OPINION:
This weekend, some of the fastest cars in the world raced through the streets of the nation’s capital.
The inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington brought IndyCar to Washington for the first time. For anyone who cares about cars, the pit lane can be just as fascinating to watch as the race itself.
When a car comes into the pits, the crew can make repairs quickly because it has access to the vehicle, the information and the parts needed to do the job. The crew does not need permission from a dealer to diagnose the problem or worry that using a different part will put the warranty at risk.
It fixes the car and gets it back onto the track.
Now, think about the car in your own driveway. You own it. You picked it out, paid for it and kept paying every time something broke. However, if you try to fix it yourself or take it to the mechanic you trust down the street, you may not have access to the same information, tools or parts available to that pit crew.
Modern cars are computers on wheels, and the repair and diagnostic data they generate do not belong to you. They belong to the automaker. Increasingly, so do the tools and the information your mechanic needs to do the job.