Citing concerns about misinformation surrounding the “Motor Vehicle
Owners’ Right to Repair Act,” the Automotive Service Association (ASA)
is firing back with a campaign aimed at ensuring consumers that
independent repair shops are “Open for Business.”
“Proponents of
H.B. 296, The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, are doing
independent repairers in Massachusetts a great disservice by implying
that only franchised dealers can repair today’s vehicles. We want to
set the record straight,” said Ron Pyle, ASA president and chief staff
executive. “Every auto manufacturer makes available to independent
repair shops the same service and repair information it makes available
to dealers.”
Independent repairers continue to use third-party
information providers, and the automaker Web sites are an additional
source for service information. Links to all original equipment
manufacturer Web sites can be found on the ASA Web site, www.asashop.org. The Web sites are also listed on the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) Web site, www.nastf.org.
ASA
encourages independent repairers to work through NASTF to help identify
and rectify any repair-related concerns they may have. NASTF serves as
a forum to resolve any potential gaps involving service and repair
information and tools. This national, voluntary solution has proven to
be an effective resource for repairers and manufacturers alike, and
over the course of the past six years has become a productive forum for
dialogue between independent repairers, other industry stakeholders and
automakers, as well as an effective mechanism to help identify and
resolve any issues that arise.
ASA’s consumer campaign will
focus on rebuilding consumers’ trust in their local neighborhood repair
shops. To help support local technicians, ASA will also hold a series
of Service Information Workshop programs throughout Massachusetts
beginning May 6 in Canton, May 7 in Worcester and May 8 in New Bedford.
All dates, times and locations for these free educational sessions can
be found at www.asashop.org by clicking on the “Education & Training” tab in the top menu.
