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
“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
The
ballot question
Dan Gage, spokesperson for the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
“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
“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
“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
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.