Right-To-Repair Laws: What It Means for Car Owners and Mechanics

What are right-to-repair laws, and how do they impact you? This is the principle that a vehicle owner should be able to choose where their vehicle is serviced.

In recent years, automakers have added increasingly more complex features and technology to vehicles, which makes it increasingly difficult for independent repair shops to compete and offer similar auto repair and maintenance services to dealership service centers. The right-to-repair laws protect the rights of a vehicle owners to have their vehicle serviced wherever they like.

Do automakers do more for independent shops?

You might think that automakers favor branded service centers located at dealerships, but that’s not always the case. Automakers offer drivers a wide range of repair options, ensuring OEM parts are available for independent repair shops. In fact, all parts, service information, and vehicle data necessary to diagnose and repair vehicles are available to independent repair shops thanks to automakers. This guarantees and protects consumer choices in automotive repair, allowing vehicle owners to select the place where they can have their vehicle serviced and repaired.

What about specialty parts and services?

The aftermarket industry and community of automotive enthusiasts focus on individuals’ rights to repair laws, making it possible for owners to modify vehicles they own as a free choice. This means they can go anywhere they want, ensuring mechanics they trust are still available as part of the process.

Are there barriers to vehicle repair and modification?

The continued development of new vehicle technology brings about new barriers in the automotive repair industry. These barriers can be legal or technological, and they can hinder an owner’s ability to work on their own vehicles or seek repairs at independent automotive shops. Despite advances in safety, performance, and comfort, owners still want the ability to choose where to have their cars serviced and cared for. This is where the right-to-repair laws come in.

Increased access makes a difference

Most aftermarket modifications have been largely mechanical in the past, but that’s becoming less commonplace than ever before. Unfortunately, for most independent shops and weekend mechanics, many new vehicles require advanced electronics to change the performance, safety, reliability, and performance of a vehicle.

This means independent repair shops must have access to a vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU), on-board diagnostics system (OBD), and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to understand how the new parts will interact with the OEM systems. The calibrations must be more exact in vehicles with advanced electronics, which are becoming more commonplace in today’s world.

SEMA support

SEMA continues to support the right-to-repair laws to legislate the aftermarket industry’s need to ensure vehicle owners can meet the needs of the industry in many areas, including:

Access

Vehicle owners and the specialty automotive aftermarket industry must have access to the tools, repair procedures, and information necessary to successfully repair and upgrade vehicles. This information must be provided by automakers at fair and reasonable prices and those prices must reflect the same prices as their authorized dealers and service providers.

Calibration and recalibration

When upgrading or modifying vehicles, independent repair shops need the same information to calibrate new parts with vehicle systems as dealership service centers. This is part of what right-to-repair laws can cover and protect, ensuring these shops can upgrade vehicles an ensure they have things that work right and fit with the vehicle.

Elimination of barriers

Automakers cannot utilize technology and legal barriers to limit aftermarket parts manufacturers, vehicle repair shops, and business that modify or customize vehicles to install aftermarket parts. Some customization shops immediately upgrade the performance and features of a vehicle as soon as it hits the market and can’t do this without barriers eliminated, this is part of SEMA’s support.

Level playing field

Vehicle owners and repair shops aren’t the only ones that need access to tools and parts. The same goes for diagnostic tool manufacturers and aftermarket parts manufacturers. This means the same access and cost must be provided to these organizations to level the playing field to ensure owners have continued rights regarding the repair and service of their vehicles.

Owners’ data rights

Vehicle owners must have the right to access their vehicle’s safety and performance data and share it with repair or vehicle service providers.

Right-to-repair laws are extensive and must cover several areas of the automotive repair industry. Owners have the right to choose where their vehicles are repaired or modified and these laws protect that right.