The Doctor's In, and 'Right to Repair' is Just the Medicine We Need John F. Paul: A R2R Coalition Profile

John F. Paul knows cars, which is important when you are the voice of one of the largest and oldest automobile clubs in America - the American Automobile Association (AAA) of Southern New England. Paul knows cars so well that he is known to the general public as The Car Doctor, a reference to his other identity as a frequent host and guest on local and national radio and television programs. If Paul is lacking a formal PhD or MD to prove he's a doctor, he has all the certification paperwork he needs to prove he's an L1 certified mechanic.

With more than 30 years experience in the automotive business, Paul is best known as AAA's Car Doctor and the Manager of Public Affairs for Southern New England for the past 22 years, he writes new car reviews, feature articles and a Q & A column in the AAA monthly publication "Horizons." He hosts the "Car Doctor" radio program Saturday mornings from 9-10 a.m. on am950 WROL and appears as a regular guest on many radio and TV programs, including Good Morning America.

Certified as a Master Automobile Technician from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, Paul holds additional certifications in Advanced Engine Performance and Alternative Fuels along with a vocational teaching certificate for the State of Massachusetts. President of the New England Motor Press Association, he is also a member of the International Motor Press Association and an affiliate member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Paul sits on several advisory boards for traffic safety within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

His day job at AAA as the Manager of Public Affairs brings him into the public policy arena where AAA is now the newest member of a coalition pushing for passage this year of a Massachusetts Right to Repair bill currently in front of the Legislature.

"I always kind of joke that when I got into the repair industry all I needed was a good set of hand tools and a shop manual that was probably 500 pages and I could fix just about any car on the road,” Paul said recently in an interview in AAA's Westwood offices. "Today you probably need a million and a half pages of information and it still isn't enough."

As a top-tier mechanic, Paul takes particular exception to the constant refrain from car manufacturers that independent mechanics don't lack information as much as they lack expertise. "The argument that the independent repairer doesn't have the technical wherewithal to get the car repaired is crazy," he says. "The independent repair shop owner, if they have the technology, can repair your car as well as anybody in the dealership can, but they need to have access to that information and in some cases they need to have access to specialized tools that allow them to repair that car."

Wearing his AAA hat, Paul is just as insistent that the Right to Repair issue is not just about independent repairers but also very much about consumers - in particular the organization's more than 2 million members. "I think it is very important for our members and consumers in general to have a choice about where to get their car repaired. When you go out and buy a car, and you own that car, you also own the technology and that is the way it should be. If you don't have the choice about where to go it is going to be more than frustrating, it isn't fair to anyone."

And Right to Repair is just what the Doctor ordered.

Get Informed

New Study Reveals Vehicle Repair Costs 34% Higher at Dealer Shops

Every independent repair shop owner has long suspected that dealer repair shops are significantly higher in their charges to customers for repairs. And now a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind study by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association found that dealer shops are charging on average 34 percent more for repairs than independents.

At a time when the sinking economy has most consumers holding onto their used cars longer, that gap is $11.7 billion in excess costs annually to American consumers. The study reveals dramatic differences in the costs of parts and labor between domestic and import vehicle nameplates and from city to city. Consumers in Los Angeles pay as much as 46.8 percent more at dealerships than independent repair shops for repairs. The cost to consumers of specific repairs also varies widely. For example, the average cost for radiator repair for a foreign nameplate vehicle, including parts and labor, is $325.99 higher at a dealer than at an independent shop; and the cost to purchase and install front brake pads on a foreign nameplate vehicle is $138.92 more at a dealer than at an independent shop.

AAIA's Vehicle Repair Cost Analysis: Comparing New Car Dealerships vs. Independents looks at the parts and labor costs of 10 vehicle repair jobs for domestic and foreign nameplate vehicles in six cities across the country, including Boston, Newark, Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Seattle. Repair costs in the Boston vehicle repair market were found to be 20% higher at dealerships.

"In response to repeated requests by congressional leaders studying the merits of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair legislation, AAIA commissioned a study to once and for all provide a comprehensive analysis that validated the contention that it costs consumers more to repair their vehicle at new car dealerships than at independent repair shops," said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO.

Legislative Update

Right to Repair Bill on Track as House and Senate Assign Bill Numbers

The Right to Repair bill sponsored by the Coalition for Right to Repair in Massachusetts has now been assigned bill numbers in the House (HB228) and Senate (SB124). The Right to Repair bill has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure where its chairmen, state Representative Theodore (Ted) C. Speliotis of Danvers and state Senator Michael Morrissey of Quincy, are both sponsors of the Right to Repair legislation. With bill numbers and the committee now determined, the Right to Repair legislation will now be schedule for a legislative hearing where supporters can testify directly before legislators. Check www.massrighttorepair.com for updates on the scheduled hearing.