WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan movement advocating Americans’ right to repair their own phones, cars and tractors is gaining momentum in state legislatures across the country — and now in Congress, too.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat who was elected last year to represent Southwest Washington and co-owns an auto repair shop with her husband, has supported two bills that would give consumers and independent repair shops access to the parts, tools and data needed to repair cars at lower costs. She said a trend toward proprietary parts and throwaway products has raised costs and hurt small businesses.
“This is a critical piece of not just supporting the trades, but also who we are as Americans,” she said. “Our cultural heritage is really founded in people that believe in self-sufficiency, that we’re not consumers. We were a nation of producers and we are losing that rapidly. The things that are being made now are increasingly designed to be disposable and not repairable.”
Modern cars and trucks include computers and proprietary parts that have made drivers more reliant on dealerships, rather than independent auto shops and aftermarket part manufacturers that can offer lower costs. Perez, D-Skamania, gave the example of BMW forgoing dipsticks in its newer cars.