CARFIX Continues Commitment to Helping Independent Service Technicians Fix America's Cars

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2005 -- For the past two months, members of the Coalition for Automotive Repair and Fair Information Xchange (CARFIX) have worked to develop a non-legislative alternative to H.R. 2048, the Motor Vehicle Owner's Right to Repair Act. Regrettably, negotiations with the Coalition for Auto Repair Equity (CARE) and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) -- the principal groups supporting the legislation -- did not result in an agreement. CARFIX members include the Automotive Service Association (ASA), the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) was also represented in these negotiations.

Despite the outcome of the negotiations, CARFIX and CARE representatives, aided by staff from the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB) who served as facilitators, identified several key issues that could expedite the communication of service and repair information to independent repair technicians. In a letter from BBB President and CEO Steven Cole, to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Cole stated, "Resolution appears to have been possible on many of the core issues, including strengthening and new funding of the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) process; many remedies for a third party resolution framework; rigorous time frames that would need to be observed; and dispute resolution procedures, among other items."

CARFIX continues to support voluntary efforts -- instead of a new federal bureaucracy -- to provide access to service and repair information by independent repair shops as well as all other service providers. Automakers are working and will continue to work with members of the service industry through NASTF to resolve any problems involving motor vehicle repair. Car companies already provide service information on their company websites to independent service technicians -- the same repair information that is provided to franchised dealers. In 2004, out of an estimated 471 million repairs performed by independent automotive repair businesses, NASTF received only 48 requests regarding the availability of service information or access to diagnostic tools. Auto manufacturers have investigated and responded to all of the requests.

The Coalition for Automotive Repair and Fair Information Xchange is committed to providing independent repair shops and all service providers with continued access to automotive repair data. For information, call 1-866-9CARFIX or visit http://www.carfixinfo.com/.