United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Radiation
EPA420-F-01-018
May 2001
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
&EPA Regulatory
Announcement
Proposed Amendments to the
Service Information Rule
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
amend the current Service Information Rule to assure that the
aftermarket service industry has the necessary information and
diagnostic equipment to perform emissions-related repairs on vehicles
equipped with On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) systems.
Background
Section 202(5) of the Clean Air Act directs EPA to promulgate regula-
tions requiring manufacturers to provide persons repairing or servicing
motor vehicles any and all information needed to make use of the vehicle
emission control diagnostic system and other information for making
emission-related diagnoses and repairs. In addition, no information may
be withheld under section 208(c) if that information is provided to
franchised dealers. On August 5,1995, EPA published a final rulemaking
(60 FR 40474) which set forth the Agency's service information regula-
tions. As we implemented the 1995 regulations, EPA learned that service
information providers are still unable to receive the information they
need to perform emission-related repairs on OBD-equipped vehicles.
Additionally, changes in technology for electronic access to information
(i.e., the Internet) make it necessary to revise the current requirements to
improve timely access to emissions-related service information.
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Proposed Amendments
In order to effectively service OBD-equipped vehicle and trucks, repair
technicians must have access to emissions-related service information
developed by vehicle and engine manufacturers to utilize the OBD
system. EPA is proposing to amend the regulations requiring the avail-
ability of emissions-related serv ice information for the aftermarket
service and repair industry. The proposed amendments will improve the
ability of al'lennarket service providers to access service information in a
timely manner.
The proposed amendments are intended to ensure that all aftermarket
service and repair facilities have access to the same emission-related
service information, in the same manner as that provided by the manu-
facturers to their authorized dealerships. In addition, this proposal would
provide consumers more options on where to have their vehicles ser-
viced.
Key Elements of the Proposal
•	Make lull-text emission-related service and training information
available via the World Wide Web. With this provision, aftermarket
service providers will have real-time access to the same information
available to manufacturer dealerships.
•	Provide equipment and tool companies with the information that
allows them to develop equipment with vehicle reprogramming
capabilities. With this provision, aftermarket service providers will be
able to provide customers with reprogramming services which are
currently provided primarily by manufacturer dealerships.
•	Make enhanced diagnostic information available to the aftermarket
diagnostic scan tool manufacturers. With this provision, aftermarket
service providers will have more advanced generic OBD diagnostic
scan tools available to them at a reasonable cost.
•	Make manufacturer-specific diagnostic tools available for sale to
interested parties. With this provision, aftermarket service providers
who specialize in particular manufacturers will have access to the
highly specialized diagnostic equipment.
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•	Require manufacturers to provide any supplemental OBD technical
information necessary to perform an emission-related repair. With this
provision, there will he more specific OBD information available to
aftermarket service providers and inspection/Maintenance Programs to
more effectively diagnose and repair manufacturer-specific OBD
problems.
•	Propose service information requirements for heavy-duty vehicle and
engine manufacturers. OBD systems will be required on heavy-duty
vehicles and engines up to 14,000 pounds beginning in 2005. With this
provision, heavy-duty aftermarket service providers will have in-
creased access to emissions-related service information as required by
the Clean Air Act.
Public Participation Opportunities
We welcome your comments on this proposed rule. For instructions on
submitting written comments, please see the Federal Register Notice.
You may submit written comments to EPA up to 60 days after the pro-
posed rule is published in the Federal Register, A Public Hearing will be
held 30 days after publication in the Federal Register at the Holiday Inn,
North Campus, Ann Arbor. MI. Materials relevant to this rulemaking are
available from the EPA Air Docket by calling 202-260-7548; please refer
to Docket No. A-2000-49. In addition, you can access the proposed rule
and related documents electronically on the Office of Transportation and
Air Quality (OTAQ) Web site at:
http: www.epa.gov otaq vehserv.htm
For More Information
For further information on this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, please
contact Holly Pugliese at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Transportation & Air Quality
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(734)214-4288
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