What is Right to Repair, and Why is it Important?

It might surprise you that manufacturers of all kinds of things unfairly limit their customers’ repair options, intentionally making repairs more expensive and more difficult. When you buy something, you own it, and you should have the right to repair it, whether that means taking it to the repair shop of your choice or fixing it yourself. More and more manufacturers are restricting access to replacement parts and the tools you need to repair your devices. That’s why we all need Right to Repair!

Get the TL;DR on the Right to Repair and get the latest updates on the fight so far.

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[usb]

Recently I fixed an old Game Boy advanced SP mother that tossed it aside 8 years ago. Found it said to myself what's the worst will happen I have to throw it away and was able to repair it. This is very important for people to fix their own stuff, that SP would have been another thing to be thrown away over something as simple as a solder joint that broke.

[buixote]

Here's a simple example... say you want to change the oil in your car, but the Manufacturer tells the oil company not to sell its product in any auto repair shop, and insists that you have your oil changed by the Dealer. BMW already does this with transmission fluid. There are other considerations like allowing independent shops to access repair info, and access diagnostic tools... there's been an ongoing battle between scan tools that can talk to the car, made by companies like Snapon, and OEM tools that give better/more complete info.

[平和-vz]

Very important video, thank you!
I really hope stuff will be more repairable/modular in the future, I don't want to deal with glued or soldered on components...

[nicholaschee]

Right! I repaired my older S7, replaced the battery and backglass.

[hikaru]

Where I live there is an estate house that's getting rid of things. I saw an LG TV in the skip and took it out thinking it needed only light work or nothing at all. Sadly the panel appeared to be the problem and such a repair is beyond my skill (and getting a new panel for an old TV is difficult here in the UK let alone by Big company). It would have been a fantastic save though.

I hope this movement is gaining more traction, I have recently managed to open up and clean out my old SNES and N64 among other electronics and have likely extended their lives by another 20 years.

[lovewenwin]

You should consider offering regular items like shopping cart replacement parts. The shopping cart I've had for the last four years recently broke—the front wheel gave out. Replacing the wheel elsewhere costs over $20, while a brand-new cart costs around $45. Even a second-hand one costs between $20 and $45. I wish I could just buy a replacement wheel for $5 or $10. The cart itself is made of sturdy metal, not flimsy material, so it doesn't make sense to replace the whole thing just because of one wheel. Offering replacement parts for everyday items like this would not only save money but also be much more environmentally friendly, as it would reduce unnecessary waste and extend the life of durable products.

[mikeaninger]

The fact that New York is actually allowing this is what surprises me. New York. No Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee… New York!

[TheBossRoom]

Love this! I've already switched my Laptop from a Macbook to a Dell because of how sick I am of Apple making things soldered shut and unrepairable without paying their chosen premium. I still have an iPhone, but am definitely going to switch to a different smart phone next and cut my ties fully with Apple. Voting with my dollars.

I recently got interested in fixing up video game systems from all eras (as a personal hobby and possible side income) which led me to learn about this movement!

[denisdeparis]

Absolument d’accord avec vous. From paris France

[memoryfoam]

I'm about to set up a small side business to get me through college, just bought two of your kits so that I can get to repairing and upgrading.

[justicerainz]

Man, did this video get suppressed or something?

[sparksmacoy]

Members of the tinkering brotherhood, rise up and overthrow the your oppressors the proprietary pirates of the poorly designed product! Raise your screwdrivers and pliars in defiance and take no prisoners. Screws not glue! Spare parts for all!!!

[terrancecloverfield]

All I can do is vote with my dollar and write to legislation of those that believes in Right to Repair. We've tried allowing corporations to make the right call, they failed. So now the people will enforce it.

[ShowXTech]

I wouldn't consider Torx a proprietary screw, yes many average consumers won't have a fitting screwdriver, but you can get them in every hardware store (and is also included in nearly every iFixit kit). I would mind more manufactures moving to Torx, it's so much better than phillips, pozidriv and flat head.
But I get what you mean, there so many different special types, that are mostly unnecessary in most cases

[Paiva_Economia]

There something alike in south america?

[genericscottishchannel]

Here's hoping someone comes up with a hardware revision for the New 3DS XL, massive efficiency improvements and let us dim the screen loads

[kensiu]

You don't have the right to repair unless you 1) refuse to buy from bad suppliers that limit your right. 2) well, you don't need #2 if you oblige #1. Good luck if you did not think twice before purchase.

[BC-fywn]

Yeah, well you lost California.Too little too late, I know it isnt about money. Dr BC

[MinimaLune]

Great video, terrible shirt. I'm all in favor of the right to repair act.

[valerianardelean]

I've fixed my phones, replaced batteries and screens before, but I don't support this.

Businesses should have the right to make the products however they like and consumers can choose whether to purchase them or not.