Massachusetts passed a right to repair law in 2014 and amended it for 2022, but the auto manufacturers are fighting against it. What it does is force auto manufacturers to sell the same repair information and tools to standard shops as they sell to the dealer shops.

Many years ago, you could take your car to the shop of your choice and they would be able to repair it. With today's much more sophisticated vehicles, you must have computer codes, specialized tools, and even detailed schematics from the dealer. The dealer sells you the vehicle, but has kept the proprietary technology needed to run your car.

In other words, you don't own a running vehicle, just the basic parts.

To keep it running, you need to take it back to an approved dealer shop until the manufacturers feel like it's old enough that they can release the technology. This allows them to charge more for every part and repair because your repair shop down the street isn't able to fix it.

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Then, Massachusetts passed a right to repair law. It allows every shop to have the opportunity to buy the same technology if they want to repair a vehicle. This should lower prices for the consumer, right? Probably not.

The manufacturers still have the right to set the price on these tools and schematics, and you'll still need to buy the parts through the dealership. It does put the power in the hands of the consumer, though.

With everyone having to keep their cars longer in today's economy, maybe it would be better to have a right to repair law in Texas. What are your thoughts?

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