Right-to-repair bill shifts control from dealer to owner

[funky49]

http://www.patriotledger.com/opinions/x1916876377/COMMENTARY-Right-to-repair-bill-shifts-control-from-dealer-to-owner

It is a long-running battle that most consumers are unaware of as their local mechanics quietly struggle to locate those codes against a determined auto industry unwilling to part with them.

Massachusetts is now poised to solve this problem and car-driving consumers should pay attention this fall when the Massachusetts Legislature takes up landmark legislation that would force manufacturers to respect the right of consumers to access their own repair information.

The legislation, known as Right to Repair, is seen by car manufacturers as a threat to the lucrative service business in their dealerships and they are massing their lobbyists on Beacon Hill in an effort to defeat it.

Pretty cool. Maybe it will bring down stealership repair pricing which brings down the local shops pricing? Competition, yay!

[Miracleman]

no shit.
my engine light has been on forever, but can't bring myself to pay 75-100 bucks to find out what it means.
when the car explodes I'll know it REALLY has a problem.

[funky49]

i think you can go to Discount/Advance Auto Parts and they'll tell you what the diag code means.

[micksimmonds]

Yeah Autozone will read the code and give you a printout, go home and google it, and save you some cash :-)

[sirmatt]

Spencer,

Yeah, I made the investment in one of these (or something extremely similar, including price) a few years back when my wife's car (at the time my car) came up check engine:

http://www.amazon.com/Check-Engine-Scanner-Trouble-Reader/dp/B000LEPT5G/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1253418899&sr=8-7

It has saved us hundreds if not a thousand plus...I am able to tell the repair shop what the problem is, but more importantly, I am able to SEE what the problem is before I even go there. Twice it has been the O2 sensor (a screw out-screw in part) has been faulty. A $7 fix and a little engine dirt on my hand versus...who knows $50-70 at car repair shop?

The last time I got a Check Engine light (first time in a very long time), it was some minor code which I zero'ed out (all the hand scanners let you do that...zero out the code) and it hasn't come back. But it would have been a $50 diagnostic "right off the bat." So I consider it a great investment if you have an older or slightly older vehicle (just like AAA is a great deal for those same vehicles).

- Matt

[HammysHangout ( Hammy )]

i own scanner too.. i bought one years ago..

but you need to understand how the computer thinks..

It maybe giving you one code, but there maybe 6 cuases for that one code...

my friend google'd the code, and searched high and low to fix "exhaust leaks" and "bad o2 sensors" and "spark plugs" etc,etc,etc,.. 

I go over there, look under hood, and plug in a small connector he had "unplugged" when he changed valve cover gaskets.

knowing what the code is half the battle, understanding how to fix it is a whole nother battle..

My cougar has a fully programmable engine and transmission computer .. talk about fun... one wrong number, and your fuel economy goes to pots...

(fyi.... The Auto Industry are crookes... most computers can be tuned to improve gas mileage and performance...)

[funky49]

I've heard some bad stuff about the latest model Cougar. Tough and expensive to repair.