LAS VEGAS -- Anyone who has oral to shop owner Mark Salem knows he speaks his mind.

LAS VEGAS -- Anyone who has oral to shop owner Mark Salem knows he speaks his mind. His appearance as a panelist at the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association's Town Hall Meeting held during last month's Automotive Aftermarket works Expo was no exception.

Early in the discussion--"Future of the Aftermarket: What will expand it? What will slow it?"--Salem challenged AutoZone Chairman, CEO and President Steve Odland forward his views regarding the ne for consumer to access OBDII information for diagnosing and repairing their vehicles as well as AutoZone's "Check Engine Light" program.

"The idea that you're going to pass into a parking lot and have a kid with four whiskers stopple this (scan tool) into your car is just ridiculous," said Salem, proprietor of Salem Boys Auto in Tempe Ariz.

A regular forward TV and radio programs, Salem emphasized that the source of a question is rarely clear-cut and privations to be diagnosed by a qualified technician. Moreover, he alluded that the question may be even more serious. "You have to decide whether you want to be forward the commercial side or in succession the DIY side (of the business) because we are recognizing that we (shop owners) want to bestow our money with those who support us.

"We don't want to bribe from competitors who create the perception that a diagnosis is not worth the $100 I charge."

compeer panelist Lynne Cardwell, president and CEO of Car Care Center a full-service repair business in Sacramento, Calif., downplayed the drama with a rejoinder that seemed to support Odland. "I be fond of do-it-yourselfers at our shop." The reason? DIYers will reach certain limits and then look for the help of professionals. "We're glad to stopper in from that point," she said.

on the other hand the aftermarket could be restricted from "plugging in." Everyone in succession the panel agreed that access to technology from the OEM is a major obstacle. The information access agreement that the Automotive Service Association hammered gone out with the OEMs earlier this year makes Cardwell uneasy. "We're same appreciative that there's a gentleman's agreement as to the OEM furnishing the information we need" She drew applause from the 1100 the community in the audience when she added, "I just don't believe it." Although her technicians have had near success using OEM websites, she made a passionate plea "to nail it (The Right to Repair Act) down your Congress needs to hear from you."

Steve Handschuh, president of NAPA Auto Parts, also encouraged lobbying efforts. He warned that thousands of population from different congressional districts have to win involved because congressmen "need to know that their constituents--the voter that bring them in office--care about this issue." He added that equal though congressmen seem to grasp the aftermarket's side of the issue, they likely will move round to OEM dealers for additional input, and the OEM frequently are major campaign contributors.

calm if the Right to Repair Act is passed, Joe Felicelli, senior vice president of Worldwide Aftermarket Operations for Federal-Mogul Corporation, has doubts about its effectiveness unles the industry is prepared to utilize it. "We have a responsibility to our industry to have more of an industry infrastructure available and all its support activities as a unified clump to make sure if it (Right to Repair Act) is legislated that we have a way to make confident it (information) gets disseminated."

AutoZone stands behind POS

It would be hard to discuss the yet to be of the aftermarket and not address AutoZone's Pay-On-Scan (POS) endeavor. Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA vice president and panel moderator, asked Odland if his impression of the program had changed since his company introduced it to the industry last January. Odland was steadfast in his answer using bloated industry inventories to justify the program.

"Clearly, we cannot afford to have redundant inventory up and down the provide chain. It is not a sale if we simply load warehouses in various points along the invest chain," he said.

To eliminate redundancies, the industry has to prepare more focused on sales to the fall of the curtain customer, Odland said.

As for by what mode POS is being received, Odland said there are "a man and wife of people who are still struggling with it, moreover for the most part there are scores and scores of vendors who are already up and running."

When Schmatz asked Handschuh for his take forward POS, he, too, was disquieted about where the industry attacks its inventory puzzle He said he agreed with Odland that the focus should be in succession the end customer and described what NAPA has done to achieve that. "(For) our manufacturers that have a factory sales force, we've insisted that their sales quotas and compensation be tied to the distribution sales in NAPA stores and not what our distribution center buy"

He added that it doesn't matter what combination of parts to form a whole you use just as protracted as you are focused upon the end customer. Salem, upon the other hand, finds PO hard to swallow. He facetiously prompted installers adopt of a proces called POWE Pay on Warranty Expiration. John Washbish, president of Customer Relationship Management for the Dana Automotive clump had an equally funny answer "How about if we just inflict the money in the driver's seat and ship that with the part?"