The Chesapeake Automotive Business Association of Maryland announced its support of the passage of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act. “Our members are in full support of the Right to Repair Act and think it is imperative that Congress pass this important pro-consumer pro-small business piece of legislation,” says James Donohue, executive director of CABA. “HR 1449 does not use taxpayers’ money or government funding. It does not request proprietary information and does not create new regulations. It is simply a bill that would require automakers to provide the same nonproprietary service information and tools to independent auto and maintenance shops, as well as to consumers, that the new car dealership service centers receive.”
Donohue recently sent a letter to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-6) of Maryland encouraging the congressman to support the Right to Repair Act. Bartlett’s district has 337 repair shops and wholesalers employing between 3,000 and 4,000 people. Donohue’s letter to Bartlett stated that independent repair shops charge, on average, a labor rate of $85 per hour, while car dealers charge an hourly rate of $125 and that consumers require the freedom to have their vehicles repaired where they want, at a price they can afford.
“Consumer Reports recently found that 40 percent of car owners are delaying vehicle repairs because they are cash-strapped, and AAA conducted a survey, which showed that one in four car owners can’t afford to have their vehicles repaired,” says Donohue. “Right to Repair is about safety, affordability and consumer choice. The automotive aftermarket is well served by highly-trained technicians and is responsible for the majority of vehicle repair and maintenance in this country. In fact, aftermarket companies invest heavily in the training and continuing education of professional service technicians. Therefore, I urge Representative Bartlett to co-sponsor this important bill because it benefits all of his constituents, including the more than 32,000 Maryland automotive aftermarket employees who work in over 4,000 aftermarket businesses.”
