Congress debates right to repair bill to expand car repair access

WASHINGTON —

Independent auto repair shops are calling for equal access to tools and data as dealerships, as Congress debates a “right to repair” bill that could impact car repair costs for consumers.

The days of fixing your car with just a wrench and some know-how are fading as modern vehicles rely on increasingly complex technology. At Piedmont Tire and Auto in Virginia, mechanics say they spend thousands of dollars on equipment, computers, and software to repair today’s cars, but even that isn’t always enough.

“If we don’t do it, it’s because we can’t do it. Meaning the factory won’t release information,” said Robb Evans of Piedmont Tire and Auto.

Industry data shows more than 8 in 10 independent repair shops surveyed send at least one vehicle a month to a dealership because of vehicle data or diagnostic code issues.

A 2024 Auto Care Association study estimated vehicle data limitations cost independent repair shops $3.1 billion annually.

John Filippone, also of Piedmont Tire and Auto, shared an example of how this impacts customers. “We couldn’t do the programming because they wouldn’t release the software. We had to then take the car there for them to program it, bring it back, cost the consumer an extra $1,200 they didn’t need to pay,” he said.

The fight over that access has reached Washington.

The original federal REPAIR Act would have required greater access to vehicle data, software and repair information for vehicle owners and independent repair businesses.

Automakers opposed portions of that proposal, arguing repair information is already widely available and raising concerns about cybersecurity, privacy and safety.

Lawmakers later advanced a narrower right-to-repair proposal as part of the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. That version largely puts existing industry right-to-repair commitments into federal law and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce requirements that manufacturers make certain repair information, tools and diagnostic codes available to independent repair businesses.

President Donald Trump has also weighed in on the fight.

“We had the auto industry in here yesterday. They don’t want people to fix their car,” Trump said in June. “I said, that’s strange, I’ve never heard of that.”

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, says manufacturers already support consumers’ ability to choose where their vehicles are repaired.

“Automakers support right to repair. Always have, always will,” the group said in a statement.

It added that “automakers make repair instructions, tools and diagnostic codes easily available to dealers and independent repairers,” noting that more than 75% of post-warranty vehicle work is performed by independent repair businesses.

However, Filippone says their experiences tells a different story. “It’s very important to be able to have equal access that the dealers do so that we can, you know, serve our customers in a way that benefits them,” he said.

The right to repair bill has cleared a House committee but has not yet been brought to a full House vote.