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(NAPSI)-To steer the future of car repairs in the right direction, many car owners are asking Congress to enact the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2694).
If this legislation does not pass, it could jeopardize your right to repair your car at the service station of your choice.
The act also protects the hundreds of thousands of small, independently owned repair shops throughout the country, says Paul Fiore, executive vice president of the Service Station Dealers of America (SSDA).
"Millions of car owners trust independent repair shops to provide affordable and competitive automotive repair service," said Fiore. "In order for these shops to stay in business, they must have access to the tools, software, safety alerts and repair information necessary to diagnose and repair all vehicle systems on modern automobiles. Passage of the Right to Repair Act will ensure the future health of a competitive automotive repair industry."
Because vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with virtually every system either monitored or controlled by computers, servicing these vehicle systems to keep them in safe working condition requires ready access to complete and accurate information from the car companies.
HR 2694 was introduced in Congress to ensure that car owners and their trusted repair shops have the same access to safety alerts and repair information as the franchised new-car dealer network.
"The fact is that American motorists need the more than 200,000 independent repair shops located in every town across the country to keep them on the road," said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).
"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 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."
A complete list of Congressional co-sponsors and a copy of HR 2694 can be found by visiting www.righttorepair.org.