Shop Press

Shop Press is the news and idea hub for everything related to working on cars and trucks, focusing on repair, technology, and wrenching lifestyle.

From the creative minds at:

FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

The best auto racing movies to convert non-racing fans

There are two kinds of people in the world: race fans and people who haven’t watched these movies. If you’re not a fan, auto racing may seem like sort of the Earth-borne equivalent of space exploration: an oddly unsatisfying venture hallmarked by astronomical costs...

A few tips for tow truck operators

At one point in my automotive career, I ran a rollback wrecker.  Those days are getting smaller in my rearview mirror and the game has changed over the years, but I learned a lot of things that I wish someone had just told me. My recovery work is limited to salvage...

Why you should add a spring hook to your toolbox

As a young mechaniclet, I fought springs often. Specifically, helical tension springs gave me metaphorical headaches and literal skinned knuckles. I encountered them most often when performing brake jobs on vehicles with drum brakes. I went through a ton of tools,...

March Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: The rhythm in your current workflow gives stability and predictability. Don’t lose it! Your service writer will have plenty of work for you soon. Lean on your focus to plow through your list of tasks, and use any down time to organize your personal space. You...

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box

So much in the repair world relies upon feel—but it's not so often you don't have sight to aid you in your work. Watch as a few Dormanites attempt to identify auto parts using just the sense of touch and see who comes out on top.

Car Talk’s Ray Magliozzi calls on lawmakers to pass right to repair law

by | Oct 4, 2022

For 35 years, Tom and Ray Magliozzi helped coach car owners through their problems on Car Talk, with the last new episode recorded exactly a decade ago. Before they were Click and Clack, they operated their own repair shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(Interesting note: before that, they started a do-it-yourself garage, a concept that might’ve been before its time.)

As any faithful listener knows, they’d often advise little tips and hacks that anyone could try, sometimes quickly solving a problem the caller had spent months trying to figure out. If they couldn’t put their finger on it, they’d send the person to their local shop, or back to the dealership. The appeal was that anyone could be helped along to figure it out, and the key was they had options.

On Thursday, Ray Magliozzi wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post, calling on lawmakers to preserve those freedoms by passing the REPAIR Act.

“As a radio host who has advised thousands on their car problems and as an independent shop owner myself, I know all too well that car owners benefit when they have more choices,” he wrote. “Congress is considering a national ‘right-to-repair’ law, and lawmakers need to pass it to protect your rights as a consumer.”

Just like he always did on the show, Magliozzi delivers a crystal-clear breakdown of the issue, interspersed with lovably cheesy humor, and it’s worth a read even if you’re already an expert on the debate. If or when there’s a Congressional hearing on the law, we’d love to see Ray in front of the microphone to talk about cars again.

UPDATE: The president for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an OEM lobbying group, wrote a response op-ed in the Post saying “Automakers already provide to independent repair businesses all the information and tools to repair your vehicle.” This is the same group that has sued to block implementation of the long-delayed, voter-approved right-to-repair law in Massachusetts.

The articles and other content contained on this site may contain links to third party websites. By clicking them, you consent to Dorman’s Website Use Agreement.

Related Articles

Shop Press Comment Policy

Participation in this forum is subject to Dorman’s Website Terms & Conditions. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
3 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline feedback
View all comments
3
0
Click to leave a comment!x
()
x

Get Articles In Your Inbox

Subscribe to receive a monthly email summary of our latest Shop Press stories.

Shop Press

Thanks! You're now subscribed.