Massachusetts’ Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Bill, SB 2517, has passed the state Senate and is now being considered by the House of Representatives. The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is asking its members to work to oppose the legislation, which is supported by the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition.
ASA believes the legislation puts at risk the progress that has been made through the ASA-Automaker Agreement, which the association claims already assures repairers access to service, tool and training information.
Independent repairers have available third-party information providers as well as automaker websites to obtain service information, ASA points out. If concerns arise, repairers have the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) available to address issues related to service information, tools and training.
The National Automotive Service Task Force was established to facilitate the identification and correction of gaps in availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools and equipment, and communications for the benefit of automotive service professionals. NASTF is a voluntary, cooperative effort among the automotive service industry, the equipment and tool industry and automotive manufacturers.
ASA believes that the NASTF, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) websites and other third-party service information providers are able to provide automotive repair facilities with the information necessary to successfully repair vehicles. Massachusetts SB 2517 relies on the Massachusetts court system and the Massachusetts state government bureaucracy to assist repairers in acquiring service information, ASA says.
ASA says Massachusetts Senate Bill 2517 should be opposed for the following reasons:
• There is a viable industry solution already in place for the service information issue.
• Service information opportunities have expanded under the Automotive Service Association-Automaker Agreement.
• Independent repairers want less government bureaucracy in their businesses, not more.
More information:
To learn more about contacting a Massachusetts legislator about Right to Repair legislation, visit ASA’s legislative website, www.TakingTheHill.com.
