You don’t have to be an ace mechanic to notice our cars have become increasingly computerized with every passing model year. Beginning in the late 1990s, manufacturers began integrating computer software into the car infrastructure. Now, computers monitor everything from tire pressure to engine temperature and throttle position.
All this sophistication makes cars safe, but it’s a headache for independent repair shops to keep up with. Art Kinsman, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, said some mechanics fall behind, and not for lack of trying.
“We’ve talked to more than two thousand repairers,” Kinsman said. “They’ve had difficulties at times getting all the information they need, even though they’ve made considerable investments in tooling and training.”
Each year, mechanics supplement their years of experience with vital software updates from major car manufacturers. That information isn’t free, and it isn’t always easy to find, according to Kinsman.
Various bills have circulated in the Massachusetts legislature seeking to make car repair easier, but each so-called “Right to Repair” bill has stalled. In the meantime, the Right to Repair Coalition collected enough signatures to bypass the process at the Statehouse and put the question directly to voters.
The ballot question, if passed, would compel big manufacturers like Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen to create a single online source with car repair information, available to mechanics and dealerships in a standardized format. Mechanics could then buy short or long term access to the site in order to fix problems.
Dan Gage, spokesperson for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, was dubious about the benefit of the ballot question. Gage insisted franchise dealers are best equipped to provide quality service to customers, because they’re compelled to.
“We can require our dealers to be service-ready, to purchase the right tools, to invest in the right training, and to subscribe to the appropriate websites,” Gage said.
Among independent auto shops, opinions about the ballot question are mixed. Diane Larson, owner of Larson’s Auto Body in Peabody, MA, said Right to Repair is unnecessary.
“The information is already out there available to these shops, should they choose to make the proper investment in tools and training for their employees. This [ballot question] is not going to fix it.”
Glenn Wilder, co-owner of Wilder Brothers American Car Care Center in North Scituate, disagreed. He said it would help his shop substantially.
“We do have the right tools to do the job, but [there are] holes in the information pathway,” Wilder said. “Probably 95 percent of the information is out there, but if you think all of it is available at the same level as the dealership, that is a fallacy.”
This divergence in opinion will likely be borne out at the ballot box in November, but it may be a pitched battle. A recent poll by Southern New England chapter of the American Automobile Association found 88 percent of its driver-members support the measure.
Massachusetts would be the first state to give Right to Repair the green light, but Gage warned against an attitude of inevitability.
“This not the future of autos. As we continue to innovate,” Right to Repair “won’t accommodate… all the cars of tomorrow.”
First in a series of Boston Public Radio segments about this year's ballot questions.
