Have you ever had to repair your car with a dealer even though you wanted to have it repaired by an independent local mechanic? Well, that may change in the near future. In the world we live in today, our brains are programmed to desire the latest and the greatest of everything, including technology in our cars. Owning the newest cars with advanced technologies can add complications when insuring, repairing and keeping our vehicles safe. Automakers are developing the most advanced technology to attract us consumers. This also gives automakers a monopoly over the auto repairing market.
The Right to Repair bill addresses these complexities; it has already been passed in the European Union and is well underway in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Canada. You may always have your car repaired by a local independent mechanic, a practice that is becoming increasingly more difficult because independent mechanics may not be able to repair your car because they lack the necessary tools and knowledge of the latest technological advances. This bill will require auto manufacturers to provide independent mechanics with information required to repair modern, high-tech automobiles. This issue has been tossed around in the Massachusetts government since 2007 but is now gaining momentum like never before.
The legislation has a relatively even mix of support and opposition – the main argument from the opposition is that if passed, the bill will harm intellectual property rights of automobile manufacturers. Manufacturers will be required by law to disclose and provide auto shops with information, technology and software required to repair their vehicles. The major downside being, that external manufacturers can use this information to build similar, but inferior, products abroad, and this could have a negative impact on safety. Another opposing argument is that such legislation is unnecessary because car owners can already choose to have their cars repaired at repair shops other than the car dealers. According to the Massachusetts Auto Coalition (opposition to the Right to Repair bill), 99.8% of car owners do not have problems when repairing their cars with independent mechanics.
Supporters of the legislation argue that passing the bill will allow repair shops to provide you the same quality of service. This would make you more comfortable choosing a trusted local repair shops to repair your cars because you know that you will get quality service for a lower price. Such a bill will also help independent repair shops to stay in business and preserve jobs in the state economy. The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers Inc. and its members concede that car owners should be able to chose to repair their cars with independent mechanics and that independent shops should have the information that franchised dealers have access to.
The AIAM is concerned that the bill will require automakers to release data on vehicle security systems, which could lead to an increase in car theft. Consequently, as a car owner in Massachusetts, you may have to pay higher Massachusetts Auto Insurance premiums. However, the outcome of the Right to Repair bill and how it will affect your Massachusetts Insurance policy is still difficult to predict.
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