16 Aug New Zealand automotive industry calls for choice-of-repairer law
Autofile has reported that the New Zealand Choice of Repairer Industry Leaders Group is calling for legislation to protect motorists’ ability to choose who services and repairs their vehicles.
The proposed law would require vehicle manufacturers to provide independent repairers with access to the same service and repair information, diagnostic information, repair specifications, technical service bulletins, software updates and digital service records available to their authorised repair networks, on fair and reasonable terms. The group says restricted access to information, tools and vehicle data is already causing independent repairers to turn some vehicles away.
Why this matters for Repair Certifiers
Modern repairs increasingly depend on access to vehicle-specific repair procedures, diagnostic systems, software, calibration information and security-controlled vehicle data. Restricted access may affect whether an independent repairer can correctly diagnose, repair and verify a vehicle, and whether sufficient evidence can be provided to support repair certification decisions.