A look into the IAAF Right to Repair movement

Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) CEO, Mark Field, provides an update on lobbying and campaigns, networking and events, the IAAF Training Academy and the overall membership experience – all areas of activity at any one time.

Most notably, IAAF now represents – and engages with – more people and businesses than ever before. This reach now includes suppliers, manufacturers, service providers, motor factors, warehouse distributors, trading groups, garages and also motorists.

This reach has proven effective among decision-makers within government and ensuring the aftermarket’s interests are fully represented within the legislative programme.

The aim with this broader reach, as we continue to focus on our Right to Repair movement, is to ensure IAAF continues to raise standards, and the revision of our code of conduct has sought to strengthen our growing membership.

Lobbying insight

The purpose of our lobbying activity is to educate the legislators about the importance of the UK aftermarket to the UK economy, as well as ensuring competitive choices and lower costs to vehicle owners and operators.

We have made significant gains in the revision of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order, with clearer definitions to support access for operators to repair and maintenance information.

The Competition and Markets Authority is actively looking for examples of noncompliance in the market, and at the IAAF, we have made provisions for members to bring misinterpretations of the regulation to our attention.

To aid this, we have worked to simplify the understanding of the legislation and created myth-busting content to support professionals. These tackle common myths around accessing digital service records, use of aftermarket parts, and service and repair during the vehicle warranty period.

We, through this empowerment from members, are successfully challenging VMs on non-compliance of the regulations and actively engage with them to prevent further misinterpretations of the rules.

Networking and events update

We have expanded our calendar, by either orchestrating or supporting the likes of the Automechanika Birmingham Garage Awards 2024, IAAF Summer Conference and Golf event, regional meetings and presence at automotive trade events, such as UK Garage and Bodyshop Event and Mechanex.

The IAAF Annual Conference and Annual Awards is one of the largest in the industry and is sold out every year. The 2024 event took place on the 5th December at DoubleTree by Hilton, Milton Keynes.

Our membership experience has also been enhanced with greater data insights into the automotive industry and a new products and services e-bulletin to more than 15,000 garages.

Right to Repair

The IAAF, among 30 other international automotive associations, is part of a global movement to maintain unrestricted access to repair and maintenance information, technical information and the freedom to use tools and spare parts.

Globally, there is an urgent need for a robust legislative backing to address these challenges across various regions of the world.

Each campaign is based around a country’s political system, but as an approach, Right to Repair has the potential to be more than the sum of its parts in the UK and address issues affecting the trade from the skills shortage to raising standards overall.

That’s because the Right to Repair campaign has the opportunity to change perceptions of the motor trade, by calling for sector specific legislation that openly supports freedom of choice for motorists.

Equally, the campaign is designed to recognise the important contribution of the aftermarket and the need to ensure competition.

The IAAF Right to Repair movement is centred around a number of beliefs:

• Consumers should have a right to choose where they should be able to take their car for their service and repair.
• Consumers should be able to drive whatever vehicle that suits their lifestyle.
• The automotive industry should continue to innovate, so that every mode of transport is the most sustainable it can be.
• Vehicle owners and operators, workshops, motor factors and suppliers should have access to the same data and technology used by the VMs or their authorised partners,
• Vehicle owners and operators should know more about the aftermarket and the basis of how it provides choices for the repair and maintenance of their vehicles.
• The UK population should be more aware of the careers that the aftermarket offers.
• The government and all politicians should be aware of the significant contribution that the aftermarket makes to the UK economy.
• Through IAAF, the aftermarket should work closer together to help each other beyond just the supply of product and services, so that we should all become better businesses.

We will be calling on all members this year to support the federation, spread the Right to Repair word and continue to submit evidence of non-compliance. It’s time for the aftermarket to come out of the shadows and promote its right to repair.