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Information AvailabilityPosted 10/7/2002By Levy Joffrion
We've got some bad news and some good news: It's about the ongoing battle to get the information shops need to repair vehicles. The bad news: it ain't over, not by a long shot. The good news: significant milestones have been achieved this year. And, the future looks promising. There are a lot of issues directly impacting the daily operations and profitability of independent automotive repair businesses. But the foremost issue is information availability. Exactly how great an economic impact it has on shops was stressed at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing July 30. Bill Haas, AAM, the Automotive Service Association's vice president of divisions, education and training, testified that the nation's 178,000 repair shops lose more than $18.2 billion a year because shops have to turn away 15 percent of all the business they are offered. Why? Simply because they don't have the information they need to make the repairs. “Our information dilemma is twofold,” said Haas. “A lot of information is not being provided by the vehicle manufacturers and the information that is provided is priced to place the aftermarket at a significant competitive disadvantage.” Also testifying at the hearing were Dale Feste, AAM, of Dale Feste Automotive, an ASA member from Hopkins, Minn., and John Vallely of McLean Marathon Service, an ASA member from Elgin, Ill. Their testimony was in support of Senate Bill 2617, The Motor Vehicle Owner's Right to Repair Act. Among others testifying at the hearing were representatives of manufacturers. They contended the legislation is unnecessary because all of the information is already available. The repair shop owners contradicted that claim, citing specific evidence showing dealer technicians often have access to tools and information not available to independent shops. Haas testified, “There are many cases where independent repairers can purchase the same software as the new car dealer, but the independents' software has specific repair items left blank when the tool attempts to read the vehicle's computer. The new car dealers' software contains these items.” Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., who introduced S.B. 2617, said, “Mr. Chairman, fundamentally this legislation is about a level playing field. Independent automotive repair shop owners have not come to Congress looking for a handout. They simply want to be able to compete for the driving public's repair dollar on the basis of quality, service and price.” He added, “Independents don't mind competition, but they can't stay in business if they don't have access to the information to repair newer cars.” Earlier that day, ASA members John Francis Jr., AAM, and his son, John Francis III, demonstrated the use of scan tools for U.S. Senate staffers and the press. They showed how, using a scan tool to interface with a vehicle's computer to access codes and view live data streams, a technician still may not be able to come up with a solution to repair the vehicle. Even though it is made by the same company that makes the tool for the vehicle's manufacturer, the independent technician's scan tool often does not have the same capabilities. Among other significant milestones this year in the ongoing struggle for service information:
Summing up this year's milestones in ASA's quest to get the service information its members need, Robert L. Redding Jr., ASA's Washington, D.C., representative, said: “Without question, the aftermarket is making progress on the service information issue. It has not been resolved, but significant steps have occurred in the right direction. ASA believes a solution to the information availability problem is near and will continue to work with Congress and the industry to ensure independents the information they need to operate viably in the future.”
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