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Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA) to pursue the establishment of vehicle maintenance service recommendations

The Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association wants to help its members in communicating recommendations to its customers dealing with their avoiding extensive and costly repairs and addressing environmental concerns. To accomplish that, the organization is planning to establish maintenance service recommendations. Once complete, they will offer advice to members on communicating recommendations to their customers who wish to get the longest possible/reasonable use out of their vehicles.

AMRA wants make these recommendations available for the following reasons:

To develop advice for the industry to give its consumers that is as accurate, appropriate, and economical as current science, technology and experience can produce.
To encourage industry professionals to give that advice.
To provide information to the industry so it can identify misinformation that can be interpreted as fraudulent advice.
To assist regulators in going after those in the industry who are giving the industry a bad name.

Differences of opinion on how to properly maintain a vehicle have created mistrust and accusations of fraud. Dealers’ recommendations of maintenance service intervals often differ from the manufacturers requirements for service intervals. In addition, there have been other instances where regulators have accused service providers of inappropriately recommending maintenance because the manufacturer did not require that service to keep the warranty in effect.

In 1999, the state of New Jersey asked AMRA to develop a recommendation to them for combustion chamber cleaner usage intervals. In researching shops at that time, the AMRA technical committee and staff found too many widely varying intervals. Our group spent lots of time researching the situation and then published our recommendations as a news release.

Vehicle manufacturers establish recommendations for maintenance service intervals and publish them in their owners’ manuals. However, many maintenance services that are currently offered by dealers and the independent shops go beyond manufacturers’ recommendations or are not addressed by the vehicle manufacturers. These are offered to prolong the life of the vehicle well beyond the life of the warranty. In effect to provide motorists with information re: “How you can get the most out of your vehicle.” The recommendations are envisioned as optional services suggested improving the performance and prolonging the life of the vehicle.

In addition, components, and services not covered by OE recommendations will be considered and addressed by the maintenance services program to determine which of these items, if any, should be included.

The process will be very similar to that employed when the Motorist Assurance Program developed and published the Uniform Inspection Communication Standards (UICS). AMRA will form committees and task forces made up of the best technical minds in the industry to examine all the known information and come to a consensus as to the best advice to give to the customer. The consensus will be based on pre-determined criteria. Those criteria will include (1) demonstration of a clear benefit to consumers (e.g. cost effectiveness, longevity), (2) clear and easily understandable definition of terms, (3) independent (third party) corroboration/substantiation, (4) economics and (5) current service technology. In some cases there may not be sufficient information to determine the correct advice. In those cases, further research will be required.

The project will be led Lance David (College of Lake County) and Len Vogt (Lenco) who have agreed to co-chair this monumental task.

AMRA encourages participation from among best technical experts in the industry. The committees will include the people that participated in the original UICS committees as well as others who have the technical expertise. The process will include service providers; manufacturers of vehicles, parts, chemicals and equipment; educators; automotive engineers; regulators and consumer advocates.

In short, being an AMRA/MAP member is not necessary. Being an individual of integrity is. The goal is to have the best technical minds in the industry produce advice on automotive maintenance that is in the best interests of the motoring public.

Revised Feb 20, 2004

Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA) to pursue the establishment of vehicle maintenance service recommendations

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