Small businesses aren’t just the backbone of the Missouri economy; they’re just about the whole body. More than 99 percent of our private employers in the Show-Me State are small businesses, employing over 1 million workers across the state. Those businesses—and their employees—run on wheels. When cars, trucks, and fleets are sidelined, paychecks stall, Main Street idles, and the Missouri economy grinds to a halt. That’s why protecting the independent repair shops and aftermarket suppliers that keep us moving isn’t optional; it’s mission critical.
Today, more and more repairs rely on software, data, and parts authorizations that automakers increasingly keep behind dealer-only portals. By routing access through exclusive arrangements and proprietary tools, manufacturer-affiliated dealerships get the first (and sometimes only) crack at finishing even routine jobs. The squeeze extends to parts: automakers’ growing misuse of design patents on common collision items, such as bumpers, grilles, headlights, and side-view mirror panels, limits the aftermarket’s ability to offer high-quality, affordable replacements.
From Kansas City to Bootheel, independent shops are left waiting or forced to send customers away, which means fewer choices, longer waits, and higher repair bills for Missouri drivers. If this trend continues, independent repair businesses and the aftermarket suppliers that support them will bear the brunt—and the Missouri economy will slow with them.
That’s where the Midwest Auto Care Alliance (MWACA) steps in. As part of the nationwide Auto Care Alliance, MWACA represents more than 500 independent repair facilities across Missouri and the Midwest. MWACA exists to ensure shop owners have a voice when issues like repair restrictions threaten their livelihoods. Beyond advocacy, MWACA provides training, resources, and peer support to help shops stay competitive in the modern automotive landscape. By bringing shop owners together, MWACA strengthens not just individual businesses, but the communities and local economies that rely on them.
Our message at the MWACA is clear: without legal enforcement, even well-intentioned repair agreements aren’t enough to protect shops and drivers. Missouri’s repair community need more than promises—they need a guaranteed right to repair enshrined in law. That’s why MWACA supports national solutions like the REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566/S. 1379), which ensures access and accountability for shops, suppliers, and drivers alike.
Missouri is the Show-Me State for a reason. As late Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver famously said in 1899, “I’m from Missouri, you’ve got to show me.” And what we see is clear: nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of independent repair shops report struggling to complete routine repairs on a daily or weekly basis due to data access issues. Automakers can lodge platitudes until they’re blue in the face, but the proof is in the pudding: repair restrictions are nothing but a bottleneck that cuts competition and leaves drivers with fewer options.
And the cost lands on Missouri families. When shops are locked out, customers get pushed to dealerships, where service runs about 36 percent higher on average than at independent shops, with longer wait times—especially outside metropolitan areas.
On the parts side, design patents on common collision items (think bumpers and headlights) keep prices higher when manufacturer-branded parts are the only option. The result is the opposite of “Show-Me” common sense: less competition, higher repair costs, and more downtime for Missouri drivers.
This is a critical moment for the entire repair ecosystem to work together—and fortunately, Missouri’s own Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is leading the charge in Washington to pass critical legislation: the REPAIR Act will require automakers to provide the same repair information and tools to independent repair shops that dealerships receive. With bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, this bill is set to restore competition and keep repairs affordable for everyone.
You know these repair shops. You know the people running them. Maybe it’s your neighbor who always gives you the friend-and-family discount when you bring your car in. Maybe it’s the third-generation shop owner who’s serviced three generations of your family’s cars. Maybe it’s the local shop that stays open on holidays when all the dealerships are closed because they know emergencies happen at the worst times.
The hardworking folks behind these shops have supported our communities for years, and now it’s time for us to stand by and support them in return. Thank you, Senator Hawley, for standing up for small businesses and the people of Missouri. Now, it’s time for the rest of the Missouri delegation to follow your lead and support the REPAIR Act today.
St. Louis Area Liaison for the Midwest Auto Care Alliance, bringing over 50 years of experience in the auto care industry. The Midwest Auto Care Alliance was founded by independent shop owners, for independent shop owners, and is committed to advancing professionalism, excellence, and camaraderie in the automotive repair industry through education, representation, and member services.
