Maine mechanics rally against vehicle repair bill at State House
AUGUSTA (WGME) – Independent mechanics converged at the State House Tuesday to lobby against a bill they say would gut November's right to repair referendum.
Eighty-four percent of Maine voters approved that measure.
Independent mechanics say the bill would strip key protections in Maine’s new right to repair law.
They say it would remove direct access for manufacturers to share diagnostics, eliminate a task force to ensure a level playing field and do away with penalties to hold vehicle manufacturers accountable.
"It essentially guts the bill and takes away any protection that people attempted to give us back in November," The Brooks Boys Owner Dan Brooks said.
The co-chair of the committee now urging lawmakers to pass this new bill, with the new changes, says independent mechanics would still have access to vehicle diagnostics.
"We just have to be careful when it comes to consumer data,” IDEA Committee Co-Chair Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D) said. “And make sure that we’re handling it responsibly."
"Right to Repair can be done in a safe and secure way,” Right to Repair Coalition Director Tommy Hickey said. “Manufacturers just don’t want to do it."
The Right to Repair Coalition says if this bill passes, car manufacturers will have a monopoly on wireless car data, forcing consumers into dealerships for their repairs.
"This is a future concern," Roberts said. "Right now, repairs don’t require telematics. But if they do someday, we’re going to make sure that that comes in."
- Also read: 'Right to Repair' proposal passes in Maine
Independent mechanics say the future is already here. They say vehicle manufacturers right now don’t give them access to their telematics, which can remotely diagnose a vehicle problem and alert owners to go to a dealership for repairs.
"This is happening right now where telematics, wireless communications, are happening in the vehicle,” Hickey said. “And neither the independent repair nor the car owner have access to that information."
"That’s the primary way of just figuring out what’s truly wrong with the vehicle," O’Reilly Auto Parts Regional Director Ryan Smerdon said.
Without that data, they say they can't fix a vehicle.