Canadian car manufacturers must make repair information available to independent auto service shops no later than May 2010, according to the recently signed Canadian Automotive Service Information Standard (CASIS).
"This timeframe is necessary to allow for the development of the technical information for the Canadian market and other Canadian legal and business considerations," say representatives from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (CVMA), which signed the data sharing agreement with the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada, as well as the National Automotive Trades Association, which represents 5,000 independent auto repair facilities. (For more information, see Canadian OEMs to voluntarily share repair data on www.moderntiredealer.com.)
CVMA officials stress that CASIS is a superior alternative to any Right to Repair legislation "because it meets the needs of industry, government and Canadian consumers... we are confident that CASIS will gain the broad support of the automotive aftermarket service and repair industry, as well as legislators.
"Canada's auto industry has a history of pragmatism in meeting regulatory objectives... through voluntary initiatives."
