Group Wants Repair Choice for Car Owners

The Right to Repair Coalition announced legislation has been re-filed for the 2011-12 legislative session in Massachusetts. The legislation would provide consumers in Westborough with the choices and convenience they want when it comes to picking a repair shop to fix the cars and trucks they paid for. 

The Right to Repair Coalition said it had achieved major success last year in raising awareness of the need to enact legislation that would require the big car manufacturers to sell the needed repair information to local repair shops. As it stands now, not all of the necessary repair information is available to independent, neighborhood car repair shops. Formal sessions for the Massachusetts Legislature ended on July 31, 2010. Even though the Right to Repair legislation passed the Senate unanimously, the House of Representatives was unable to take action on the bill before the session ended. 

The Right to Repair legislation would ensure better choices for consumers if independent shops had the same non-proprietary repair codes as the new car dealerships. Repair shops will pay for the data, which would increase competition and result in lower prices for consumers.

As it stands now, almost every driver of an out of warranty car or truck has had the experience of seeing the dreaded “CHECK ENGINE” light come on only to be told that the vehicle had to be taken to a new car dealership to simply turn the light off after repairs were made. Advocates for the Right to Repair bill believe it’s your car, you have the right to have it repaired wherever you choose.

The 2011 legislation is sponsored by Rep. Garrett Bradley, D-Hingham, and Sen. John Hart, D-South Boston, and has over 60 co-sponsors, even more than last year.

“What this bill is really about is ensuring our constituents will always have a choice to have their vehicles repaired at a shop of their choice. Given the tough economy we’re in, we have to remember that consumers pay a lot for their cars and for repairs, so they should get it fixed where they want,” said Bradley.

The Right to Repair Coalition believes there ought to be a law protecting Massachusetts’ small and independent automotive repair businesses by creating a level playing field on which to compete. Despite a heavy financial investment in the best training and diagnostic equipment, independent repair technicians are at a distinct disadvantage because not all of the repair codes are readily available to them.

“There are 32,000 people who put food on the table by working in Massachusetts’ independent auto repair industry. You’ll find them on every corner on every main street in every neighborhood. Right to Repair will protect these jobs, the small independent businesses they work for, and most importantly their customer’s right to choose them to get their cars fixed,”  said Art Kinsman, the spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition.

Art Kinsman, Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition

Joseph Sullivan, Arlington, MA