"Modern vehicles have become “computers on wheels”. While technical innovations provide increased safety and comfort and better emissions control, they have made it increasingly challenging to service or repair a vehicle.
With sophisticated electronics now controlling vehicle behaviour, integrated with active and passive safety systems and an increasing emphasis on emission control systems, the necessity for accurate technical and diagnostic information has become critical.
Trends such as a move to diesel vehicles and a greater proliferation in the Australian vehicle car park will magnify the issue going forward, making access to information is vital to the survival of many smaller independent repairers. This is also a major issue in the collision repair industry with information on construction materials and safety systems critical in ensuring that the vehicle is safely repaired.
The absence of an adequate regulatory framework in Australia to protect competition in the vehicle repair and service sector means that it is not clear that vehicle manufacturers and importers/distributors are obliged to make technical and diagnostic information available to repairers outside their authorised dealer networks. This creates a situation where independent aftermarket repairers that compete directly with dealer service outlets are relying on the goodwill of the manufacturer to obtain critical information to complete the repair. Not surprisingly, many repairers find that access to technical information is difficult or comes at a premium cost.
Without effective access to technical information, multi-brand diagnostic tools and test equipment, replacement parts and training, rapid advances in vehicle technology will mean that the independent aftermarket may be unable to service modern vehicles in the future. This scenario would have a catastrophic impact on competition in the industry by creating a technological monopoly for the vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks. Independent repairers which are predominately small businesses would be driven out of business and Australian motorists would lose the right to have their vehicle serviced, maintained and repaired in a timely manner, at competitive prices in the workshop of their choice.
As a result of the “Choice of Repairer” initiative, a major submission into data sharing was recently put forward to the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council. To download a copy of the AAAA’s submission please click on the “Download Final CCAAC Repair Information Submission” link.
