a process for consumers and independent repair facilities to file complaints with the FTC regarding alleged violations of the requirements in the bill and a requirement that the FTC act within five months of a claim.
“The introduction of the REPAIR Act is exciting for both our members and, most importantly, consumers,” said Ed Salamy, executive director of the ABPA. “The car companies’ practice of stifling aftermarket competition is being exposed. The REPAIR Act will allow vehicle owners to control the repair process for their vehicles and will help alleviate the rising costs of auto repairs which continues to outpace the already elevated rate of inflation.”
The ABPA is a founding member of the CAR Coalition, which is one of the main driving forces behind both the REPAIR and SMART Acts.
For more information on the ABPA, visit autobpa.com.
