Zug, Switzerland. LKQ Europe's President and Executive Managing Director, Andy Hamilton, has called on the automotive aftermarket to provide real-world evidence of market barriers as the European Commission collects comments for its public consultation on Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulations (MVBER).

The LKQ Europe chief is calling all independent garages and workshops to share their experiences of barriers to repair, service, or maintenance, which will form part of the company's submission to the Commission's consultation. These could include instances of denied access to technical information, excessive charges for diagnostic data, or warranty-related obstacles. 

LKQ has highlighted three key areas where the current regulations, implemented in 2023, need strengthening to ensure fair competition in the automotive aftermarket sector, which will form part of its response to the consultation.

Andy Hamilton, President and Executive Managing Director, said: "While the current MVBER represented significant progress, we're already seeing gaps emerge in the framework as vehicle technology rapidly evolves. We continue to see cases where workshops are forced to jump through unnecessary hoops to access basic diagnostic information or are charged excessive fees for data that should be readily available. 

“Warranty transparency remains a problem. Too many customers still believe incorrectly that their vehicle warranty will be invalidated if they use an independent workshop. 

“Critically, we need to address access to in-vehicle data now, not later - by the time the newest vehicles reach the independent aftermarket in 5-10 years, it will be too late to retrofit solutions. Independent workshops shouldn't have to resort to expensive court battles to assert rights that are already enshrined in law."

The LKQ Europe leader also focused on enforcement mechanisms, with Hamilton citing the recent European Court of Justice case between Fiat and Carglass/ATU over diagnostic port access as an example of the challenges faced by independent operators.

Industry stakeholders are encouraged to submit their experiences through organizations including LKQ Europe, FIGIEFA, ADPA, and CECRA to help build a comprehensive case for enhanced protections and more effective enforcement mechanisms in the next iteration of MVBER. To share with LKQ Europe, contact communications@lkqeurope.com.

About LKQ Europe

LKQ Europe, a subsidiary of LKQ Corporation (www.lkqcorp.com), headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, is the leading distributor of automotive aftermarket parts for cars, commercial vans, and industrial vehicles in Europe. It currently employs approximately 26,500 people with a network of more than 900 branches and approximately $6.4 billion in revenue in 2024. The organization supplies more than 100,000 workshops in over 18 European countries in the following regions: Benelux-France, Central Eastern Europe, DACH, Italy, Scandinavia and UK & Ireland.

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