Popping the hood is no longer enough to understand what’s wrong with your car.
As modern vehicles become computers on wheels, packed with software, sensors, and advanced driver-assistance systems, fixing them increasingly requires access to digital diagnostics, software tools, and manufacturer-specific repair procedures.
The REPAIR Act, or the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act, aims to create a nationwide auto right-to-repair standard that would require automakers to give car owners and independent repair shops access to the data, repair information, and tools needed to diagnose and fix cars.
Backers of the bipartisan bill, including the Auto Care Association (ACA), say the measure is necessary because newer cars have repair-critical data controlled by automakers. That means independent shops may be able to replace a part, but they still need original equipment manufacturer-specific software and data to finish the job.
Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the ACA, told Business Insider that automakers are installing “gateways” in technologically advanced cars that make it difficult or impossible for independent mechanics to access the data they need to fix them.
The result, he said, is that consumers are forced back to car dealerships for some repairs, where the average cost could be 36% higher than at an independent car shop.
“These independent shops are up to speed, technologically, in terms of what needs to be done,” he said. “It’s just a matter of being able to access that data through the gateways that are installed by the automakers.”
The CEO pointed to some newer vehicles in which replacing a battery is no longer a matter of buying and installing the part. The car’s computer also needs to be updated or programmed to recognize the new battery, which would require sending the vehicle to a dealership.
These roadblocks come after independent shop owners have already spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on tools specific to each car company, Hanvey said.
More tech means higher repair bills
New vehicle technology, such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), has added to the cost and complexity of car repairs.
A 2026 report from CCC Intelligent Solutions, a software and data provider for auto insurance firms, said the average total cost of repair for vehicles six years old or newer was more than 50% higher than for older cars. Part of the costs includes work such as ADAS calibrations, with average fees estimated to be around $486, the report found.
The complexity of cars is already changing how repairs are done. Nikhil Naikal, CEO of Kinetic, a California-based repair shop specializing in sensor calibration, told Business Insider earlier this year that modern cars require a new kind of repair system.
“It’s going to be more than just Jiffy Lubes and Valvolines,” he said. “You’re going to need a new kind of repair infrastructure that can actually diagnose and understand what’s wrong with it.”
Hanvey, the ACA CEO, said that the roadblocks OEMs put in place could also lengthen the repair process. In an ACA survey of about 700 independent repair shops, Hanvey said about half reported sending three to five vehicles back to dealerships each month after spending an average of four labor hours trying to diagnose them.
Supporters of the REPAIR Act say the matter comes down to protecting consumer choice, allowing car owners to decide whether to take their car to an independent repair shop or a dealership.
The right-to-repair issue has also recently received the attention of President Donald Trump. After a meeting with auto industry executives on June 4, Trump said it was “strange” for the leaders to propose barring people from fixing their own cars.
A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Automakers and dealers who have opposed broad right-to-repair proposals said that greater access to vehicle data and software could raise safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property concerns.
Hanvey said the REPAIR Act addresses some of those concerns through a “parity model,” meaning that whatever manufacturers provide their dealers should also be available to independent repairers.
The REPAIR Act is still far from becoming law. The legislation was voted on by voice in February to be sent to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee. It would need approval from the committee, the House, the Senate, and Trump before it’s enacted.
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