Letter to the editor: Americans deserve affordable vehicle repair choices
· The Washington TimesOPINION:
I support the REPAIR Act, a bipartisan proposal to ensure independent businesses like mine can access the data needed to keep America’s cars and trucks running safely, reliably and affordably.
For more than 70 years, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply has been providing high-quality automotive and heavy-duty truck parts to Western Pennsylvanians. Our story began in the early 1950s, when Cliff Hovis Sr. began buying used cars and driving them home after school to start his salvage business.
After graduation, he partnered with his brother at a Mobil gas station, where his auto parts business started. Through hard work and belief in serving the community, the business eventually grew into the 20‑location, third-generation family business that it is today – supplying the parts, tools, paint, equipment and technical support that professional technicians and vehicle owners need to repair and maintain everything their vehicles.
But now it’s at risk. Car and truck manufacturers are increasingly restricting access to essential software, data and tools needed to repair today’s vehicles.
We run a large operation, employing knowledgeable people, stocking high-quality inventory and investing in technician training. Even so, repairs sometimes stall because necessary access sits behind manufacturer-controlled systems. It’s frustrating for repair technicians and customers who simply want their vehicles back.
Drivers have fewer places to turn when something goes wrong, and they risk having to pay more, wait longer and/or travel farther for something that should be handled close to home. Local shops that have long served their communities are losing the ability to compete on the merits of trust and quality service.
Congress can protect our businesses and Americans’ ability to choose their repair shop by passing the REPAIR Act.
The legislation would require manufacturers to make essential repair and maintenance information available to independent aftermarket businesses in the same way they provide it to their own service centers. Independent businesses shouldn’t be shut out.
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I hope Washington lawmakers remember the hundreds of thousands of family-run businesses and working drivers who depend on fair and equal repair access every day. If we want local repair options and freedom of choice to exist for the next generation of vehicle owners, we must act now.
CLIFF HOVIS
President, Hovis Auto & Truck Supply
Mercer, Pennsylvania