THANKS TO THE BOSTON HERALD FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF RIGHT TO REPAIR

Pretty simple fix

The “right” for an independent mechanic to repair any car that drives into his garage is hardly enshrined in the Constitution. Still, the pending “right to repair” bill that would give mom-and-pop shops access to the same repair information that dealers have (for a price) is in the interest of Bay State consumers. The Senate has passed the bill; the House should, too.

Certainly a car manufacturer has the right to require that a vehicle still under warranty seek repairs at a dealer shop.

But that mandate shouldn’t live on after the warranty expires, and that is effectively what happens when manufacturers are stingy with repair information on today’s ever-more complicated new cars.

Independent shops complain that, while they can subscribe to manufacturers’ repair Web sites, the most detailed information and computer codes are often withheld. (A task as simple as turning the “check engine” light off after a repair is complete requires a code.) That can limit consumers’ ability to shop for the best price by forcing them to go to higher-cost dealers.

Manufacturers don’t want to give up proprietary information and fear that the law would lead to the overseas sale of aftermarket tools. But supporters of the bill say there are sufficient protections built in. It would be helpful if the two sides could negotiate a compromise; without one, consumers need the protection of competition.

Trust between legislators, voters beyond Repair

By Joe Fitzgerald  |   Monday, August 2, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

By now it ought to come as no surprise when so-called public servants stick it to us, but Bobby DeLeo’s performance this weekend, allowing the Right to Repair bill to die, was as much of a slap in our face as John Kerry’s opulent boat.

Here was a chance for legislators to strike a blow for virtually every household in the commonwealth, giving consumers the widest range of options in obtaining automotive repairs.

Since cars are second only to homes in costly possessions, it should have been a no-brainer, a chance to be the little guy’s champion in his battle against the wiles and greed of corporate America.

As issues go, that’s as bread-and-butter as it gets.

More and more, auto manufacturers are attempting to eliminate competition from independent repair shops by shutting off the flow of essential technical data, creating a monopoly for themselves. 

“A lot of these garages have been in the same neighborhoods for generations,” Paul Sullivan of Sullivan Tire points out. “They’re local guys who know their customers. But now they’re being forced to turn away those customers because they’re unable to obtain the information they need. Though we do our best to circumvent the problem, we’re now turning away customers, too.”

Sullivan Tire, hoping to get someone’s attention in the Legislature, took out full-page ads in this paper and the Globe, imploring lawmakers to support the bill.

Now spread over 90 locations, the company was founded in 1955 when the late Bob Sullivan opened his first shop on a dead-end street in Rockland. 

“Dad used the honor system,” Paul recalled. “He’d say, ‘When you get the money, bring it in.’ Relationships were built on trust, and we still try to be a network of neighborhood garages.

“This is not between us and the dealers; there are a lot of dealers who do a great job of servicing the customer. This is between us and the manufacturers, who’ve shown a willingness to disenfranchise dealerships as well.”

Indeed, auto manufacturers, forced to recall 9 million vehicles in the past 9 months, have shown no reluctance to put conscientious dealers out of business, too.

Pouring their resources into disingenuous ads, they even gave $20,000 to former House speaker Tom Finneran, now a talk show host on WRKO, hoping his behind-the-scenes connections would advance their agenda.

And it worked. They won. We lost.

The bill died from neglect as DeLeo, feathering his own political nest, jumped into bed with the self-serving proponents of socially corrosive gambling while ignoring this much-needed measure that would have served the rest of us well. 

Even by Beacon Hill’s shabby standards, it was bottom-of-the-barrel leadership.

We certainly deserved better.

But until we demand better, we will continue to be treated this way.