Automakers, independent repair providers reach an agreement on “right to repair” issue

Canadian vehicle manufacturers have reached a voluntary agreement to equip independent service and repair providers with access to important information and tools for the repair of vehicles.
As reported online by CBC, the new agreement, known as the Canadian Automotive Service Information Standard, was announced by Industry Minister Tony Clement on Sept. 29.
“It will come into force in May 2010 and will likely pre-empt an NDP private member’s bill that would have forced automakers to share proprietary information” with independent service and repair providers, the CBC reported.
“This accord is a victory for consumers,” Clement said in a press release announcing the deal. “It maintains choice in the vehicle repair marketplace by providing independent repair shops with access to the same information and tools as dealerships.”
Clement wrote to all car manufacturers earlier this year asking them to find a solution to the issue, referred to as “right to repair.”
Whereas the proposed private member’s bill, the so-called “right of repair” bill, would have made the Competition Bureau the arbiter of disputes between manufacturers and the aftermarket sector, the voluntary agreement allows car companies to opt out of the Canadian agreement, the Globe & Mail reports.
The Canadian agreement is fashioned after a similar agreement in the United States. Vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket sector in the United States worked together to develop the National Automotive Service Task Force.
The Canadian accord was signed by the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, which represent every vehicle manufacturer and distributor in Canada, and the National Automotive Trades Association, which represents the aftermarket service sector.