Car repairs: May the best mechanic win

September 11, 2009

Independent auto mechanics have survived all these years in part by undercutting service departments at auto dealers. Yet as cars have grown more sophisticated, many repairs now require access to special computer codes - which automakers would prefer to share only with their own dealers. A state legislative committee will hold a hearing next week on a bill requiring automakers to share those codes with independent shops as well. Passage of such a law in Massachusetts could have national implications; as efforts to pass similar legislation in Congress have bogged down, so-called "right to repair'' activists have turned their attention to states with a longstanding record of consumer protection. Automakers say the legislation isn't needed because there are already mechanisms to promote an exchange of information. But a law would guarantee another option for motorists who despair of bringing their fine-running cars to dealers to replace headlights - only to be confronted with a long list of suspiciously urgent and costly additional repairs. Caveat emptor.