President Trump did not sign the REPAIR Act.
He signed a memorandum called Freedom to Fix, directing the EPA to review how it handles emissions-related repairs and aftermarket parts under the Clean Air Act.
That's good news. It's just not the same thing as a federal Right to Repair law, and I want to be straight with you about the difference.
If you run a shop, here's what I think you actually need to know.
This is a positive step for the aftermarket, but it's one piece of a much larger conversation. The REPAIR Act and the broader Right to Repair movement are about something bigger: making sure independent shops have access to the tools, software, and information needed to repair today's connected vehicles.
Here's what I'll be watching over the next few months, and what I think you should watch too.
If the EPA actually follows through, you could see:
But here's the catch, and it's a big one. The memorandum does not require manufacturers to provide:
Those are still the biggest headaches for independent shops, and they're still at the center of the real Right to Repair fight.
At its core, Right to Repair is about consumer choice. If you own your vehicle, you should be able to choose where it gets fixed, and independent shops should have fair access to the information and tools needed to do the job safely and correctly.
Years ago, repairing a vehicle was largely mechanical. Today it's just as much digital. Replacing an ADAS component, steering rack, battery, or a simple transmission service often means programming, authentication, or calibration before the job's actually done.
In a lot of cases, the challenge isn't replacing the part. It's getting access to the software required to finish the repair. That's why this conversation has moved past parts and manuals. It's about whether independent shops can keep servicing modern vehicles as the technology keeps changing.
Shops like yours repair millions of vehicles every year. But modern vehicles increasingly run on encrypted software, security gateways, and manufacturer-specific programming, and that's not because independent shops lack the skill. It's because access to that software and data can be limited. That's the challenge legislation like the REPAIR Act is actually built to address.
The memorandum is focused on a narrower issue: emissions-related repairs under the Clean Air Act. Specifically, it directs the EPA to:
These are meaningful directions. But they don't immediately change existing law, and they don't create new legal rights for shops or consumers. What actually happens depends on how the EPA implements it.
Today, California's Air Resources Board Executive Order process is the main way aftermarket emissions parts get proven compliant with the Clean Air Act. The memorandum argues that process has become slow, expensive, and a bottleneck for getting compliant parts to market. I'd agree with that.
If more certification organizations get approved, you could eventually see more compliant parts available, faster certification timelines, lower costs, and less dependence on one approval pathway. For your shop, that could mean more options and fewer delays the next time a customer needs an emissions-related repair.
If you've already had to adjust your pricing because of tariffs, this is another policy shift worth watching from the same angle. → How Tariffs Impact Auto Repair Shops
Emissions repairs matter, but they're only one part of today's repair environment. The larger challenge is making sure independent shops keep access to the digital infrastructure needed to service modern vehicles.
As manufacturers keep rolling out ADAS, connected vehicle technology, software-controlled components, and subscription-based features, access to repair information becomes just as important as access to the parts themselves. For a lot of repairs today, the wrench isn't what's holding you up. Access to the software is.
Here's a simple way to think about it. The memorandum is saying, let's reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers around emissions-compliant repairs. The REPAIR Act is saying something different: independent shops and vehicle owners should have access to the repair information, tools, software, and data needed to fix modern vehicles.
These aren't competing ideas. They're addressing different problems. The memorandum is about emissions policy. The REPAIR Act is about repair access. One can move forward without the other, and honestly, I'd like to see both.
This memorandum is a positive development. It recognizes that people should be able to repair their vehicles with compliant aftermarket parts without unnecessary regulatory uncertainty, and it could improve how emissions-related repairs get handled going forward. We hope that this progress does not cause distraction from the true movement.
But it doesn't resolve the bigger issues driving the Right to Repair movement. Independent shops still depend on access to software, diagnostics, programming, security systems, and technical information to compete in an increasingly digital industry.
My advice: stay informed, keep investing in training and technology, and keep an eye on what happens next. The future of this industry won't just be shaped by mechanical skill. It'll be shaped by access to the tools and information it takes to keep modern vehicles on the road.
This is the kind of thing that's easy to miss if your CPA is only showing up at tax time. If you're looking for one who pays attention to what's actually happening in this industry, book a call to talk about your shop and your options.
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