The next Australian government needs to mandate access to repair information, putting the safety of Australia’s 15 million motorists first and treating all repairers equally, says the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC).
Currently, vehicle service and repair information is often not made available by car manufacturers to aftermarket repairers. This causes both a consumer rights and fair trading issue and lessens genuine choice for motorists.
“It is only right that Australian motorists have safe, well maintained vehicles and that repair businesses have the information required to deliver on that expectation,” declares VACC Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Gwilym.
Accounting for 54 per cent of automotive businesses, the repair and maintenance sector is very important to Australia’s economy – employing 385,500 people and contributing approximately $37 billion in GDP per annum – but in order to continue to provide quality service to motorists it is crucial that equal access to accurate repair and maintenance information is available.
In 2017, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recommended a scheme that mandates access to repair information be adopted by the automotive industry. So far, nothing concrete has materialised.
“It also must be recognised that a ‘mandated scheme’ without penalties for non-compliance will not work in the real world,” states Mr Gwilym.
A genuine scheme would mean independent repairers would have access to the same technical information made available to authorised dealers and manufacturer-preferred repairer networks. It would include environmental, safety and security-related data – ensuring motorists have access to competitive, convenient, safety-focused service and repair information for the life of their motor vehicle.
Manufacturers invest heavily in creating their products and industry believes that they should be allowed to reap the rewards of this investment. However, sharing repair information is in the best interest of motorists and repairers – and by extension Australia’s economy.
Industry acknowledges that such information should be made available at a fair and reasonable cost – which would mean an additional income stream for manufacturers and their dealer network.
“As vehicle technology has become more sophisticated, repairer access to up-to-date maintenance and repair information has become vital to ensuring that vehicles are repaired safely for motorists and in accordance with the manufacturers’ prescribed procedures,” says Mr Gwilym.
ENDS
Download VACC’s 2019 Federal election manifesto Keep Australia Moving.