Mechanics, Car Makers At Odds on Repair Data

Today's cars, which use sophisticated technology for everything from the brakes to the steering wheel, are causing a schism among auto-repair facilities. Now, Massachusetts could be the first state to require vehicle makers to sell to independent mechanics and car owners the same diagnostic and repair information that their franchised car dealerships get.

The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, supported by groups representing independent mechanics and parts retailers, is behind the November ballot initiative. "You bought the car; you ought to be able to get access to information to fix it," said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the coalition, which predicts that success would lead to ballot measures in other states, where right-to-repair legislation has stalled.

Car makers say they plan a robust fight. "Massachusetts is really the battleground right now," said Dan Gage, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an association representing Ford Motor Co., F -0.11% General Motors Co. GM +1.65% and other vehicle makers. In the past, when cars were more mechanical than computerized, a thick repair manual might give a mechanic all he or she needed to diagnose and repair an ailing vehicle. Now, a mechanic might plug a "scan tool" into the car to read various codes that give hints as to what is wrong. But mechanics say diagnostic tools sold to nondealers don't always contain all the information and updates needed to fix a car.

Dealerships also oppose the ballot measure, fearing that auto makers that find the requirements too onerous might not sell cars in the state. The dealers also are looking to protect their own repair businesses, which have become "vital" revenue generators, said John Giamalvo, an analyst with Edmunds.com.

Supporters say "right to repair" would put independent mechanics on a level playing field with dealerships and give consumers more choice. AAA Southern New England, which supports the ballot initiative, said some 88% of its Massachusetts members backed "right to repair" in a February poll.

A trip to a dealership now "is likely to be more costly, though that's not always the case," said Lloyd Albert, senior vice president of public and government affairs for AAA Southern New England.

Opponents say "right to repair" could give independent auto-parts makers access to car makers' proprietary designs, leading to substandard knockoffs. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers says "right to repair" is unnecessary because car companies already provide repair information for a fee to mechanics. Backers of the measure say that information can be spotty and incomplete.

Glenn Wilder, owner of the Wilder Bros. mechanic shop in Scituate, said he had just changed the tires on a customer's Mercedes-Benz sport-utility vehicle last summer when the car had a "computer glitch," went into "locked-out mode" and wasn't drivable. Mr. Wilder said he was unable to obtain repair information from Mercedes.

"To free that car up, I had to flatbed it 34 miles away to the dealership to have it programmed out of that theft-deterrent mode," he said.

Donna Boland, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz USA, said "we try to make our repair information as broadly available as possible" but the company also wants to ensure a repair shop "has made the necessary investment in tools and technology to ensure that sophisticated systems…are not compromised."

Mr. Wilder said he has invested in $60,000 worth of new tools to diagnose and repair high-tech cars and could have fixed the car "if we had access to the same software."

"Right to repair" legislation has been debated but stalled in several states, among them New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut; in Massachusetts, its fate in the state legislature is uncertain, so backers are going ahead with the ballot initiative. .