In the next two years, 87 percent of new vehicles in the U.S. will be equipped with wireless technology that transmits vehicle data in real-time, according to IHS Markit forecasts. This includes data on things like behavior and GPS location, as well as important diagnostics for maintenance and repair information.
Are you seeing these vehicles in your bays? Or have some customers gone dark since their last trade-in?
Independent shop owners and technicians have always had a stake in how vehicles are manufactured, and more importantly, whether they possess the ability to access manufacturer information for maintenance and repair. When OBD-II was first required for all 1996 and newer vehicles, the industry saw what this could mean for their customers and their business and responded with the Right to Repair initiative (2001). The initiative was implemented to protect the rights of American consumers to diagnose, service, and repair motor vehicles purchased in the United States.
That first OBD port provided access to primarily engine and powertrain performance data. And now? The vehicle information accessible via this port could fill volumes – but independent technicians may not be privy to these details.
“The advent of wireless technology has given vehicle manufacturers more opportunities than ever to monopolize data. Under the guise of safety and security, manufacturers are wirelessly collecting important maintenance and repair data, making them the gatekeepers of information tied directly to jobs of auto care industry technicians,” say Paul McCarthy and Bill Hanvey. McCarthy is the President and COO of Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and Hanvey is the President and CEO of the Auto Care Association.
McCarthy and Hanvey propose that digitalization and connectivity represent the biggest and most immediate threat to the independent auto care industry. As manufacturers obtain exclusive access to ever greater amounts of data, they can effectually box independents out of the data – and the repair process – entirely.
Not only is this bad for business, but bad news for the consumers who lose out on competitive pricing and the ability to decide who can access, maintain, and repair their vehicle’s data. Some customers may even delay or ignore safety-critical repairs and services.
Auto Care Association and its partners continue to advocate for car companies to provide owners with control of repair data generated by their vehicles. While Right to Repair is not unique to the automotive aftermarket, it continues to affect the industry in big ways, especially as vehicles continue down the digital path.
You can help to raise awareness of this issue. Encourage customers to sign the Customer Data Access and Control petition at yourcaryourdata.org. In addition, you can check out materials at autocare.org/telematics and aftermaketsuppliers.org/CarData to learn more about the issue and engage with your customers.
