ATTENTION ALL VEHICLE OWNERS...WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN...GET THIS BILL PASSED!
Rarely does congressional or state legislation affect me so directly. NEVADA BILL SB 379 “The Right to Repair Act” affects my livelihood, and every automobile owning citizen in my state. PLEASE DEMAND OF YOUR LEADERS THAT THEY PASS THIS BILL INTO HARD LAW.
Nevada State Senator Warren Hardy (R), Las Vegas has introduced a bill into Nevada Legislature that will make it MANDATORY that manufacturers of motor vehicles provide to consumers, independent repair garages and facilities, and the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs the necessary information vital to diagnose, service, or repair a particular vehicle.
I own two garages, (one that services big rigs, and one that services pickups). We have been in business for 5 years. We constantly battle with OEM dealerships over appropriate information vital to repair YOUR vehicles. For those that own big rigs…this is your life. It IS YOUR TRUCK THAT PAYS YOUR MORTGAGE. For many of my other fleet customers, the fleets you own are the lifeblood of YOUR company. For my “average Joe” clients that just happen to own a pickup (or a car)…YOU TOO…NEED THE HELP OF A QUALIFIED HONEST MECHANIC to keep your own vehicle on the road.
Being a “Mom & Pop” shop for years now…we realize the aggravation and frustration of BEING FORCED to take your vehicle to the dealership for repairs. Don’t ask me why, but dealerships tend to have the poorest customer service and the highest prices in any given town. Almost every customer I’ve ever had has voiced VERY STRONG, EXPLETIVE OPINIONS of their bad experiences at dealerships, and has expressed the desire to NEVER have to go there again for repairs.
Most savvy vehicle owners know that in today’s world…your vehicles have computers in them. These are devices which control almost every aspect of a vehicle’s operation. When your vehicle is not working properly, and you take it to the garage for repair, the mechanics must scan your vehicle’s computer to find out where the problem lies. Dealerships and independent garage owners alike have expensive scan tools to find out what the problem is. These scan tools cost anywhere from $2500 to $8000. Different makes, models, and brands of vehicles require different software, attachments, “keys”, etc. to find out what your problems are.
I own three different scan tools, and pay huge premiums to keep them updated and available for all my customers’ needs. HOWEVER…there are a few drawbacks. IF you are an independent garage…you are ONLY ALLOWED TO HAVE SO MUCH INFORMATION. We can fix a LOT OF YOUR PROBLEMS…BUT…as an independent, SOME INFORMATION is withheld. There are some things within a particular vehicle’s composure that ONLY THE DEALERSHIP can have access to. Dealerships hold this valued information in their possession like it was the Holy Grail. They do this BECAUSE THEY KNOW…that as shitty as their performance is as a service vendor to the general public, no matter HOW BADLY a consumer may NOT want to use their facility…THEY HAVE TO, because in some instances…they are the only choice.
The Nevada Right To Repair Act (Bill SB 379) will make it MANDATORY that all OEM dealers give ANYONE WHO OWNS A SCAN TOOL the right to have access to EVERY COMPUTER CODE AND ALL DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION NECESSARY to repair your vehicle.
Now, what this means is a bit of absolute freedom for any person that owns a car. Aftermarket scan tools are increasingly coming available on the open market that even a private vehicle owner can operate…thus eliminating some need to go to a garage in the first place. The other thing to keep in mind here is that NOW (if the law passes), your favorite mechanic in your neighborhood Mom & Pop shop, can give you ABSOLUTE FIVE STAR SERVICE, and you never have to go back to your overpriced dealership and wait three weeks to even make an appointment again!
THE OEM DEALERS ARE WRITHING WITHIN THEIR OWN SNAKE SKIN over this bill proposed before the Nevada legislature. I’m NOT! I think it’s WONDERFUL! I know this…Yes, there are more and more “self help tools” coming on the market all the time that will allow people to repair their own vehicles, therefore they will NOT NEED ME. However, many men / women don’t have any knowledge of vehicles, DON’T want to get dirty, and DON’T have the TIME or MONEY to invest in the do-it-yourself thing. I can be of service to those people.
I RUN HONEST BUSINESSES. MY SERVICE TO MY COMMUNITY TO KEEP ANY CUSTOMER’S VEHICLE RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND PROFICIENTLY IS WHY I DO WHAT I DO…PERIOD. I look at it this way…If American Truck & Trailer Repair, Inc. (big rig shop), or Dynamic Diesel, Inc. (pickup shop) EVER LOSES A CUSTOMER TO ANOTHER SHOP…it’s nobody’s fault but MINE. We provide a quality service with labor rates in most instances $10-$14 per hour UNDER many others in town, and WE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR RIDE.
I’m not worried about “the knowledge everybody ELSE will have” if this bill passes. I look at it as a fair and necessary passage of law to make it a fair playing field for everyone involved. IF ANY BUSINESS OWNER IS EVER WORRIED about “what the other guy next door” may know that you don’t know…your problems are immediately and certainly internal, not driven by the availability of software.
I actually feel a bit sorry for folks when their vehicles are “really sick” and their bills run into the several hundred or thousand dollar range. Let’s face it…we have to have our vehicles to survive, but it’s NEVER pleasant when major problems come about and you as the consumer have to make the choice to spend you entire savings account to “fix it”, or buy a new vehicle…which again, takes you back to the dealer if you have to buy new.
There ARE STILL businesses out there that consider YOU as the same person as ME when it comes to spending YOUR money. We try each and every day that we’ve been in business to do an excellent job at the fairest price we can to keep the doors open, and we intend to keep doing so. Write your congressman if you own a car, pickup, or truck. This is truly a bill that is BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE…
Don’t JUST take my word for it. PLEASE…scroll down my LEFT side bar on this blog until you reach the “Download COOL files” black box. SB379 is in the window. Click on SB379, and download the actual bill SB379 (a downloadable .PDF file) to read all of its content to study on your own. This is a law worth passing, for all of our sakes. |
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