Car owners are protected by the Right to Repair Act

Dear Editor:

The cost of owning and operating a vehicle will significantly increase if motorists are forced back to the new car dealer for service, making convenient and affordable local auto repair a thing of the past. This is particularly true in rural areas where many motorists may forgo important vehicle repairs due to higher dealer repair costs, plus the additional cost of fuel and travel time required because there is no dealership in the area.

In order to serve their customers, neighborhood repair shops must have full access to the tools, software, safety alerts and repair information necessary to diagnose and repair all systems on today’s modern automobiles. In many cases, car manufacturers are making it difficult for local shops to obtain the information and tools needed to keep their customers’ vehicles in safe working condition.

That’s why the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (HR 2694) was introduced in Congress and in many states. Right to Repair levels the competitive playing field and ensures that car owners can conveniently and affordably have their vehicle serviced at the repair shop of their choice, whether it’s their neighborhood repair shop or a franchised new car dealer.

The fact is that American motorists need the more than 200,000 independent repair shops located in every town across the country. There aren’t enough new car dealerships in all the right places to keep every motor vehicle serviced, repaired and operating safely.

Right to Repair seeks to restore the competitive repair market that has been in place since the invention of the automobile. Clearly, using advances in technology to create a vehicle repair monopoly will mean increased repair prices and reduced convenience; and therefore is not in the consumer’s best interest.

Please visit www.righttorepair.org to send a letter to each of your congressional representatives, urging them to support the Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2694) by adding their names to the growing list of co-sponsors.

Sincerely,

Aaron Lowe

Vice President, Government Affairs

Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association