A common complaint of UK motorists for many years has been that car manufacturers and their franchised dealerships have had them over a barrel when it comes to aftermarket service and repairs. Manufacturers have viciously guarded the specialist tools required to fix many of the issues that may arise with their vehicles. Independent garages and body shops were unable to purchase or lay hands on such equipment; resulting in motorists being left with no option but to take their vehicle to an authorised dealership. With engines becoming ever more complex and increasing electronic systems, such as onboard diagnostics; motorists were faced with having to rely on dealerships on a more frequent basis. Not a welcoming prospect when you consider that many charge an hourly rate that is at least twice that of an independent garage.
False dawn
In June 2007 it seemed that the UK motorists’ prayers had been answered as the European Union passed regulation EC 715/2007. The legislation, which was latterly amended in EC 692/2008, put in place provisions whereby manufacturers must allow access to their technical information and tools required to service and repair their vehicles. Suddenly it was possible for independent garages, equipment manufacturers and suppliers to get hold of items that had previously been off limits to them. Finally motorists could take their car to the local garage and leave it in the hands of a mechanic that they knew and trusted and who wouldn’t charge them an extortionate rate. At least that was the theory.
Reality bites
In truth the impact that the EU legislation has had on the automotive aftermarket has been negligible. Whilst the ideal sounds great; the truth is that many of the specialist tools required to identify or solve specific issues on particular cars is beyond the financial means of smaller garages. For example, the right equipment to safely remove a diesel injector from the Renault 2.2dCi engine costs in the region of £2,500. Then you have to consider the numerous other engines out there and specialist tools required to fix each specific problem. Kitting out a garage capable of dealing with all problems, on all car models, would cost a small fortune – with very few if any items delivering a return on investment. Even if a garage did have the resources to purchase all of these tools; a lack of storage space would render the exercise futile.
A new hope?
One answer for independents garages is to hire tools for a short period, as and when they are required to complete specific jobs. This way they can retain customer loyalty and increase their profits. Of course, the cost of hiring the tool or equipment is added to the motorists invoice. However, the savings made from paying an hourly rate that is at least half of what they would at a dealership, means that such an arrangement still works out cheaper. They also have the convenience of being able to take their car to a nearby garage – a real plus when driving the vehicle is problematic or even impossible.
The aftermarket automotive industry has been slow on the uptake and there has been little in the way of tool hire services. However, a company called Rent2Repair has commenced trading in May 2012, with the aim of taking advantage of this gap in the market. For a small monthly subscription fee, members have access to specialist tools for which they pay a rental charge, dependent on the value of the tool. Rent2Repair provide a next day delivery service, meaning little delay for the motorist. The item is then collected once the garage has finished with it.
So the next time you have a problem with your car; don’t immediately head for the nearest dealership. It could be that your local garage is a member of a loan tool service and can get hold of the right equipment to handle your job. If the garage isn’t enrolled in such a scheme, then they may consider joining if you raise the issue with them. Whether Rent2Repair and other similar businesses succeed and break the stranglehold that dealerships have on certain areas of the automotive aftermarket remains to be seen. But at least there is now a viable system in place that helps provide consumers the right to choose where they take their cars and independent garages to ability to compete in a fair market.