Cars are computers on wheels now, and the bill for that reality shows up at the shop. Independent mechanics say they cannot always reach the same diagnostic data, software, and tools that dealerships get from the manufacturer. A bipartisan measure in Congress, the REPAIR Act, would require automakers to give owners and independent shops access to the vehicle-generated information needed to diagnose and repair a car.

That is not a think tank theory. Dino Pehlivanis, co-owner of Greg’s Automotive Service in Alexandria, Virginia, put the cost in plain numbers: a new scanner can run $6,000, plus about $2,000 for software. Vehicles keep getting more complicated. More technology means more equipment, and that cost lands on the shop and then on the customer.

Sandi Weaver of BA Auto Care in Howard County, Maryland, said information on newer vehicles is getting harder to find. That funnels work toward dealerships, which cannot absorb every job in a local market. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, framed the consumer point simply: owners should be able to take a vehicle to the shop they choose and look for the best, least expensive option. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, noted the same squeeze hits farm equipment, not just cars and trucks.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents franchised new-car dealers, opposes the broader version of the bill. NADA says it expands access to sensitive driver and vehicle data, could enable reverse engineering of original parts, and would discourage use of genuine replacement parts. The group prefers a narrower approach and cites privacy, safety, and consumer choice.

Those concerns are not imaginary. Modern vehicles collect location, driving, and systems data. Cybersecurity and liability are real. Treating every objection from a dealer trade group as gospel is another matter. Independent shops already handle most repairs in many communities. Locking diagnostic access behind manufacturer portals is a business model as much as a safety lecture. If the owner paid for the vehicle, the case for letting that owner share repair data with a trusted local mechanic is straightforward.

Congress has already watered the idea down once. A House committee version earlier this year largely codified older voluntary agreements from 2014 and 2015, added Federal Trade Commission enforcement, and stripped broader wireless and telematics access. Sponsors of the original REPAIR Act have said that the substitute does not match the intent. Whether the stronger language survives a highway bill or dies in committee theater is still unsettled. The current Congress has not made passage a sure thing.

The practical stakes are local. Families do not need a lecture about “equity.” They need a working car at a price that is not padded because only one network holds the software key. Farmers need equipment that a nearby shop can actually diagnose. Small auto repair shops need a chance to compete without buying a new stack of manufacturer tools every model year.

Magic does not fix a check-engine light. Neither does a press release. If the data comes from the vehicle you bought, the burden should be on the manufacturer to explain why only its preferred dealers get to read it.

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