Automotive Right to Repair: why OEM gateways remain a mirage

EU regulation 2018/858, applicable since 1 September 2020, requires car manufacturers to give independent operators — garages, parts dealers, towing — access to repair and maintenance information (RMI), diagnostic tools, and equivalent spare parts. Six years later, the message from independent unions (FNAA, CNPA in France) is clear: access exists, but it is asymmetric, slow, and technically deficient.

The regulatory framework from the workshop view

Manufacturers must publish their RMI on a dedicated portal, accessible to independents via a subscription at a "fair, transparent and non-discriminatory" price (per the text). In practice, portals are fragmented (one per brand), with subscription models ranging from €50 to €250 per day, and interfaces that prevent industrialization. A multi-brand workshop covering 8 brands can pay several thousand euros per month for sporadic access.

Euro 6 additionally imposed a standard format for on-board diagnostics (OBD II / EOBD). But on recent vehicles (post-2020), this standard diagnostic only covers 30-40% of functions; the rest goes through proprietary protocols (UDS, KWP2000) that only manufacturer tools can fully decode.

The real 2026 topic: connected vehicles

Vehicles sold since 2022 are mostly connected (mandatory eCall, telematic services, OTA updates). Manufacturers centralize vehicle data on their servers (Mercedes Connect, BMW ConnectedDrive, Stellantis Free2Move, etc.), and it is this data that enables predictive diagnostics and targeted recalls. Independents have no real-time access.

The proposed regulation "access to vehicle data" (sectoral automotive Data Act, in final discussion in 2026) is meant to change this. It provides that a vehicle generates "in-vehicle" data that must be accessible to the owner and, on the owner's authorization, to a third party of their choice (workshop, insurer, aggregator). But application is pushed back to 2028 at the earliest, and technical modalities (B2B gateway, standardized API, format) remain unclear.

Three practices few workshops exploit

Multi-portal RMI aggregation

Instead of paying each portal piece by piece, some networks (Top Garage, Norauto, Speedy) negotiated multi-brand access via intermediaries like HaynesPro or TecRMI. For an isolated independent, joining a network that pools these accesses can divide cost by 3 or 4, at the price of some commercial autonomy.

Multi-brand pass-thru diagnostics

The SAE J2534 standard ("pass-thru") allows using a PC + a generic OBD device to run manufacturer software in authenticated mode. It is technically complex, but it is the official path provided by Euro 6. Workshops investing in a pass-thru station (€5,000-€15,000) gain access to 10-15 brands with a single piece of equipment.

Independent-workshop ID at the manufacturer

Since 2023, manufacturers must register independent workshops in their IS ("third-party registration") for sensitive operations (ECU programming, key coding, airbag deactivation). Many workshops haven't registered, which de facto excludes them from these operations. It is a tedious admin step but critical for workshop autonomy.

The 2027-2028 scenario: EV and battery stakes

With EV growth, two new fronts open. First, the battery: its SOH (State of Health) is a critical signal for diagnostics, but manufacturers lock it (commercial policy, warranty). The Batteries regulation 2023/1542 imposes from 2027 a "battery passport" that must contain shared information, but the share scope and APIs are not finalized.

Second, high voltage: working on a high-voltage EV (>60V DC) requires specific technician certification (B0L, B1L, B2L per French standard NF C18-550). A workshop that wants to service EVs must train technicians (3-5 days per technician, €1,200-€2,500 per training), equip the shop (dedicated HV bay, PPE), and track certifications. Without this, an exclusion zone forms.