Editorial

Repairing own car a basic right

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Car Talk guys on public radio had a point when they wrote the book, "Why You Should Never Listen to Your Father When it Comes to Cars," noting that things like electronic ignition, fuel injection, anti-lock brakes and a myriad of computer-related issues have changed everything since old Dad learned how to change the oil on his '57 Chevy.

Still, knowing how to keep the family car running is an important rite of passage, something a father can pass on to his son -- provided Dad keeps up with the latest technology.

That's just what the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2057) is designed to do. The legislation will prevent car manufacturers from denying access to repair information, computer codes, tools and software needed by car owners and their neighborhood repair shops to repair late model vehicles.

Yes, car companies have a legitimate need to see that their vehicles are properly repaired and maintained. Toyota's troubles are a good example of the need for companies to maintain a relationship with their product and customers.

But, especially once the warranties are up, vehicle owners should be able to obtain the tools and information they need to keep their cars on the road, or be able to take them to the mechanic of their choosing.

Cars are basically the same today as they were when Karl Friedrich Benz first rolled out his four-cycle, gasoline internal combustion engined, three-wheeled vehicle in 1885. Hybrid, electric -- or who knows, fuel cell or hydrogen -- cars on the horizon promise to completely change the car repair business.

But the right to maintain and repair our own personal transportation seems to us to be a basic American right.

More information is available at www.righttorepair.org or http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2057:

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