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Tommy Hickey is executive director of the Maine Automotive Right to Repair Coalition.
Mainers overwhelmingly voted in favor of Question 4, the automotive right-to-repair ballot initiative, back in November. Voters sent a clear message that they want to continue taking their cars to their trusted local repair shop, or to do the repairs themselves, even as car technology advances.
Now is the time to make sure that this demand from voters is fulfilled by enacting the law effectively and expeditiously, and Maine’s attorney general is doing so by convening a right-to-repair implementation task force. But, unfortunately, some politicians are trying to stop the implementation and thwart the will of voters.
More on that later, but it is important to note first that car and truck technology has advanced at warp speed. Our everyday lives have been transformed by data being transmitted over wireless platforms from our devices. Vehicle repair technologies are no exception.
We’ve all seen the “check engine” light or another warning icon light up on our vehicle’s dashboard. Or perhaps you’ve received an electronic message from the dealership saying you need to bring your car or truck in for service. Diagnostic data are constantly and wirelessly transmitted between any modern vehicle and the auto manufacturer, which then wants to steer you to its dealership for repairs.
And in case that doesn’t get you to their dealership, some manufacturers put up electronic roadblocks that prevent independent repair shops or do-it-yourselfers from gaining access to the diagnostic and other data now needed to fix most cars.
That’s why it was so important to pass Question 4. The new law ensures owner-authorized access to all the mechanical information stored in their car that is needed to diagnose, repair and maintain cars and trucks. It empowers owners to continue to take their car to wherever they want for repairs because they now have the power to provide access to the diagnostic information contained in — and needed to fix — their vehicle, getting around the roadblocks put up by profit-seeking auto manufacturers.
But can you believe this? Despite the law passing with 84 percent of the vote, automakers are influencing legislators to gut the law that just passed.
At a recent work session in the Legislature’s Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business, some legislators tried to claim that vehicle owners having access to the mechanical information in their car was a privacy issue. Automakers and their dealers already have full access. You own the car, so you should have access, too, right?
More importantly, Maine voted for it. The auto manufacturers likely fought this law because car repairs at dealer prices are worth billions to them, a monopoly they’d probably like to keep. But monopolies aren’t good for consumers.
Mainers put the brakes on vehicle manufacturers and Maine has now joined a growing national movement to update automotive right-to-repair laws for the modern age of connected cars. Maine’s elected legislators should get on board and empower consumers to get their diagnostic and repair information directly.
We and others in the automotive industry are working diligently with the attorney general to fully implement the law to see that owner-authorized access to mechanical data becomes a reality in the near future. That way, you can continue to take your car to your independent local mechanic — the guy with the lower prices who is closer to your house than a far-flung expensive dealer — to get it fixed.