In some ways, it’s never been more exciting to be a gearhead. We have more than a century of automotive history to look back on, and we can hop online and browse the forums and subreddits anytime we run into a maintenance issue we haven’t encountered before.
On the other hand, new cars have never been less DIY-friendly, thanks in large part to telematics-gated diagnostics. This is what right-to-repair legislation aims to correct.
New Diagnostics Tech Locks Us Out Of Fixing Our Own Cars
OBD-II scanner with error code for evaporative emission control system1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics Know/YouTube
To start with, let’s define telematics-gated diagnostics. It basically means that, instead of using OBDII scanners to diagnose mechanical problems, diagnostics are now hidden away in an over-the-air system, which can be locked down by the automaker. This means that if, for instance, Toyota decides it doesn’t want you, or your preferred independent mechanic, tinkering around with your new Land Cruiser, the automaker can simply block you out.
Stellantis uses a Security Gateway Module which is said to be for cybersecurity, but which restricts aftermarket diagnostics tools from accessing vital ECU data.
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Volkswagen calls their security gateway “Component Protection.” This system restricts access to any and all diagnostic functions, unless you’re using tools registered and authenticated through Stellantis. Just clearing a fault code, something that should only take a few seconds, can mean waiting for someone with VW credentials to take care of it.
A Tiguan owner in the r/Volkswagen subreddit reported installing a salvaged radio system, only to be unable to operate it without paying a VW dealer to run the “Function Enabling System” to clear it.
Why Is Everything A Subscription These Days?
2026 Honda Civic Si infotainment systemHonda
It’s not hard to imagine the effect this has on consumer rights. Automakers can effectively hold your car hostage. You already paid around $50,000 for the purchase, and you’re paying for maintenance, fuel, insurance, and interest on the car loan. And now the dealer tells you that you can’t even clear an engine code without paying for a proprietary subscription.
In fact, that’s exactly what brands like General Motors and Honda have done, holding diagnostics information behind a paywall via subscription-based platforms. It doesn’t take a consumer rights lawyer to see how this goes against the spirit of personal car ownership.
Massachusetts And Maine Were Ahead Of The Curve On Right-To-Repair
2007 Million Mile Nissan Frontier with its owner checking the oilNissan
Consumer advocacy groups, lawmakers, and concerned citizens have campaigned for legislation to help combat the effects of telematics-based diagnostics. The first right-to-repair law was passed in 2012 in Massachusetts, requiring manufacturers to sell owners and repair shops the same diagnostic and repair information made available to dealers.
In Maine, Title 29-A, passed in 2023 and took effect in early 2025. It ensures access to diagnostic systems by owners and independent repair facilities, without the need for approval by the automaker, and automakers must “make available for purchase” any specialized diagnostics tools and software. Cars produced after 2018 require an “on-board diagnostic and repair information system, integrated and entirely self-contained within the vehicle”.
Some States Are Following Suit, Others Aren’t
To go over some battles in the fight for right-to-repair.
- California passed a right-to-repair law in 2021, requiring manufacturers to provide consumers and repair shops tools, parts, documentation and software on “all devices that cost $50 or more”. Exceptions are made where safety is an immediate concern, and for out-of-production devices.
- Colorado has a right-to-repair law that covers electronic devices, but not motor vehicles.
- Minnesotans, likewise, have the right to repair things like smartphones and toasters, but not necessarily cars.
- Oregon passed a right-to-repair law in 2024, Unfortunately, it does not cover automobiles. However, Oregon does have a law in place preventing insurers from restricting your choice of repair shop.
- Wisconsin has not yet passed a comprehensive right-to-repair law. SB129 aimed to bar manufacturers from “employing certain barriers that impair the ability” of owners and independent shops from fixing cars, but the bill was shot down in early 2026.
If you’re hoping that a few states like Maine and Massachusetts can make a difference in the same way that, for example, California’s emissions regulations have affected the entire industry, keep hoping. CARB-compliance means changing your products at a mechanical level, while allowing right-to-repair only in the states where it’s mandated could be as simple as swapping a one and a zero somewhere in the software code.
The Repair Act Could Make Every Driver’s Life A Little Easier
Rear Differential service shot
Honda CR-V rear differential drain (Source: Vortex Garage/YouTube
Ultimately, what we really need is something at a federal level to ensure right-to-repair no matter where you live. This is what the Federal Repair Act (HR 1566/S 1379) addresses.
The intention of the Repair Act, as stated in the text of the bill, is to “ensure consumers have access to data relating to their motor vehicles, critical repair information, and tools, to provide them choices for the maintenance, service, and repair of their motor vehicles, and for other purposes.”
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The Repair Act is bipartisan, with support from more than 30 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle. The Senate has read the Act twice, and referred it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. And from there, we’re all playing the waiting game. In the meantime, it’s important to fight for right-to-repair at a State level.
President Trump has vowed support for right-to-repair, but, at the moment, there’s no telling if or when the Repair Act will pass into law, so we need to act locally for the time being.
Right-To-Repair Can Be Measured In Dollars And Cents
2026 Volkswagen Golf R engineVolkswagen
To some extent, this can all come off as a bit intangible. That is, we may believe in a consumer’s right to repair their own belongings. But are we just talking a matter of principle here?
Well, no. We’re talking about money in your pocket. JD Power reported in its latest Consumer Satisfaction Index (CSI) survey that aftermarket repair shops average 1.61 hours of labor for a typical fix, while 62% of aftermarket shops take less than an hour for the same task. In 2024, JD Power’s Canadian CSI survey found that drivers were paying around $465 a visit at the dealer, compared to just $262 at an aftermarket shop.
Even if you’re under warranty, that’s still time out of your day.
It’s Always A Good Idea To Fight Monopolization
Mitsubishi Dealership showroomMitsubishi
What automakers aim to do in blocking at-home and aftermarket garage maintenance is ensure a monopoly on repair. Even if automakers were better at this than independent garages (and the survey shows that they’re not), the lack of meaningful competition means that we have to pay whatever the dealer says, without the option to shop around for a better deal.
At the moment, dealers still lead on trust, according to JD Power, and they’re getting better at timely, cost-effective repair. But independent dealers still have the lead in getting you in and out of the shop quickly, and at a fair price. Then there are owners who prefer to do basic fixes at home, and would rather invest an afternoon of elbow grease than a few hundred dollars in maintenance bills.
Without the right to repair, these alternatives are taken off the table. It’s the dealer’s way or the, well… not the highway, because you can’t actually drive a car that hasn’t been repaired.
The whole idea of the free market is for companies to compete for our dollars. If Honda and Ford and Toyota have the right to restrict how we choose to maintain our own property, then we’re giving up a critical aspect of our freedom as car owners (and as Americans for that matter).
Stay Informed On Your Right To Repair
The best thing you can do, as an individual, is to know your rights at a state level. The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks right-to-repair on a state-by-state basis, so you can keep up with any legislation in your neck of the woods that needs your support.
Sources: Congress.gov (S. 1379), Congress.gov (HR 1566), NCSL, r/Volkswagen, Consumer Reports (Colorado), Consumer Reports (Minnesota, California), Consumer Reports (Oregon), Maine Public.
