Right to (car) Repair Choice campaign

Keith Robles, a member of Wealden Business Group gave a presentation today at the group’s breakfast networking meeting. Keith buys and sells used cars, but also is involved with a local independent garage on the servicing and repairs side (as well as sales). His presentation was about the “Right to Repair Choice” campaign

Very briefly, at present the European Union obliges motor manufacturers to provide technical and other information about their cars, so that independent garages can access that information to enable them to service and repair those cars.

The manufacturers have lobbied the EU to remove that obligation to disclose information, on the basis that cars are becoming too sophisticated to be capable of proper servicing and repair except at the manufacturers’ main dealerships, which can afford the progressively more expensive diagnostic equipment that is required.

That lobbying is on the brink of being successful, so the independent garages are fighting back, through this campaign, pointing out that, if the manufacturers can withhold technical information, car owners will indeed be forced to use the main dealers, resulting in –

• increased charges for services and repairs
• longer distances to travel to get a car serviced
• the destruction of the independent sector
• car owners delaying services to save money and travel, resulting in poorly serviced cars being more common

There are arguments on both sides, but what is especially noticeable is that governmental dogma that “competition is always good in all circumstances” is again being brushed aside when it suits big business