06/16/2026
This is a long video, but worth the watch, because this topic impacts anyone who owns or drives a vehicle. I will also note, this is by no means intended as a political post in favor of one party or another (we don't really care for either of them); any comments suggesting otherwise will be deleted.
The quick version, is that US auto makers are trying to get legislation pushed through that would make it increasingly difficult (if not impossible) for DIY folks and Independent shops (like ours) to work on newer vehicles. The CEO of Ford, since this video, has essentially confirmed that he thinks all work should be done at dealerships, because new cars are "too complicated" to make it safe for anyone else to do so. Remember, Ford has had a massive shortage of technicians for a while now, and for good reason (though, that's a conversation for another day). You can find his interview online easily enough. Dealerships have lost about 10% of their service business in the last few years, their most profitable area of the business, and the number of independent shops has grown ~20%.
If they are successful in suppressing Right to Repair laws, it will accelerate the current trend of new vehicles, year after year, being "blocked out" to the average person and small repair shop, without the investment in tens of thousands of dollars in equipment. This is, of course, assuming that the software needed isn't considered "proprietary" by each auto maker, and unavailable outside of the dealer whatsoever. Right to Repair laws are intended to prevent automakers from making a monopoly of the repair industry.
Here are some of the ways this impacts you:
If independent repair shops are driven out of business, you have fewer options for working on your aging vehicles. You also have fewer parts stores, and fewer aftermarket part options. This means, that if a car maker stops making that $20 sensor your car needs to run, and noone else makes an alternate option, you're SOL.
Even if parts continue to be available, you will be looking at double the average cost of an independent shop for labor (and in some cases, parts)
If newer cars are "dealership only" for service, fewer people will buy new (or newer) cars, and will opt to either keep their older model longer, and/or only buy older cars that can be repaired outside of the dealer, at lower cost. This will drive pricing in the used car market even higher, because of supply and demand changes. If anyone remembers Cash for Clunkers (where $500 vehicles became $2000 vehicles within a year), you will be looking at a similar trend. Those who already struggle to buy affordable, reliable cars, will struggle even more to do so. Those who can't afford to properly maintain their cars already, will struggle even more to do so (even we agree, the cost necessary to repair today's vehicles is ridiculous).
And if you do have an older vehicle, chances are that the techs at the dealer have never seen or worked on one, anyways, so if they don't have the knowledge to fix it, who will?
This is besides the point that many in the repair industry, tool industry, and auto parts industry will likely be out of a job (if it's allowed to progress to that point).
There are some petitions going around right now in support of keeping Right to Repair laws (a couple links below). We'd ask and encourage you to add your name, and if you come across any more, to please sign, please reach out to your respective representatives, etc. We, personally, would like to see auto repair become more accessible across the board. It helps keep repairs and diagnostic work more affordable, and helps, in part, to keep used car values at bay.
As always, please let us know in the comments what you think. We hope you find this helpful, and that it helps prompt more discussion on the topic.
https://www.repairact.com/homepage
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-give-us-the-right-to-repair?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=
