03-03-2025
Right To Repair Bill Comes Before Congress Yet Again
Read the full story on The Auto Wire
For years, certain forces in the auto industry have been toiling away to get some sort of Right to Repair law passed on the federal level. While that hasn't happened yet, there's another shot with the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act before Congress again. This is the sort of law enthusiasts, most people in the industry, and average car owners should be pushing to the REPAIR Act would do is allow private car owners and small shops to keep repairing vehicles by guaranteeing they have access to maintenance and repair info. For a long time, different automakers have been trying to argue that giving access to that information constitutes a safety risk, copyright violation, or anything else they can dream up.
That would mean with newer cars everyone would possibly have to go to dealerships or maybe some really big repair shops instead of wherever they'd like to have their vehicle fixed. With less competition, prices for repairs and even basic maintenance would undoubtedly skyrocket.
This bill is sponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats, so it has bipartisan support. Whether or not it has enough to pass the House and Senate is another question. If everyone voices enough support, it probably would.
The bill would also block automakers from stopping aftermarket parts companies from making cheaper components. More expensive parts and higher rates at repair shops would be crippling for a lot of vehicle owners, especially with how inflation has already hit families in the gut.
To allow all shops the ability to repair any vehicle, automakers would be required by law to have a standardized access platform for car-generated data. Such a thing still doesn't exist and it's becoming a problem.
It seems like every so often the push for a Right to Repair bill comes up, yet nothing ever comes of it. That's a source of frustration for enthusiasts, DIYers, small shops, etc. After all, without such a law, the risk of being forced to go to a big corporate repair facility, like a dealer service department, and shell out big money for things that should be easy to fix at home is sadly high.
Image via cottonbro studio/Pexels
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