The Right to Repair

The Right to Repair Act has been re-filed for the 2011-2012 Massachusetts legislative session. The bill passed the Senate unanimously in 2010, but the session ended before the House of Representatives could take action on it.

“It’s a very simple, short bill requiring car manufacturers to provide necessary repair information, codes and tools to independent repair shops for a fair price,” said Art Kinsman, Coordinator of the Right to Repair Coalition. The coalition formed during the 2008 legislative session and is comprised of 33 organizations, including AAA, Valvoline and Auto Zone.

Currently, independent, local auto repair shops do not have access to all the necessary repair information. Independent shops are unable to make all repairs, not due to lack of skill, but because car manufacturers refuse to share certain key repair and diagnostic information for a fair price. These can be as simple as not having the proper code to turn off the check engine light in a car that an independent shop has fixed.

This forces consumers to take their cars to dealerships for repairs, which on average charge 40 percent more than independent repair shops, and limits consumers’ options on where to get their cars repaired.

The bill will also protect the consumer by requiring manufacturer safety bulletins and recalls to become available to independent auto shops, such as the information pertaining to Toyota’s acceleration problem that was originally only shared with dealerships.

“This isn’t an anti-dealership bill. There are enough cars out there to support everyone’s business. We’re just looking to level the playing field where everyone can compete for service,” Kinsman explained.

In Massachusetts, the independent auto industry supports 32,000 jobs and more than 5,700 independent repair shops. The Right to Repair Act aims at creating a level playing field between dealerships and independent shops, and will help prevent jobs from disappearing due to unnecessary loss of business.

The bill will not, however, force manufacturers to reveal trade secrets or to give away information for free. Independent shops must be willing to pay a fair price to receive the information.

"We support the Right to Repair bill because it simply makes good sense for our members, and for all motorists," says Mary Maguire, Director of Public and Legislative Affairs at AAA Southern New England. "Passage of Right to Repair will provide drivers with more affordable choices and greater convenience when it comes to car repair, and that represents a real victory for the motoring public."

One-third of the Legislature has signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, and Governor Patrick has said he will sign it when the bill is placed on his desk. “There are 50 new legislators this session, and we will be interested to see how many support the bill,” noted Kinsman.

If you’d like to become involved, visit The Right to Repair Coalition’s website for more information, or contact your legislators to voice your concern.

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