Independent automotive repairers have some great news with which to go into the holiday season, with the release of draft legislation that if passed, will make it illegal for car companies to withhold information from aftermarket workshops. A short consultation period will finish at the end of January 2021, with the law expected to come … Continue reading Draft legislation for mandatory repair data sharing released by Australian federal government
Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s controversial 10-year warranty has been given the go-ahead by the ACCC despite push-back from the aftermarket repair sector. The 10-year, 200,000km warranty, including 10-year capped price servicing plan and four years of roadside assistance cover is extended from five to 10 years if owners have their vehicles serviced at authorised Mitsubishi dealers. … Continue reading Mitsubishi gets ACCC green light for 10Y warranty
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association’s long-running Choice of Repairer campaign seeking to mandate information sharing between car manufacturers and independent repairers is on the home straight. On November 2, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar announced draft “Right to Repair” legislation that will compel car manufacturers to share their information on “fair and reasonable commercial terms”. This, … Continue reading 10-year Choice of Repairer campaign set to pay off
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says car-makers that still refused to share service and repair data with independent workshops are costing consumers $1 billion a year. ACCC chairman Rod Sims told the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics that consumers were being disadvantaged by car-makers that cite safety reasons for not granting … Continue reading No repair data sharing costs $1b a year: ACCC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released documentation that clarifies how using independent workshops will not invalidate a car’s manufacturer warranty. In order to help both private customers and businesses alike, the ACCC has published two documents. The first, called ‘Just bought a new car?’, details the precise rights of the consumer. It … Continue reading Car warranty rights clarified
THE Australian government has voiced unanimous support for a mandatory data sharing scheme that would grant independent workshops access to OEM vehicle repair information. Both Labor and Liberal parties threw their weight behind the proposed scheme during a debate held in the Federation Chamber on 25 June, in part due to issues with the voluntary … Continue reading ‘Right to repair’ escalates
The struggle to make car manufacturers open up access to service and repair data had been inaccurately described as a battle between franchised dealers and independent repairers, according to a leading industry spokesman. Franchised dealers were just as much in need of access to data from the brands they do not represent so they can … Continue reading Access to data ‘not a war’ between dealers and independents
The long-running campaign to force car manufacturers to share service and repair data with independent workshops is ramping up as the nation heads toward a federal election and as Australia’s competition regulator admits that the voluntary scheme appears to have been ineffective. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) commissioner Roger Featherston told the 2016 Australian … Continue reading ACCC weighs in on repair information sharing
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has been busy campaigning for broader access to vehicle repair information since issue 5 of SightGlass News. Frustrated by the slow response of car companies to share data – with only Holden offering a portal that satisfies the and eight others providing insufficient information – the AAAA has taken … Continue reading AAAA loses patience on repair data sharing
But AAAA doesn’t consider it necessary or desirable Down Under The United States Government has amended the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to allow owners of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery to legally modify onboard computer software, providing these changes do not result in the breach of any Department of Transport or Environmental … Continue reading US legalises deeper access to car computers
