Automakers limiting data access pushes customers away from local shops, inflating costs and delays while stripping consumers of their right to choose who performs their repairs. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner, NFIB’s Louis Bertolotti, Principal of Federal Government Relations, explores the issues repair shops face and how the REPAIR Act helps small businesses service their communities.

The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act is a bipartisan bill that allows independent repair facilities to have timely access to diagnostic tools, data, and software needed to repair vehicles. Bertolotti notes that 63% of independent repair shops report struggling to access needed data to make routine repairs. 

The need for repair extends further than just autobody repairs, though. Technology like computers and smartphones are also produced by manufacturers who can withhold tools and information small businesses need to fix their products.

Ultimately, this bipartisan bill will provide small businesses with much needed tools and data while lowering costs for consumers, limiting lengthy delays on repairs, and keeping business within our communities.

Read the full opinion editorial covering the REPAIR Act and its importance for small businesses.

Take Action: Tell Congress to pass the REPAIR Act to help local repair shops provide safer, more reliable service.