Automotive Repair News Today

Braxton Critcher [00:00:05]:
Thanks so much for listening to automotive repair news today. I'm Braxton Critcher. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration has issued a new safety standard mandating automatic emergency braking, AEB, including pedestrian emergency braking, to be installed in all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029. The goal is to significantly reduce rear end and pedestrian accidents. Most automakers are on track to meet this deadline, many having some form of AEB since 2016. In fact, by September of last year, 20 of the top manufacturers had released nearly all of their us market vehicles with AEB. New technology has increased the standards for these mandates, now saying that vehicles must be designed to stop and and avoid collisions at speeds up to 62 miles an hour. The law will also require the tech to include pedestrian detection in daylight and darkness.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:11]:
And get this, it also requires automatic braking up to 90 miles an hour for vehicle collisions and 45 miles an hour for pedestrian detection. This regulation applies to almost all light vehicles in the United States. What does this mean for repair shops, though? Lucas Underwood informs I think the repairs.

Lucas Underwood [00:01:32]:
That we're going to be doing in the repair shop of the future are going to be a little bit different. We're going to need a much more skilled and much more trained technician than those of the good old days who were just seen as wrench turners. We're going to see a bit of a shift in that dynamic. And, you know, over time, I think that the cost of repair is definitely going to go up.

Braxton Critcher [00:01:55]:
If you'd like to hear the rest of Lucas Underwood's thoughts on what this means for the automotive repair industry, you can listen to the entire interview tomorrow on this podcast. Platform the perception of dealer repair is improving. In a recent survey by Lang Marketing, customers were asked questions centered around convenience, technical repair capacity, low price, and fair price for dealers and independent repair shops. The results show a shift, but consumers continue to rate independence higher for convenience due to their widespread locations. But with the total number of shops declining recently, this number has slipped a bit. Dealers score higher for technical repair capacity and consumers, especially for foreign cars and newer vehicles. While those consumers still perceive independent garages as the more affordable option, dealers have become more price competitive to the report and survey, narrowing the perceived price gap. The report also shows that consumers see garages as offering fairer prices.

Braxton Critcher [00:03:08]:
But dealers are making strides in this area by emphasizing convenience and their knowledge of current technology. Tesla made significant layoffs last week. This comes after the company integrated its superchargers with companies like Ford and General Motors. And the department, seeing the most layoffs, oversaw that system. So what's next for that department is unknown, but we'll keep you updated. Following the report of staff layoffs, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to social media, where he said plans still exist to expand the supercharger network, but at a slower pace and with more focus on improving existing locations. Repairify has a new president, a leader in remote diagnostics for repair industries. Repairify's new president is Ben Johnson.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:05]:
Johnson takes over with extensive experience in vehicle repair and industry associations. With a career spanning over four decades. Johnson will take lead of Aztec Mechanical, set to launch May 20. And Aztec provides remote support for mechanical repairs, enabling functions like vehicle health checks, programming and calibrations, without requiring shops to invest in specific OEM tools or outsourced repairs. Want more news? Follow automotive Repair news today on your favorite social media platforms. And if you know of news that needs to be shared, please let me know. My name is Braxton Kricher and you can email me@braxtonautomotiverepairnews.com. Dot that's braxtonautomotiverepairnews.com.

Braxton Critcher [00:04:57]:
And thanks again for listening to automotive repair news today.