The Workshop Advantage
Maximising the data sharing law for our industry.
The Motor Vehicle Information Scheme (MVIS) has changed the course of our industry and is our Association’s proudest accomplishment. But two years on, and as valuable as the law has been for workshops across the country, there is more work to be done to maximise its positive impact on the aftermarket.
As it stands today, the Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA), which is the entity created to be the gateway between the car manufacturer portals and independent repairers, is in the strongest position it has ever been.
AASRA provides a single location for workshops to easily access manufacturer vehicle information, security coding, and EV information. A single log in through AASRA allows user credentials to be automatically recognised by over 30 participating car brands, which simplifies vehicle data access. It also provides a single location to access the data sharing portals of other non-participating brands, plus a help desk to action any missing information reports.
We are proud to say that AASRA now has 3,260 subscribers, with 900 registered for vehicle security credentials, and 800 qualified to access EV information. These numbers are increasing every day.
On the administration side, the AASRA Portal is functioning well, and registration and technical trouble shooting matters are handled promptly thanks to a full-time AASRA secretariat.
As many car manufacturer portals are different in the way they catalogue information, AASRA has produced step by step navigation documentation for many of the most popular brands to assist subscribers through this process and reduce the learning curve.
Another significant milestone has been the appointment of Ian Stone as an independent Chair on the AASRA Board. Given the range of stakeholders involved, the new Chair brings strong governance and independence to ensure AASRA is fulfilling its statutory obligations and providing high quality service for subscribers.
While having over 3,000 subscribers to AASRA is fantastic, as is the knowledge that most workshops are familiar with the MVIS legislation, the current number of subscribers represent only a small fraction of the potential market, considering there are over 27,000 workshops across Australia that service and repair vehicles.
AASRA’s biggest challenge and opportunity is helping workshop owners, managers and technicians understand how using AASRA to access manufacturer information is an investment in their business, through time savings and efficiency improvements.
Having access to full manufacturer information allows independent workshops to efficiently flash software updates, code new parts into a vehicle, view detailed service and repair information and technical service bulletins, clear codes and faults and trouble shoot issues.
This level of vehicle information ensures the best quality service opportunity, translates into faster diagnosis and repair times, and in turn improves customer service and profitability potential. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Given that many workshops specialise in certain brands, or see a higher frequency of brands in their daily work, investing in subscriptions to these brands could be a sound investment.
I’ve talked to many workshops in the European specialty space, who are investing in yearly AASRA subscriptions, with incredible business performance boosts.
The old adage is you need to spend time working on your business not just in it, and I encourage workshops to explore the opportunities around accessing manufacturer information and the significant business benefits available.
More information, including a video run through of the AASRA portal, is available at www.aasra.com.au
AAAA’s ongoing role in MVIS
The AAAA continues to advocate for further improvements to AASRA, and the MVIS law to support our members.
We want to see the MVIS law compel manufacturers to share information with data aggregators and aftermarket scan tool companies. We campaigned for this to be part of the law from the beginning, and we will continue to push this necessary inclusion to further support the industry.
AAAA will also be focusing on training opportunities to support technicians to fully leverage pass through technology that is now available to complete all repair and service tasks in-house.
On a final note regarding AASRA, Executive Officer Rodger Nardi has announced his retirement. Rodger came to AASRA at time when AASRA had just launched in the market and has been instrumental in resolving initial teething issues and improving the service offering to customers. Rodger also developed strong relationships with key stakeholders and has driven the business forward. We owe him a debt of gratitude and he has created a strong base for the next EO to continue to move the business forward. We wish him well in his retirement.
This article was originally published in the August Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine