Modern cars are highly complex, extremely digital objects. So much so that even simple repairs often need special data and tools that independent mechanics are currently having trouble accessing. It’s a big issue known as “right to repair,” and it goes beyond automobiles, as a similar fight is also going on concerning consumer electronics such as the phone you’re probably reading this on.
Speaking to Fox 8 Live, an independent auto mechanic of 30 years in Maryland said working on cars today is “totally different” than it used to be and that even something as simple as resetting a maintenance light often requires special, professional tools. Do independent shops have those tools?
The answer to that question likely varies depending on the shop and tool we’re talking about, but “yes, but with limits” seems to be the honest verdict. Sometimes those limits exist as, well, limits, and sometimes they exist as paywalls that are simply too high for smaller operators to get over.