The days of the shade tree mechanic are gone. Due to technological advances our vehicles (personal or industrial) have more electronic sensors and parts on them now, that cannot be easily diagnosed and repaired. Companies (mainly on the agricultural side ), like John Deere, retain property rights on all diagnostic programs for any and all equipment they sell. Sometimes companies and farms have to wait weeks for a dealership to send out a technician with the proper computer and computer program just to diagnose a simple code. To a small company or a small farm outfit… this down time can be financially dramatic to the business.
I propose that companies that utilize specific programs to repair/diagnose faults, codes or replace faulty parts, must also include free and unvetted access to these computer programs upon purchase of the vehicle/equipment, for a reasonable, one time fee, to include all of the programs, apps and access to all future software downloads/updates without restriction or monetary subscription.
Secondly, any and all mechanical repair installations or mechanics (affiliated with the Brand/Dealership or not) can purchase said programs, in the same manner, to complete or assist in repairs in a timely manner as not to cause addition loss to time or product.
Ever wonder why the McDonalds ice cream machines are down? It’s because of this very problem. A single company holds monopoly over the programs used to diagnose and repair the software in the soft serve machines.
Unless you pay the astronomical amount of money they charge to send out a tech with the right program, then no ice cream for you or your customers.
By doing this, our country could see a slight uptick in overall productivity in the vehicular, industrial and agricultural fields, along with a slight uptick in small business since smaller shops and over the road mechanics could purchase access to these programs and alleviate downtime for companies who may see long wait times for certified technicians to be sent out from dealerships.