A number of independent repair shops are calling for Maine to make changes when it comes to the ability to repair new cars.
The group is filing a petition for a referendum called “right to repair.”
Car repair shop owner Michael Higgins said as technology in cars continues to advance, he feels pushed out as a local business owner.
“Small business is the backbone of the country and of Maine really, itself,” Higgins said.
The Right to Repair Coalition said that more than 90 percent of new cars are equipped with technology that only transmits real-time diagnostic and repair information to vehicle manufacturers and is not accessible to local repair shops.
“No one wants to know who you call. I don’t care that you called your wife last night, she said to bring home from milk or whatever,” Higgins said. “It’s that we have to have access to all these modules to fix the cars properly.”
Owners of new cars don’t have the option to go to a local car shop or even fix it themselves with this new technology, Higgins said. Rather, they’re forced to go to a car dealership and for a cost.
“I’m not trying to knock them, but they charge a lot more money, they charge way more per hour, they cross every ‘T’ and dot every ‘I,’” Higgins said.
Higgins said while you can’t stop technology from advancing, this petition would help the local car repair shop business from dying.
“They’re going to need to have access to this technology, because we need it to repair the cars just like we needed Chilton’s manual 50 years ago,” Higgins said.
The petition was taken to the secretary of state Wednesday and is currently under review.
