Less repairable cars at the local garage

The automotive industry and independent garages are wrestling with each other for access to data from recent vehicles, veritable computers on four wheels

Julien Arsenault
The Press

A blind spot awaits the owners of newer, largely connected vehicles when they visit their garage for a seemingly simple repair: being told that the local workshop cannot do anything and that there is only the dealer who can fix the problem – where the bill may be higher.

Changing a door handle, replacing an ignition switch or finding what’s wrong when the check engine light comes on… These tasks are becoming more and more complex for independent service centers. All this, you may not know when you get behind the wheel of your new car.

The reason ? Equipped with navigation systems, voice recognition systems and other sensing tools, late-model cars are increasingly acting like computers. These transmit an increasing amount of data, such as vehicle conditions, fuel consumption and engine hours, directly to vehicle manufacturers. It is increasingly difficult to access this data, deplores the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA), which represents repair and maintenance shops.

“Recently, we had a Mercedes vehicle that wouldn’t start,” says Marc-André Boisvert, at Pneus et Mécanique SL, in Trois-Rivières. We did several tests, but we could not talk to some electronic modules. »

To prevent this scenario from repeating itself more and more, the AIA wants government intervention to tighten the screws on the big players in the automotive industry.

For their part, dealers and the industry defend themselves by invoking that mechanics do not have all the skills required to repair cars which have more and more technological features and that unlimited access to certain data would compromise the motorist safety.

In the United States, access to this data is at the heart of a heated legal dispute (see other text).

Loss of apprehended speed

Without regulation, the AIA fears for the future of some 90,000 jobs among its members in Quebec as well as for the right of consumers to choose to whom they want to entrust their car. The Association believes that manufacturers will direct motorists to dealers in their network.

“Your mechanic will tell you: ‘I’m sorry, but unfortunately I don’t have access to the information and I recommend that you go to your dealership,’ says AIA president Jean-François Champagne. . We also see this problem with bodybuilders who repair recent vehicles. »

Time and time again, access to data has been a source of contention between automakers and the aftermarket. An agreement reached in 2009 provided for the voluntary sharing of information. Workshops could therefore access it through the diagnostic port (OBD2 port) installed in cars and trucks. This diagnostic port is not found in all electric cars. There is none in the Tesla, for example.

In addition, wireless technology allows connected vehicles to transmit an increasing amount of real-time data directly to manufacturers. This allows them to communicate with their customers to, for example, recommend preventive maintenance. Garage owners want access to this data. They claim that these diagnostic ports contain less and less information.

“When the vehicle is guaranteed, there is no problem,” says Patrick Saint-Pierre, sales manager at Groupe Monaco, an auto parts distributor. “The issue is afterwards. This is where consumer choice diminishes. It was all part of OBD2, but the manufacturers have restricted the information a lot. »

In Sainte-Julie, independent mechanic Roony Pooch has started directing some motorists to dealerships. Without pointing to brands in particular, he says that the devices traditionally used by his workshop to diagnose problems are becoming limited.

In the name of security

The Automobile Protection Association (APA) supports the claims of the independent workshops. Its president, George Iny, believes that this industry cannot count on the “good will” of manufacturers.

“I don’t know if the customer will ask questions about after-sales service when buying a vehicle,” he adds. We must solve the problem upstream, with regulations. »

The Corporation of Quebec Automobile Dealers (CCAQ) agrees that motorists may have to continue to visit a dealership to carry out repairs even when the warranty on their connected vehicle has expired.

In the era of technological advances, sharing data would compromise the safety of motorists, according to the president and CEO of the organization, Robert Poëti. Only dealership mechanics are properly trained, he argues.

The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association (CVMA), which includes Ford, General Motors and FCA Canada, agrees.

“There is a major transformation in the industry,” says its president and CEO, Brian Kingston. When you analyze all the characteristics of connected vehicles, it requires training and new tools. »

According to him, any change surrounding access to information from connected vehicles should go through an amendment to the 2009 voluntary agreement, an opinion that the AIA does not share.

At stake, the “right to repair”

Major automakers are willing to go to great lengths to avoid sharing their information. In Massachusetts, they did not hesitate to spend some 25 million US on advertising in order to counter a referendum campaign aimed at forcing their hand.

Despite the defeat, which occurred in 2020, the association which represents players such as Ford, General Motors (GM), Honda, Hyundai and Mazda has turned to the courts to prevent independent workshops from having access to the data transmitted by the connected vehicles.

That referendum result paved the way for a planned update to Massachusetts’ Right to Repair law. The case is still pending before the courts.

According to the president of the Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA), this demonstrates the importance, for the federal government, of intervening since agreements with manufacturers seem impossible.

To protest the upcoming regulatory change in Massachusetts, Subaru decided, without publicly announcing it, to disable the wireless technology of its vehicles sold since the beginning of the year. Other types of sensors have also been disabled.

This question has not finished making ink flow south of the border. Washington is interested in the case. The question of the right to repair worries the Biden administration, and the auto industry could be regulated more severely.

In Canada, the picture is different when it comes to the automotive sector. The only concrete initiative, for the moment, is a private member’s bill tabled in the Commons by NDP MP Brian Masse last February. However, it is rare to see a private bill passed.

The president of the Corporation of Quebec Automobile Dealers (CCAQ), Robert Poëti, believes that governments should not interfere in this issue.

“I think it’s a misunderstanding of automotive technology if they’re thinking of doing something like that,” he said. The best person capable of repairing a vehicle is the one who represents the manufacturer, who gives training to its technicians and mechanics. »

In the federal government, a change does not seem to be in the plans. By email, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry limited itself to saying that it supported the voluntary agreement between manufacturers and independent garages which dates back to 2009.

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO Brian Kingston says he supports the right to repair, but adds there’s a difference between devices like smartphones and a car.

The Trudeau government says it is working on a right to repair policy, but this only applies to electronics, a response that disappoints the AIA.