The Auto Care Association’s Aaron Lowe testified on behalf of the association, the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, and California Automotive Wholesalers Association before the California Senate Judiciary Committee, warning legislators about the impact of vehicle telematics on the auto care industry. 
“While the advent of telematics on late-model vehicles has the potential to provide significant benefits to consumers regarding how their vehicle is serviced, it also has the potential to unnecessarily distort the market, providing extensive control to the vehicle manufacturer on where and how car owners obtain repairs, ultimately disrupting the current competitive landscape for vehicle repair to the detriment of small business and consumers,” Lowe told the committee.
“Specifically, armed with the extensive data about a customer’s vehicle combined with the means to communicate directly with the driver in real time, the vehicle manufacturer has the ability to steer the motorists to the dealership or to a service establishment that may be a strong purchaser of their parts and information. This situation represents a major change in the repair marketplace.”
Speaking to the committee, he called for vehicle manufacturers to provide more transparency and control to consumers regarding the data that is being sent by the car. He also asked for the car companies to work with third parties to develop a system that allows data to be shared with other entities at the request of the vehicle owner.
