February 27, 2014—The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) released a statement Thursday against Maryland’s 2014 Senate Bill 487 (House Bill 574).
The consumer-protection bill requires consumers to specifically sign for the use of aftermarket parts in vehicles before accepting them for the first three years of the vehicle.
CARE said in a press release that the bill is unfair because vehicle owners do not have to sign for OEM-labeled parts. CARE said the bill would mislead consumers into believing that aftermarket parts are of inferior quality, causing them to choose OEM parts.
"Many automotive replacement parts are manufactured by the same company; one part goes to the car company's dealer network, the other part goes to an auto parts retailer. On a national average, vehicle repairs cost 34 percent more at a franchise car dealer than at an independent repair shop because of increased competition and competitive pricing,” said Sandy Bass-Cors, executive director of CARE. “Passage of HB 574 and SB 487 will do nothing more than create a car company parts monopoly, to the detriment of small business and lower-income motorists.”
