Voters Overwhelmingly Pass Car Right to Repair Law in Maine

This will just result in a "new" model every year similarly to how (not car) retailers who supposedly offer price matching will often ask manufactures to supply whem with "unique" models of various devices.

All functions that a consumer could reasonably expect a car to perform without an internet connection must be operable without an internet connection. All features related to driving the vehicle, including but not limited to steering, braking, using traffic signals, starting/stopping, toggling locks or lights, opening or closing doors or compartments, and other standard features of a non-connected car must not require a network connection.

I think it’s probably OK if automakers want to onboard and support network features like maps or outsourced computation/diagnostics, but bricking everything because the company wants to collect user data and they want to opt out is obviously unethical. It’s important for these regulations to include the fact that they cannot be worked around or stapled on by the auto company post-hoc via firmware upgrades or the like.

Just as planned.

E.g. navigation. Could still work but say cannot load maps. And it could let you download maps to a usb stick if it was actually decent.

No, only features that require network connection. Which is exactly the intended outcome.

I mean, that's not so bad...

Imagine if that happened to payments.

Every single car I've driven recently (about 20 different models) had a different way of adjusting the brightness and changing the night/day mode. I drove a new, high-spec BMW recently and it wasn't possible to reduce the brightness manually - the German manufacturer knows better than you, supposedly.

Driving assistance such as emergency braking and auto high beam has caused me more problems than not. The UK has narrow streets and many parked cars - the car often thinks you're going to crash in to a parked car. The auto high beams turn off when I don't want them to, and don't come on when I do.

Keyless entry was (is?) a total boon for thieves (hello, Jaguar Land Rover)

Not sure that's the case. You're seeing enshitification here. We keep pretending demand has a lot to blame but when you see voters opinions like this, it seems a lot more like supply side market manipulation. Now one might argue Maine is an exception to the market and blah blah but frankly I've grown tired of the invisible hand of the market argument.

If truly a lot of privatized policy and practice comes to fruition because it's what the market demands then I'm not entirely sure market economics is a great model for humans. There so much consumer hostility and exploitation anymore that I for one am not a fan.

* what can be repaired by the owner using spare parts, instructions and common tools

* what can be repaired by an independend third party

* what must be repaired by the manufacturer

* when must something be junked and how much of it can be recycled

These are not "opinions". At some point we need to start calling out the criminal indifference of vested interests (and their shills) to the sustainability question

> These laws require manufacturers to provide the same diagnostic and repair information to vehicle owners and independent repair businesses that authorized dealerships receive. They also seek to prevent manufacturers from mandating the use of exclusive tools or software.

But that’s not what the law text says. As you mentioned the law is about access to the on board diagnostics, but nothing about the rest of the vehicle.

A contrived example would be that the manufacturer needs to tell people how to reset the Oil Change sensor on the car. But has no obligation to share how to actually perform an oil change. No obligation to provide the torque value for the oil drain plug.

So all this law obligates them to do is provide access to the diagnostic computers, but nothing about the actual mechanics of the vehicle. Perhaps this is legislated elsewhere.

But here in California, I can not get the factory service manual for my motorcycle. It is unavailable. Were this legislation to have been passed here, i still may not have access.

Yet that’s what the ballot summary says, “provide the same diagnostic and repair information”, but it’s not what the law as written says.

The requirement should be "all cars with digital systems will come with a on-board diagnostic computer.

The one for saab - pre OBD2 is almost impossible to find. It's called an ISAT and I only know of about 5 on the east coast.

post ODB2 there's somthing called a "TECH2" that GM used across all their lineups. They cost between 400 and 1000 dollars depending on the addons and such.

Instead, they should just build a tech2 into the car's infotainment system.

The government is threatening to regulate and require more advanced firmware security. There've been similar issues with emissions devices and security, since modification could defeat emissions standards.

It isn't clear to me that the practical impact of these bills will automatically lead to the rights that I'd want.

History has clearly taught us that socialism doesn’t work - why do we keep forgetting?