Rich Zeichner- Auto Care Association & UAF

With the recent developments of the Right to Repair Act and efforts from both Auto Care Association (ACA) and Old World Industries (OWI), OWI would like to highlight the efforts of Account Executive, Rich Zeichner. Rich has been an active member of the Auto Care Association for over 15 years. The Auto Care Association (https://www.autocare.org/) is a high-level advocate for the automotive aftermarket industry, with their mission being, “to protect and advance the interests of businesses providing aftermarket products and services for all classes of motor vehicles.” ACA is also co-owner of the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), one of the biggest trade shows for the Automotive Aftermarket, with Rich having attended each of these tradeshows since 1991.

Earlier in the Fall, Rich, along with other OWI Executives, got the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill in Washington D.C to show support for the Right to Repair Act. Being a Texas-resident, Rich was able to discuss the Act with 3 Texan Congressmen and explain how critical this act is for survival of the independent automotive aftermarket. In the meantime, other OWI executives met with Illinoisan Congressmen to share parallel thoughts and beliefs about the Act.

Additionally, we want to recognize the efforts Rich has made with University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF). UAF (https://automotivescholarships.com/) works to establish scholarships for students working towards careers in the automotive aftermarket and the commercial vehicle industry. Here, Rich assists UAF on one of their committees, where he helps decide and allocate the UAF scholarships. We thank Rich for his efforts with ACA and UAF and urge anyone who wants to learn more to visit the ACA and UHF websites.

Currently, ACA and OWI have been combining their efforts and voices to advocate for the Right to Repair Act. This Act, “is the concept that people should have the right to repair the products they own, and also have access to repair information and replacement parts from manufacturers”. When it comes to the Automotive Aftermarket, the Act and its supporters believe, “…people should have the ability to maintain and fix their vehicles at the repair facility, both independent and dealer, of their choice (including their driveway), rather than having to rely solely on the manufacturer or authorized repair shops to do so”. This freedom of the consumer will be jeopardized in the future due to a few factors:

• 95% of new vehicles sold globally will have wirelessly-transmitted connectivity by 2030, with current data being solely sent to vehicle manufacturers, who decide who gets access, and for what cost.
• 77% of vehicles are over seven years old, meaning without Right to Repair, drivers only options for service will be dealerships.
• On average, drivers spend 36% more on repair costs at the dealership, as compared to independent repair and service shops.
• With dealerships being the sole service locations without the act, drivers and consumers will have to combat locational issues due to limited dealerships, and longer wait and fix times due to the lack of car bays and workspaces, as compared to the countless independent shops available.