As you would expect, his May 12 column attracted comment from many readers. Well worth reading if you are pro-R2R. Here is a sampling [Editor’s Note: It is best to read from the bottom up because that is the order these comments were posted. Also, all misspellings and damaged grammar are as they appeared]:
Jaded Car Owner
First of all, Roy, you do not work at a dealership. That was just a lame attempt at discrediting dealerships. Shame on you. As to the bill itself, I support it completely. We need guys like Masse looking out for the small guy. And the small guy includes the corner mechanic trying to earn a living.
Roy
I work at a dealership and we are told not to fix minor leaks or report them, as this is warrenty work. We are to report them after the customers warrenty runs out. This way we can get paid the full amount for the repair instead of the warrenty rate which is often much lower. So is a dealership really a good place to get your vechical serviced?
Alex
Rick W, your choice is simple, just don’t buy a car from manufacturers who withld the codes. That’s the capitalist way. If people really cared enough about it, market forces would drive the manufacturers to release this information. The truth is most "codes" are available, it’s just that garages don’t have the money to buy the equipment or training. I’d bet $1 that was the case on your trip to Florida. That won’t change with this new law.
ROB ROY
You wil probably void your warranty–I guess you must like playing russian roullette with your car–smarten up..
ROB ROY
IT IS JUST NOT THAT EASY.Hit a law button and this happens. This is a killer deal–Masse and the NDP love to bust the rules of free enterprise.. Chris you are a good wordsmith but you all do not know what the hell you are doing here..
RICK W
Alex I see you don’t have a clue. In this new age of electronics they can have engine lights go on for the most minor or major things and only the people holding the codes will know if it is serious or minor. And with many dealerships closing, this will leave some people even in Ontario many kilometers away from a dealer .The companies have put these in there to milk us of our cash, time and right of convenience to who we want to work on our car. The dealerships have always competed with the local garages because there are some things only they can fix. By making almost everything a deal item is going to raise the cost of fixing our car and giving them a big advantage. I own a new car and only bring it to the dealer because I know they are up to date on everything, but some people would like the convenience of a garage especially if they live far from a dealer. I went to Florida last year and my engine light went on ,I pulled into a garage off the interstate , they didn’t have the codes so I had to travel 50 miles to the nearest certified dealer hoping it wasn’t serious or closed. Luckily it just had to be reset. Good work Masse!
Butch
I got wacked earlier this week by having a clutch repair on my car, done by my local mechanic. The stability control light went on, and he could not get it off. He had to take it to Honda to reflash the system, cost about 60$. This is an outright scam and for once the NDP is bang on. End this ripoff of consumers. If the companies won’t play ball, make them do it for free. Good article Chris.
Communism
Now we should be told where we can fix our vehicles? OH MY GO!! This is just too out of hand now. I paid for the dang thing, it’s MINE and I should be able to choose where and who will work on my car.
Ugly Kid Joe
I am all for consumer freedom but for something as complicated as todays cars I believe the dealer should maintain them. The dealer should know their cars inside out while shop xyz will need to know ALL cars inside out. Specialized versus Jack of All Trades. I trust my dealer over shop xyz. I brought my car to a local mechanic for a valve adjustment. When they were done the car was noisier than when I brought it in. Had to go back to the dealer to quiet them back down. For basic maintenance any mechanic should be fine. For things that require computer diagnostics it’s back to the dealer for me.
Alex
So take away service customers from the dealerships and how will they make their money? They will have to raise prices on new car sales to make up the lost revenue. So owners of used cars get a break (theoretically) on repair costs while new car owners will take the hit. Sounds like another NDP Robin-Hood scheme to me.
Andrew
Well written article. If the manufacturers are given the freedom to with hold this information, you can bet your last dollar ( and I wouldn’t do that cause you’ll need it for car repairs) that dealership labour rates will skyrocket!
Tom
Excellent article and the most compelling reason I have seen in recent months to buy a GM product. Shame on any manufacturer who uses these sort of tactics to force consumers to use certain shops for repairs and maintanence. Coercion will always bite you in the butt.
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