Lenexa, Kansas, August, 2008 —

Terry Sutherland, Parts Manager with Welland Nissan became $10,000 richer on July 31.

About 2 months ago, Terry scratched off a ticket he received from his sales representative from Young Automotive Professionals, Frank Nava. While Terry wasn’t an instant winner of gift certificates, he did fill in his name on the card and gave it to Frank, who submitted the ticket for the $10,000 grand prize.

“When Frank first called me to inform me that I was the winner of the grand prize, I was virtually speechless.” Said Terry Sutherland, who has worked at Welland Nissan for fifteen years.

Terry expressed that he “really enjoys the opportunities presented by contests and promotions run by various suppliers. For those of us in the auto trade, “ he said, “it is fun and always presents a chance to win something to brighten the day.” Terry agreed with Frank who said, “Well, this contest certainly brightened your day!”

          L-to-R: John Grandilli, Frank Nava, Terry Sutherland, Claudio Sceppacerqua

John Grandilli & Claudio Sceppacerqua, are owners of the Young Automotive Professionals, located in Port Colborne, ON, Canada are members of Bestbuy Distributors Ltd, who in turn are members of Automotive Parts Associates (APA).

“Welland Nissan has been a loyal customer of ours for many years and it is a pleasure for our shops to be able to participate in this contest.” said Bob White, Sales Representative for Young Automotive.

APA’s WD shareholders conducted the sweepstakes at nearly 300 locations across the United States and Canada between April and June. Each time a product was purchased from one of the sponsoring manufacturers, the installer received a scratch ticket.

Thousands of dollars in instant winning gift certificates were distributed and tens of thousands of completed entry forms were returned for the chance to win the $10,000.

“We would very much like to thank our sponsors, who make this sweepstakes possible.” said Dan Freeman, President & CEO of APA. Sponsors of this year’s sweepstakes included Airtex Engine Management, ASC Industries, Airtex Fuel Delivery Systems, Autolite, Beck Arnley, Bendix, Bosch, Cardone, Coni-Seal, Denso, Dorman, Exide, Fram, Four Seasons, Remy, Loctite, KYB, Standard and Permatex.

As automobiles have become more complex, automotive dealers have attempted to keep consumers returning to their service departments long after the warranty on the car is up.

Traditionally, many consumers used auto dealership service departments only during the warranty period on their new car.  Many did not know that they could take their car to a trusted neighborhood garage for service even during the warranty period. Although licensed mechanics with the proper tools and knowledge were capable of completing service on new cars and ensuring that the warranty was not voided, many consumers did not know this.

Now, with new cars containing hundreds of computerized sensors and components, mechanics without specialized knowledge and tools are finding automobiles harder to repair.  This is complicated by the fact that the manufacturers sometimes delay or even block information about how to repair a new vehicle from reaching the neighborhood mechanic.

The result, according to consumer advocates, is that motor vehicle owners must increasingly rely on expensive dealerships to unlock manufacturer security codes and to identify and repair problems.

A bill currently under consideration in the U. S. Congress would establish the consumer’s prerogative to choose who repairs his/her vehicle by requiring auto manufacturers to release all of the information needed to diagnose and fix problems.

David Parde, president of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, a group representing “aftermarket” companies like Midas and Jiffy Lube, and one of the principle backers of the bill, said people should not be beholden to manufacturers to get their cars serviced.

The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act would require automakers to provide the same information to the public that they grant to authorized dealers. Exceptions would be made to protect a company’s “intellectual property” related to the design and manufacture of auto parts. The Act would also require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish regulations to mandate that manufacturers release the required information to independent service mechanics.

Similar measures are under way here in Canada to offer consumers the right of choice between service at a dealership or service by their trusted neighborhood mechanic who has served them over the years.

However, the US bill has met stiff opposition from auto manufacturers and some lawmakers who say legislation is unnecessary because companies entered into a voluntary agreement to release information several years ago.  The FTC is not anxious to get involved in this fight and is encouraging more voluntary sharing of information to avoid a legislative approach to managing the situation.

The barriers encountered by independent mechanics when working with manufacturers’ computerized systems are even more difficult to overcome for the do-it-yourselfer who, with owner-oriented manuals like those put out by the Chilton Publishing Company, could often identify and fix problems without having to spend hundreds of dollars at the repair shop.

Today that is next to impossible as the high tech automobiles require advanced mechanical and electronic knowledge as well as sophisticated scan tools to diagnose and then repair.  This is why so many consumers want to see their neighborhood mechanical shop empowered to look after their car.

The original Right to Repair legislation was first introduced in the United States in 2001.  The second push to have it passed began in 2005 and yet it has still not been made into a law.  the Canadian government has held hearings but as of yet has not implemented any draft legislation.