Co-sponsors right Right to Repair legislation

April 11, 2011

The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act has been re-introduced into Congress by -- you guessed it, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.).

The Brooklyn, N.Y., democrat has been a proponent of the bill since it was first introduced in 2002. This time around, he is joined as a co-sponsor by Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.).

The bill's number has changed (to HR 1449) and the Congress is different (112th), but the Right to Repair Act still gives motoring consumers options by requiring that car companies provide full access at a reasonable cost to all service information, tools, computer codes and safety-related bulletins needed to repair motor vehicles.

“The Right to Repair Act is really about who owns the vehicle’s repair information, the car owner or the car company," says Sandy Bass-Cors, executive director of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE). "After spending thousands of dollars to purchase a vehicle, consumers should not be denied the ability to have that vehicle repaired at the facility of their choice.

“Without Right to Repair, millions of car owners will be further held hostage by the car companies, forced to return to the dealership even after the vehicle is out of warranty."

Although computer systems in today's vehicles provide benefits to the consumer through improved fuel efficiency, comfort and safety, they also make diagnosing and repairing a vehicle more complex.

“The Right to Repair Act does not cost tax payers money, but instead keeps motorists in the driver’s seat by making sure that they, and not the vehicle manufacturers, have the final say on where their car is taken for service, whether to a dealership or a trusted neighborhood repair shop,” adds Kathleen Schmatz, CEO and president of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.

For more information on the pro-small business bill, visit www.righttorepair.org.

To read a blog from Modern Tire Dealer Editor Bob Ulrich on the subject, click here.