When President Trump signed his presidential memorandum, “Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix,” he recognized a simple principle: Americans should have the freedom to choose who repairs the products they own. As the owner of Pane’s Garage in Scranton, I can tell you that’s exactly how it should work. Unfortunately, that’s becoming harder to guarantee in today’s automotive repair market.
Every day, customers bring their vehicles to my shop because they trust us to fix them honestly, stand behind our work, and often save them money compared to the dealership. That’s how independent repair shops have competed for generations. We earn our customers’ business by providing better service and better value. That’s the way competition is supposed to work.
Today, that competition is under threat.
Modern vehicles depend on software, sensors, diagnostic codes, and wireless data as much as they do engines and transmissions. Increasingly, shops like mine have to send customers to the dealership—not because we lack the training or equipment, but because manufacturers decide who gets access to the information needed to fix modern vehicles.
That’s not how competition is supposed to work.
The problem extends far beyond my shop. More than 63 percent of independent repair shops report encountering these data restrictions every day or every week, and many are forced to send customers to dealerships simply because they cannot access the information needed to complete routine repairs. Those restrictions cost independent repair shops an estimated $3.1 billion each year, and those costs ultimately get passed on to drivers.
Pennsylvania families are already feeling the squeeze. Vehicle maintenance and repair costs have risen 43.6 percent since 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dealership repairs cost about 36 percent more, on average, than the same repair performed by an independent shop. For many families, that’s the difference between an affordable repair bill and another financial headache.
Congress can restore competition by passing Congressman Neal Dunn’s REPAIR Act. The legislation would ensure that vehicle owners and the independent repair shops they choose have access to the same diagnostic information, software, and repair tools already available to dealership service departments. It doesn’t tell anyone where to repair their vehicle, require the use of certain parts, or give independent shops special treatment. It simply ensures dealerships have to compete for customers instead of locking everyone else out.
I didn’t get into this business to fight policy battles in Washington. I got into it because I enjoy fixing cars and helping people in my community. When customers walk through my front door, they’re not thinking about vehicle data or software access. They’re thinking about getting to work, taking their kids to school, or making it to a doctor’s appointment. They deserve the freedom to choose the mechanic they trust—not the one an automaker chooses for them.
This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. More than 85 percent of Americans support a national right-to-repair law because they understand what’s at stake: competition, consumer choice, and lower costs. Independent repair shops like mine don’t want special treatment. We just want the opportunity to compete fairly.
President Trump got it right with the Freedom to Fix memorandum. Now Congress should finish the job by passing Congressman Neal Dunn’s REPAIR Act with its core protections intact, not a watered-down substitute that leaves automakers in control and consumers with fewer choices. My customers deserve the freedom to choose the mechanic they trust. Congress should preserve that freedom by passing Congressman Neal Dunn’s REPAIR Act.
Marc Pane is the owner of Pane’s Garage in Scranton, Pennsylvania.