I have to admit I was shocked to see an exhibitor advertising Right to Repair software at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, IA. This is yet another example of a business trying to cash in on the farming industries push to have the right to service and repair their own machinery.
As of currently, only Colorado has a state law specifically regarding the "right to repair" for agricultural equipment, making it the only state with an agricultural equipment right to repair law; this legislation is called the "Consumer Right to Repair Agricultural Equipment Act".
So what is Right to Repair? In a nutshell the right-to-repair movement aims to give farmers and independent repair shops access to the tools, parts, and software needed to fix modern agricultural equipment. The goal is to reduce the cost of repairs and downtime for farmers, and to promote more sustainable farming practices.
For over a decade, farmers haven't been able to fix their high-tech equipment.
Until recently, manufacturer restrictions meant only company authorized technicians could own and use diagnostic tools, and make fixes when needed.
While some states have adopted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to date only Colorado has passed legislation adopting Right to Repair for Agricultural machinery. The In the MOU agreements, Deere, Kubota, Case New Holland, AGCO, and CLAAS of America promised to give farmers and independent repair shops access to customer diagnostic tools. But this is not legally binding, something that continues to concern farmers.
What are some of the concerns associated with Right to Repair? AT STEINBAUER we like to stay ahead of industry updates, changes and what these implications can have on customers. Some of the concerns that we have raised from within the aftermarket industry, if the legislative framework is left too broad is:
There is no aftermarket parts/supplier certification process or central body for off-road equipment.
ECU flash tuning requires no formal training, mechanical or engineering knowledge. What is to stop these agents from causing other issues or disabling emission systems.
ECU flash tuning companies are already causing major engine failures, by disabling manufacturer ECU safety codes.
What training will be required - if any, to access manufacturer software.
What regulations will be put into place to protect consumers from purchasing pirated software?
Right to Repair - the industry is asking for strict guidelines to be put into the legislation to ensure that both the manufacturer and the customer are protected.
An independent repair provider or owner is not authorized to make any modifications to agricultural equipment that deactivates a safety notification system or brings the equipment out of compliance with safety or emissions laws or to engage in any conduct that would evade emissions, copyright, trademark, or patent laws.
But who will enforce this? Over the past 3 years the EPA has been provided with information on ECU flash tuners currently engaging in emission deleting on agriculture equipment. To date, no action has been taken.
Right to Repair is essential regulatory framework to protect customers from exorbitant OEM parts costs and lack of available technical staff at the OEM dealer level, often resulting in costly downtime. Right to Repair will provide access to locally owned and operated repair shops that can service new machinery, without the risk of voiding warranty.
We surveyed over 500 farms across the US and these were the top responses we gathered in support of Right to Repair.
PERSONALIZED SERVICE & CHOICE OF TECHNICIAN
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE & FOOTPRINT IN THE COMMUNITY
PRIVATE ON-ROAD / MOBILE TECHNICIANS MORE ACCESSIBLE & RESPONSIVE
GIVE THE CUSTOMER A FEELING OF BEING MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER
IMPROVED RESPONSE / SERVICE TIMES
As always, #TUNESAFE
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