How State Laws Shape Repairability And Cost

How State Laws Shape Repairability And Cost

Your car is getting smarter, but what happens when “smart” means you cannot fix it, cannot access the data, or cannot even start it when you need to get out the door fast? We dig into the real world stakes of repairability with Donovan Ringo, our director of state affairs and grassroots, and why the biggest battles for the automotive aftermarket are increasingly happening in statehouses, not just in Washington. We unpack a major right to repair development in Maine, including something shops have asked for for years: enforcement. If repair data is blocked, there is now a pathway to report it, verify it, and trigger penalties, plus telematics access that matters more every year as vehicles generate and transmit more information. We also talk about how these policies land differently outside city bubbles, where drivers routinely keep cars longer, depend on them for basic services, and cannot absorb higher parts and labor costs. From there, we flag the “OEM camouflage” bills spreading across states that look harmless on the surface but can quietly push repairs toward OEM parts through disclosure traps. We connect the dots to sustainability, planned obsolescence, and a growing demand for older, more repairable vehicles. Finally, we break down the surge of environmental state legislation, especially PFOS forever chemical bans and extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws that can force producers to fund new recycling systems with unclear cost caps and messy multi state compliance. Learn more about the REPAIR Act and get involved at: REPAIRAct.com Subscribe for more state level intelligence, share this with a colleague who needs to see what’s coming, and leave a rating and review so more repair pros and industry leaders can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

When AI Becomes Commonplace, Will Humanity Be The Advantage?

Your customers are not grading you on effort. They are grading you on how fast you move, how easy you are to understand, and whether you treat them like a human being. From Auto Care Connect in Atlanta, Jacki Lutz and Stacey Miller talk with Jay Baer, Hall of Fame speaker and best-selling author, about a customer experience framework that cuts through the fluff and actually works in the real world: quick, clear, kind. They dig into why 75% of customer experience initiatives fail to produce ROI and how to make progress without launching a multi-year “experience transformation” that dies on the vine. Jay shares research from his work on speed and responsiveness, including the simple habit he calls “reply without answers,” plus a hard truth about automated replies that quietly guarantee disappointment. They also unpack how to close the “uncertainty gap” by answering the most common questions before customers and partners are forced to ask, wait, and worry. Then they go deeper on kindness and empathy as a competitive advantage, including a Delta gate agent moment that proves how small, genuine recognition can create loyalty that outlasts the inevitable service hiccups. Finally, we look ahead to AI in customer service and B2B buyer experience. If automation makes interactions more efficient and more uniform, the differentiator becomes the human moments you choose to create when it matters most. If you work in the auto care industry, B2B sales, marketing, operations, or service, you will walk away with tactics you can use immediately. Subscribe to Auto Care ON AIR, share this conversation with a teammate, and leave us a rating and review so more curious industry pros can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

How To Stop Headlines From Steering Your Business

Your feed can make the world feel like it is changing every hour, but your business cannot afford to swing with every alert. We built this Traction Control segment around a simple idea: the real danger today is not missing news, it is overreacting to the wrong news. If headlines about tariffs, AI, war, regulations, or market shifts have your team feeling whiplash, we offer a practical way to slow down and regain control. Stacey Miller walks through why headlines mislead even smart operators in the automotive aftermarket. They flatten nuance, they blur the line between announcement and implementation, and they amplify controversy that may have little real impact on your warehouse, shop, or supply chain next week. Instead of ignoring the news, we show how to read it with discipline so you protect time, money, and focus. Her three-question headline filter is designed for importers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and service providers who need clear prioritization. She asks: who does this actually apply to, what changes now versus later, and is it truly new or just louder. We also talk through “now, soon, later” planning, stress testing best case and worst case scenarios, and communicating with calm clarity so your team knows what matters and what you are watching. If this helps you, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave a rating and review so more aftermarket pros can find it. What headline do you want us to break down next? Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Right To Repair Hits The White House

A single sentence from the White House can change the pressure on an issue overnight, and right to repair just got that kind of spotlight. Stacey Miller reacts to the President’s public comments about restrictions that can prevent people from fixing their own cars and choosing where they get repairs and why that matters for drivers, technicians, and independent repair shops across the country. From the day-to-day reality inside a shop, this is not theoretical policy talk. We see vehicles come in where the fix is clear, but critical repair data, software access, or basic functions are locked behind barriers that slow everything down. The result is longer wait times, higher repair costs, and fewer choices for consumers, even when a qualified technician is ready to do the work. Right to repair is ultimately about affordability, competition in vehicle repair, and keeping local small businesses strong. She also breaks down what is happening in Washington: the push for federal right to repair legislation known as the Repair Act, what changed as Congress moved a broader highway bill forward, and why a narrower approach tied to a voluntary MOU plus FTC enforcement may not go far enough to guarantee meaningful access. This moment is rare because the public, policymakers, and the auto care industry are finally focused on the same question: if you own it, should you be able to fix it? If you care about consumer choice and fair prices in auto repair, listen, share this with someone who relies on a local shop, and take action. You can send your automated letter to your legislators at repairact.com Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast

Worth the Investment: Becoming Someone Others Want to Support

One of the biggest career accelerators in the automotive aftermarket is also the simplest: someone decides you’re worth their time. From the Women in Auto Care conference, Jacki Lutz sits down with two award-winning industry leaders, Tanya Hunt (TERREPOWER) and Autumn Lamb (GSP), to get honest about what “investing in people” actually means when calendars are full, budgets are tight, and confidence is shaky. They talk about the moments that changed their paths, a quick note of encouragement, an invitation to get involved, a mentor who helped them take a risk, and the “full circle” feeling of watching someone you supported step onto a stage of their own. We also break down a hard truth: high achievers often hear praise the least, and a few thoughtful words can be the difference between someone shrinking back or stepping up. If you’ve ever assumed people “already know they did great,” this conversation will change how you lead. You’ll hear practical ways to build retention and community in the auto care industry without needing a big title: micro-volunteering, mentorship programs through Women in Auto Care and YANG, connection circles that make a big conference feel small, and LinkedIn networking for professionals who cannot travel or who feel intimidated reaching out. They share how to be a better investee too: get specific about what you need, ask anyway, and give yourself the chance to hear an official yes. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone you’d invest in, and leave a rating and review so more automotive professionals can find the show. Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2355351/fan_mail/new] To learn more about the Auto Care Association visit autocare.org. To learn more about our show and suggest future topics and guests, visit autocare.org/podcast