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The Right to Repair Campaign

Block Exemption Regulations (BER) were introduced to give the consumer the freedom to choose where he/she had their cars maintained without invalidating manufacturer warranties so long as original parts or parts of matching quality had been fitted by the repairer. To enable repairs to be made, the vehicle assembler under BER should make technical information freely available to the independent garages.

By accident or design vehicles are more complex, access to information is being restricted in most cases by the price that the vehicle assemblers charge therefore negating the benefits that BER was intended to bring. In addition using a loophole that restricts access to technical information in certain circumstances it is becoming increasingly necessary for vehicles to be sent to the dealership.

The effect of this on the independent repair industry is that inevitably there will be fewer vehicles that they are able to repair and if the vehicle assemblers succeed in their aims the independents will be fewer if any exist at all. The effect on the consumer will be the reduction of choice on where the vehicle is repaired and an increase in the cost of repairs.