The New Jersey Assembly Monday passed the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act, an issue that many independent heavy duty repair shops and distributors are watching closely.


The Right to Repair Act ensures that New Jersey independent repair shops will have the same access to service information, tools and software that vehicle manufacturers make available to their new car dealers.

During the hearing, independent repair shops from around the state testified about the problems they experience in obtaining access to information and tools needed to repair their customers' vehicles. Shop owners explained that they often are forced to tell their customers that the dealer is the only place to go for certain repairs or, in some cases, they will take the vehicle back to the dealer themselves rather than tell the customer they cannot complete the repair. Heavy-duty repair shops are experiencing many of the same problems.

Aaron Lowe, vice president of government affairs for the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, testified that the service and parts business is becoming a growing percentage of car companies' profits and therefore, it is of great concern that independent repair shops are becoming more dependent on the car companies and their dealers for tools and information. "The commercial interests at stake in the vehicle repair market demand that Right to Repair legislation be enacted to ensure a level playing field where consumers continue to have a choice of where they have their vehicle serviced," Lowe stated.

Other groups testifying in favor of the bill included the Alliance of Aftermarket Service Providers of New Jersey, New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association, Citizen's Action, the National Federal of Independent Business and AAA.

The bill now moves to the New Jersey Senate for consideration.