ASE Connects (formerly WrenchWay), the workforce platform by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), has announced the industry's efforts to solve the industry's problem of the lack of reliable, current data on what automotive, diesel, and collision shops actually pay and offer their technicians. To fuel the effort, ASE is offering free ASE Connects memberships through December 31, 2026, to any dealership or shop that completes the required sections of its Industry Data Exchange, covering technician pay, benefits, and company policies. 

To qualify, shops and dealerships sign up for ASE Connects at no cost and no credit card required, then complete the anonymous technician pay, benefits, and policy survey that feeds into the Industry Data Exchange. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and all submitted information is aggregated and kept strictly anonymous before it becomes part of the dataset. 

Shops that complete the survey receive full access to ASE Connects through the end of 2026 which includes:

• Industry Data Exchange
• School Assist
• Members-only content
• Student profiles (launching this fall)

The push comes as the technician shortage continues to put a strain on shops across the country, many of which have no reliable way to benchmark their pay or policies against competitors in their local market. ASE Connects has positioned the Industry Data Exchange as the first tool of its kind built specifically for the automotive, diesel, and collision industries by combining self-reported data with comparisons by location, shop types, and industry that update as more shops join. 

A word from ASE

“Shops have been making some of their biggest decisions around technician pay and benefits based on guesswork,” said Dave Johnson, president and CEO of ASE. “The only way to fix that is to get enough real data into the system that shops can trust. This free trial removes any excuse not to participate.”

“Every shop that contributes data makes the entire exchange more accurate for everyone in it,” said Johnson. “This is the kind of industry-wide effort that only works if enough shops participate, and giving shops free access removes the biggest reason they might sit on the sidelines.”