You want the right to repair your own property, don’t you? Then, you have two options. Either you call your congressman to let him know you want him to pass the latest legislation going through the house (but not the fake legislation that’s designed to water down the real legislation!)…or you try this alternative strategy. James breaks it down for you on today’s edition of Solutions Watch.
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Show Notes:
Remarks: Donald Trump Makes an Oval Office Announcement Regarding Coal – June 4, 2026
Hear Ford CEO Jim Farley respond to Trump on repairs
Right to Repair: Why You Canโt Fix Your Own Stuff and Whatโs Being Done About It
Do Ford & GM Not Want You To Be Able To Fix Your Own Vehicle?!
Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens (summary)
Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens (full study)
U.S. House committee approves amended REPAIR Act that backs 2014 MOU
It’s Over. I Can’t Believe This Is How It Ended.
Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026
The REPAIR Act: H.R. 1566
Legislation Raises Serious Vehicle Privacy, Security and Safety Issues for Consumers
How John Deere Robs Farmers Of $4 Billion A Year
Reclaiming ownership in the age of ‘smart’ machines – Doug Wilson on Collapse Life podcast
Been thinking about this for a while for all sorts of things, from printers to computers & โsmartโ household appliances.
I remember visiting a mall in Shenzhen in the early aughts, each floor had vendors for specific cellphone components. One could essentially shop from the bottom to the top of the mall & assemble your own cellphone.
I know people in China whoโs business is struggling from all the tariff / other manipulations. Would be cool to have some kind of a brand / movement that crowdsources / matches ideas & customers.
—
Hereโs a tangentially related idea:
Challenging the โsolutionsโ of problem-reaction-solutions using specifications.
(The Spec is mightier than the Sword)
Imagine a crowdsourced platform for specifications. (I remember a platform that crowdsourced idea solutions in early 2010s, cant remember name).
โExit & Buildโ is one way to fight back, but this is arduous & expensive. A parallel option could be to build specifications, rather than actual products, and use these to challenge proposed PRS โsolutionsโ. To wake people up (lawmakers, MPs) to better alternatives & ultimately steering policy / technology in a more desirable direction.
A reputable platform containing specifications for better designed tech. Eg A better way of implementing โage verificationโ – or demonstrating how a similar outcome could be achieved without age verification. These crowd sourced / collaboratively designed specifications by people with expertise could outline a more logical, less aversive way forward, thus providing an avenue of pushback against technological & technocratic assault. The goal would be to shift technological / governance solutions in a better direction, by giving local & state legislatures / policy makers / stakeholders the ammunition & good reasons to push back, possibly even to prove “why bring in these expensive, unnecessary ‘solutions’ in the first place?โ
And of course, these specs could also serve as ideas / templates for interested manufacturers.
There’s a guy on YouTube who builds his own phones in this way – his channel is called Strange Parts. There’s also a channel called Data Slayer that looks at mostly mesh alternatives to phone tech.
Thanks for the references!
Great report.
There is also what I call the Cuba model where you keep older, “pre software” vehicles on the road for longer.
A 2005 Mercedes can be picked up quite cheaply and will be cheaply maintainable for a long time.
I often skim through Mike Yeadon’s telegram channel, and since he is also a keen biker, he often reports of issues related to car/mechanics and supply chains.
A couple of recent links are quite relevant to this topic:
1. Tight regulations on the sale/use of workshop tools is creeping in the US legislation:
https://youtu.be/BOyrFus1Yus
2. Car parts are drying up. Grant, of Scottish Car Clan, has a background in automotive design and manufacturing. Heโs proposing a central repository of data matrices of parts now made of Unobtainium, which can be remanufactured, by whomsoever has a โ3D printerโ:
a) https://youtu.be/OOfS95huBnA
b) https://www.scottishcarclan.co.uk/partsondemand
Classic Corbett! Moving through twists and turns with thorough research, leading to a very viable solution. The only downside about the solution is that – in my experience – people often turn off as soon as you suggest that they can use their buying power. I wonder if there’s an inbuilt avoidance of responsibility in human nature.
I’m glad this tractor firm has taken off, and long may they thrive. It’s just sad that unless people are driven to desperation or near-poverty, they’ll just moan, shrug and keep “buying” the big brands.
Right To Repair is a huge deal.
Iโve inadvertently profited from John Deere prohibiting farmers from repairing their tractors. (I regularly pick-up and deliver John Deere tractors.) Farmers have to send the tractors back to the manufacturer for repairs, and that interferes with work flow, and negatively affects profits.
Iโm not always treated very well by irate farmers when I pick-up or deliver. Iโm a contractor, though, and have nothing to do with John Deere policies. I understand their frustration with this system.
I have a Peterbilt semi truck, and Iโm often forced to take it to the dealership for repairs, because theyโre the only ones with the diagnostic software and the tools. Iโm having an issue right now, as I type, because the local shop doesnโt have the tool to remove my fuel-water separator, and the shop did something on Saturday, and I lost all my coolant. (Because they fix one thing, and break something else)
Corbett included a clip of Louis Rossmann in this episode. Louis Rossmann has a really informative YouTube channel where he has talked about Right To Repair and legislation in the United States. (I took a break from watching Louis Rossmann during Covid because he got all the shots, even though he was actively condemning businesses that discriminated against the unvaxxed. He moved to Texas because New York was too ridiculous to try to run a business) heโs a pretty good guy to watch, even if heโs been Pfizered. Just keep that in mind.
Iโd like to buy a truck that I can actually repair myself.
I remember a couple decades ago, standing out in the driveway of my parentsโ house, working on my 1978 VW Scirocco, with my Dad, and weโre changing the spark plugs using a book of matches to measure the gap, and he says to me โthis will probably be the last time you ever gap your own spark plugs.โ
He was correct.
They are making no-frills vehicles to sell to other countries, that are not โstreet legalโ in the United States. No computers, no electronics except the lights.
Even if you buy one to ship to the U.S., the cops will impound it, if you attempt to drive it on a public street.
I don’t think the cops would have anything to do with impounding your imported vehicle. They will simply not allow you to register it. No registration; no plate, and the cops would spot that in a sec. Of course, I’m in the not-so-great, white north of cunuckstan, so YMMV.
I know a guy who owned an old classic truck. He was pulled over by the cops because he wasn’t wearing a seat-belt. It’s mandatory here. He told the cops that the truck was built without seat-belts, so no way to “wear” one and was able to prove it…I don’t remember how. They had to let him go. Bad cop, no state funding for you today.
True.
You could register it in Mexico and drive it over the border, get pulled over, and the cops discover itโs not street legal.
You may be detained and they force you to tow it, or they impound it.
“Cunuckistan”
Kirm, that word had me grinning.
You mention: “a guy who owned an old classic truck“
Personally, I see the “old classic” as the way forward for many people who despise the system.
Each region is sure to have its own guidelines.
Registering a Classic Car in Texas
https://speedingspringstx.com/registering-a-classic-car-in-texas-titles-tags-and-historic-plates-explained/
…In Texas, registering a classic car typically falls under two categories: Antique License Plates or Classic License Plates. Each comes with different rules, fees, and privileges depending on how you plan to use your vehicle…
…Classic plates are better suited for those who want more freedom to drive their vehicle while maintaining its vintage status.
~~~ Eligibility: Vehicle must also be at least 25 years old.
~~~ Use Restrictions: No usage restrictionsโcan be driven like a regular vehicle.
~~~ Inspection: Annual safety inspection required.
~~~ Application: Submit Form VTR-850 at your local tax office.
~~~ Fees: Standard registration fees apply…
…Texas has specific rules for custom builds, street rods, kit cars, and reconstructed vehicles:
~~~ Custom Vehicles: Must resemble cars from at least 25 years ago but built using modern components. Titled as โAssembledโ vehicles.
~~~ Street Rods: Built to look like pre-1949 vehicles.
~~~ Kit Cars: Must meet current emissions standards or be treated as replicas based on old parts.
~~~ Reconstructed Vehicles: Must meet full safety standards, and the model year is based on the year of reconstruction, not original manufacture.
These vehicles require additional inspections and emissions certifications where applicable. For example, a rebuilt 1967 Mustang frame with a modern engine might be classified based on the newer component….
As a guy who can’t do much more than change his own oil without getting into trouble, I’d jump at the chance at purchasing a vehicle that an average person with a set of commonly owned tools can repair with a little tutoring.
That’s been missing forever. It’s actually better now that DIYers on Youtube offer repair tips on just about anything but cars are increasingly difficult for even skilled DIYers to bust into and fix.
And THAT makes owning a car very expensive for the average person. If somebody would manufacture a DIY repair machine it would sell like CRAZY. It wouldn’t have to be a wonderful vehicle…it could just be average. But the fact that it can be fixed cheaply and easily by somebody with half a brain…that would be the big selling point and it would revolutionize the whole automotive market.
I’m not holding my breath. I know it ain’t happening.
I just learned the difference between โPrivate Propertyโ and โPersonal Property,โ (and we kinda stopped talking about the WEF) but theyโre still intent on โyou will own nothing and you will be happyโ
They want to strip average people of their personal property.
Private property, is something that is privately owned by a person or corporation that may be used to generate revenue for the owner of that property.
Like, a guy who owns two houses – he lives in one and rents the other property out to tenants who pays rent to the owner.
The less personal property that a person owns, who is forced to rent, and pay subscription fees – the more money the owners receive and control. (Itโs mostly about control.)
Owning a simple car that can be easily repaired with common, standardized tools, that runs on an abundantly available fuel source, would allow people too much freedom.
These โownersโ of society donโt want the plebs to have any kind of actual freedom of any kind.
I believe people are realizing that we do outnumber them, in the billions, and with some coordination and cooperation, we can shift things out of their favor.
I come from Ecuador, I’ve lived in the US and Europe, and traveled quite a bit around Latin America. I’ve always been amazed by the throwaway culture in the US vs the recycling capacity in Europe (which started decades before the progressive bs, and struck by the, not only survivor concept, but reusing, true innovating, and creative capacity in Latin America for decades. I don’t want to say that people here have really thought of protecting the environment (at least not the urban crowds), but we have thought about not wasting a penny. I’ve had great experiences with independent car shops, at a third of the cost of brand-authorized auto repair shops, and the same with cell phones or computers. To think that the thousands, even millions, of small businesses devoted to saving people money and making their own will be banned, gives me the shivers. The Canadian truck manufacturing solution is just what must be done, it’s a great one, John, but let’s just wait until they are banned as well… by withdrawing all parts & pieces, fake slogans to “protect “the environment, human health, or whatever bs they may come up with.
Cruzmauio,
Thanks for bringing that up. You are right – the “American throwaway culture” …to me it is like a spoiled, snotty rich kid.
I love that Latin American mindset.
I would love a car from Cuba.
Cuban taxi – Classic American cars
2:17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiTFJAFSsk
Back in the mid 1970’s I had bought a 1949 Ford 4-door sedan for $600. It ran great. No problems ever. Open the hood, and there sat mostly air with an easy-to-get-to small engine.
In the late 60’s, a girl I dated had a WW2 jeep that ran like a champ. Again, an easy-to-get-to small engine. She would take us off-road and was pretty wild running over privet-like small trees and mesquite.
When I left home at 19 my father (an expert mechanic) gave me a quick tutorial on maintenance & repair – at my request. I had a ’63 Ford 406 muscle car. I had to adjust/reset the points every week or two.
I blame the authoritarian governments that conspire with “some” industries, “some” companies, to stop innovation, remove choices, for extortion, e.g., “stealerships”. Elon has fought that concept, and invites all to use his patents. By the end of this decade private cars will be gone – cybercabs will save 90-95% of transport expense + save 20 million lives worldwide.
Elon? Like in Elon Musk? Are you for real a corbettreport follower? Sorry, just wondering…
In the US there is something called the pink slipp which you need when you “sell” or “buy” a car. The probem is that the pink slipp isn’t proof of ownership. It is proof that the car is licenced to you. The white slip, on the other hand, is proof of ownership. It gets sent to the state in which you register the car. So, now you know who REALLY owns the car you are allowed to drive.
According to AI:
In the United States, a “pink slip” refers to a vehicle title, which is the legal certificate of ownership for a motor vehicle.
In Canada, a “pink slip” typically refers to the proof of insurance card (officially the Canadian Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card), which verifies that a vehicle has valid auto insurance but does not prove ownership.
And this would explain old American movies where people raced their cars for pink slips.
Gee whiz. If you reside in a non English speaking country how do you get actual books in English? And does anyone actually read a book–a real book?
Just to add–Yes I do have a Kindle and have been using it for some years now. Lots of material burned into my brain about real history of mankind or humankind if you will that goes back thousands and thousands of years. What’s going on now? Nothing new–“nothing new under the sun.” Some of my actual book treasures: Plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare; WILLIAM TYNDALE and the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Also William Cooper’s BEHOLD A PALE HORSE, CONSPIRATOR’S HIERARCHY by Dr. John Coleman. Whitney Webb’s ONE NATION UNDER BLACKMAIL–vols 1 and 2. There is a book TWO BAYBLONS by Alexander Hislop that’s impossible to get a hard copy of but you can read it on the way back machine. Hard to read but he details indeed–nothing new under the sun.
4 books right next to me helped me think broadly: “The One Straw Revolution”-Masanobu Fukuoka, “The Virtue of Selfishness”- “Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology”-Ayn Rand, “The Most Dangerous Superstition”-Larken Rose.
Just like windows 10 and 11. You don’t own it you are leasing it so Microsoft can change it anytime they want.
Hi, James, you should really reach out to Louis Rossman, he’s doing much more than telling people to go vooot or reach out to their representatives. He has created a consumer rights wiki to list the companies to avoid, he’s also reaching out to Journalists and other media personalities to spread awareness of this issue to the greater public. You sure have differences in your approach, but I’m sure you’d find common ground and get good stuff done.
Two or three weeks ago, I watched parts of Zahra Sethna’s Collapse Life on farming and software.
I remember thinking that eventually we will see more non-software start-ups like his on all kinds of stuff besides tractors. These newer smart devices/appliances, cars, motorcycles, etc.
Right now, the upper income portion of America is feeling pretty smug. And they will quickly buy a $70,000 pickup truck.
It blows my mind as rural neighbors compete for the newest pickup.
The propaganda marketing must be pretty good.
If (or rather when) the economy goes south, there is gonna be some pain.
Those 1970’s motorcycles were great. And inexpensive.
The place I moved into has a new ‘woke smart refrigerator’ and new ‘woke dishwasher.’
By ‘woke’ it is energy and water saving.
I hate the ‘woke’ dishwasher. I used it twice and will not use it again. Once to wash and then once to rinse again with vinegar to address the problem it made.
The manual calls for rinse-aid to keep spots off dishes, and the manual stated that the rinse-aid chemical would not be left on dishes. That is a lie – do they think I am stupid?! That chemical does not rinse completely off, ‘cuz then glass in hard water would act like glass in hard water where heat-dry would create mineral spots.
What’s more – the dishwasher holds dew-like moisture for weeks. I’m not trying to breed fungi.
The refrigerator is much larger than my 15 year old non-woke frig. But it holds less food in both the freezer and produce/leftovers part. I guess they wanted to pack the insulation in order to get an energy rating.
I’ve repaired my old clothing washer and dryer several times. YouTube has some great repair videos, and people make a living repairing old appliances. I love them. Knobs, not digital sensitive ‘flat-buttons’ is my style.
Remember the old TV sets where you go over and turn the knob for the channel?
Remember when you hand-rolled down the car windows? …and couch like seats front-n-back?
Just saw a youtube SHORT yesterday on this about Amana, Tupperware, Kirby Vacuums etc. talking about they build things so well one purchase may last a life time. And why they went under.
In my life I have rebuilt, replaced, done valve jobs, etc. on a 49 Chevy Pickup, 1960 Austen Healy Sprite, some VWโs, even pulled a VW Bus engine on the street in SF, a 69 Honda 305 motorcycle, did lots of work on my 73 Dodge Van on the road and for the past 10 years except last year when I recovering from my nightmare hospital stay, I give the 318 engine a major tune up every September.
I have installed a clutch, did a brake job, rebuilt the carb and more on my 1985 Honda Rebel motorcycle the past few years.
I also have upgraded 4 or 5 mac computers including my iMac desk top and a few iBooks. Canโt do that these days with all the proprietary parts.
This is what men do. We fix things. If you canโt find and replace fuses in your house or strip and refinish a yard sale table, put new shingles on the roof, etc. what good are you to yourself and loved ones??
This oligarchy we live under with corporations being given โcitizenโ status and greed and lust for power everywhere is a very dangerous sign of our nationโs demise. I mean just why does ANYONE need a billion dollars or even dozens of million dollars. Where does it all end?
DO YOU THINK WEโRE GONNA LAST (song)
https://old.bitchute.com/video/Kykg3jVHnrU4/
@EJ
James seems to really have his “finger on the pulse” regarding this stuff going on.
Just had breakfast and watching a youtube vid on TV and it was a warning about all the surveillance subscription stuff being put on the 2026 model vehicles. BMW charges a monthly fee to use the heating of the seats, even after you already paid for them.
Cameras that watch your face and eyes and cut off the vehicle’s engine if you don’t meet a certain standard and is constantly sending reports to somewhere?? regarding your activity…GPS sites, speed if you are breaking the posted speed, stops, etc. Said it can all be used by ins companies, law enforcement (you know what used to be Police ‘To Serve You’) and other agencies.
Apparently the three top vehicles are Toyota, Ford, and Dodge RAM, with RAM being the most difficult to remove the module as none of the makers tell you it is there and won’t remove it. But the clever American spirit is at work already. Videos on how to bypass and remove a lot of the nasty stuff are coming out.
One of the joys of driving a 1973 Dodge Van in excellent condition is it is my responsibility to look behind when I back up or pull out, not some TV screen. If I leave my lights on, no bells or whistles. Only thing vulnerable to an EMF condition is the electronic ignition, but no computer anything. No ‘codes’ to read.
From an aging lady who drives a Vauxall Corsa 1.8 Diesel, that has just hit 130k miles and still goes like a rocket – can someone tell me if (Ursa Ag) Doug Wilson’s mustache is a new look for supporters of Right to Repair?
This is why the Stop Killing Games movement is also important.
You know, I find it interesting that the independent media focuses on Ellison buying Paramount, but the multi-national conspiracy involving Ellison, the WEF, and NGOs to destroy and take over anime, manga, and gaming where much more money is getting spent rarely gets talked about.
Personally, I find the stop killing games movement to be yet another example of how people do NOT take responsibility for their own actions.
As a life long gamer myself, who grew up getting CD sets of games like Warcraft for christmas, I have watched the gaming community continue to take the irresponsible route over and over again. Without fail, some shitty expansion for a game is released… and without fail the gamers flock to the newest, “latest and greatest” version of that game. Eventually, game producers stopped just releasing expansions and instead content was rolled out in patches. Games took on an “as a service model”. The real problem though is that gamers continued to BUY these “as a service” games, and still continue to do so.
So what does this tell the designers? Keep making as a service games! Hell, keep making shitty, sloppy, as a service games because those neckbeards keep buying it no matter what we make!
If gamers stopped handing their money over in exchange for junk games (supporting the junk game industry) for the sake of appealing to their addiction for outsourced entertainment that was sub par, then maybe… just maybe… the producers would get the picture and start creating real games again.
Begging our rulers to demand that game companies change they way they sells our virtual drugs to us is not taking responsibility, its virtue signaling and will never fix the problem.
Gamer Malfestus,
I’m glad that you wrote your comment.
I don’t play games and am unfamiliar with the marketplace, although for a brief period of time in the early 1980’s I sold the arcade style video games like Pac-Man, Galaga and others. I’ve always enjoyed the “Peter Gunn Theme” in the arcade game Spyhunter.
Malfestus,
What you said struck me:
“Without fail, some shitty expansion for a game is releasedโฆ and without fail the gamers flock to the newest, โlatest and greatestโ version of that game.“
That type of human response on many products in the American marketplace is almost predictable.
It’s kind of sad, really.
Humans are “consumer cattle” for the corporations.
The corporate propaganda-marketing is obvious, yet people line up for days around the building to get the โlatest and greatestโ.
There’s nothing wrong with there being some games as a service, such as MMOs and MOBAs. However, when you have situations where the game is shut down within a month of release, that’s a problem.
In addition, EULAs have been revealed post-purchase. Now the companies are required to have their EULAs up front, especially after cases that have ruled that post-purchase EULAs are null and void.
Mostly, gamers have rejected the games as a service model. These companies aren’t getting money from gamers (except from a few whales). People don’t pay for these games because they are designed to fail for one reason or another (such as a tax write-off in places like Germany). The money for the games is coming from the globalists, and they’re using their money to try to take over the entire industry, regulate out the small, indie developpers, and control everything.
Gamers are savvy, it comes with the territory, but it’s the tourists that are counted in the statistics.
I just visited the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners, MI where they have one of the biggest and best collections of old cars. Many of these cars were made by manufactures here in the States for many years and yet I have never even herd of them. The TUCKER is just one example of a car company that was put out of business because the “Big Guys” didn’t want the completion. I would recommend the movie titled “Tucker” that exposes many of the supply chain issues placed upon Tucker by GM and Ford who used many of the same suppliers that could not afford to lose contracts with them.
Anyway, there were lots of car makers that made cars that could be repaired by private owners prior to the world wars which seemed to promote Government control of everything. This idea of top down control of the masses has been moving forward for a long time, and I think that these Data Centers provide the tools to make it all happen.
BMW is an example of a good car company gone bad. I had one or two but will not own another one. They have deliberately made their cars hard to fix
Beggars cant be choosers, and a world full of people who rely on centralized systems eventually find themselves at the will of the owners of those systems.
I do believe the ultimate way to approach the right to repair issue is to take responsibility by choosing to purchase items that you may be able to repair on your own without the need to ask for permission, just as Mr. Corbett said. Cognitive dissonance will no doubt be experienced by many when they are faced with the decision of whether to make the convenient purchase, or to choose the product with less bells whistles and that requires more work on their part. Begging your rulers to save you from your own cognitive dissonance though is certainly not a real solution… unless your goals are to support the slavery system by giving them your consent first hand. Instead, do the hard work and support the people who are doing it right (like the tractor manufacture mentioned by Mr Corbett) or local farmers who grow the quality of food you desire. But additionally, get creative and take the responsibility to educate yourself on alternative methods. In the example of tractors, maybe its a problem to begin with that so much “food” (most of which is lacking in nutrient density and is riddled with poison) production is reliant on hardware, sprays and IP protected seeds in the first place (see Seeds of Destruction book, or “What your Food Ate”).
As I research various issues that are important to me, time and time again it always seems to end back up with one common denominator or one overarching answer: Take responsibility for your own life in every single way you can most effectively do so. Begging a slave driver for a more lightweight ball and chain is not taking responsibility. Accepting the fact that most conveniences come WITH a ball and chain, and that in most cases to avoid it requires effort, hard work and responsibility IS.
We can all keep making a million excuses for why we are not free, why we are held back by the state, our bosses and so on. But we will never be free until we choose to remove our consent from the systems we do not support to the largest extent possible. Consider SEK 3rd’s “Agorist Primer” or รtienne de La Boรฉtie’s “Discourse on Modern Servitude”.
For those who dont like to read, Mr Corbett has covered all of the books I have mentioned except for “What your Food Ate”. That being said, the rabbit hole of nutrient void foods and its relationship to chronic disease has linked up with the kind of topics covered in Mr. Corbett’s videos like Rockefeller Medicine. And with much noise in the public discourse being related to “save the farmers”, understanding just how horrible conventional agriculture is is a must to truly understand the solution. Lets just say, the answer is not more subsidies.
@Malfestus
INRE:Beggars cant be choosers…
In the 60’s in Berkeley I used to get a bagel on Telegraph ave near campus. I passed an older woman sitting on the sidewalk with her dog. I bought mine and one for her with lots of cream cheese. I offered it to her and she said:
“I don’t want that rubber donut.” ๐
I have been noticing for years how everything is designed artificially complicated so people can’t fix it themselves. It is obviously done on purpose and it is universal, across the board with all products.
What a better world it would be if we only had an unhampered free market. I hope Ursa Ag thrives, but I am afraid the government will find a way to shut them down directly or indirectly. If you know any farmers, tell them about Ursa Ag.
Keep watching the Corbett Report and read articles and books at The Mises Institute. Spread the word.
“Instead of a bumbling and inefficient tool of society, the radical [anarcho-capitalist] sees the State itself, in its very nature, as coercive, exploitative, parasitic, and hence profoundly antisocial. The State is, and always has been, the great single enemy of the human race, its liberty, happiness, and progress.” – Murray N. Rothbard
Great story, some great comments.
Choose and act.
My 80 year old neighbor looked at new trucks last year and said NO. He took his wicked old Chevy to the guy up the road who completely re-built it for $25,000. He and his wife ride proud.
Youtube has been a great source of DIY repair tips for me and many others who have had issues with repairs of anything in the home.
I think warranty issues and insurance issues are separate but related.
It DOES make sense that a warranty could be voided if an owner attempts to repair something and screws it up so badly that the warranty becomes void…..but then why repair something if it is covered under warranty?
Insurance is a different matter. If you do electrical work in your own house and you mess it up and cause a short circuit and a fire, your insurance might not cover the cost of repairing your home. I also understand this.
However….I think it is important that anything we buy CAN be repaired by the individual. That repair must be at one’s own risk.
The real problem seems to be manufacturers who really don’t design their product with the intention of anybody being able to break into it to fix it. It might have “no serviceable parts”. That’s a euphemism for “We made this so that when it breaks, it can’t be fixed by anybody”.
The “special tools” thing seems to be an old auto manufacturers trick that goes back decades but it’s getting even worse now. Independent auto mechanics can’t fix cars…..not because they aren’t skilled at fixing them. It’s just that the game is rigged so that the tools and equipment and information (digital) is not something they will share with the independent.
If the manufacturer is hand in glove with the repair facility, they have themselves a de facto subscription service arrangement. You can’t fix it, your independent mechanic can’t fix it….only the guys at the dealership can fix it…..and they’ll charge through the roof to fix it.
That’s the real issue here.
Are there any car makers in Canada that make cars without computers like Ursa Ag is doing with tractors?
OFF TOPIC
General Bottle Washer was playing with frackin’ matches again.
(a few seconds…or more)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66QfdE-Og0
How Private Equity Bought the World | Richard Hames meets Hettie O’Brien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRvG2kOH51Y
Secret backrooms where deals are done in private: the realm of conspiracy theories? Or an increasingly large part of capitalism?
Since the financial crisis, some of the big winners have been private equity firms. Theyโve snapped up bargains on everything from high street brands, to care homes and nurseries โ and maybe even the house you own.
Hettie OโBrien is a journalist for The Guardian and the author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself.
Companies and clients are put in debt systematically.
With the goal to take over the company. Or enslave the clients(?)
Cars are like elephants. They’re great when they run right but impossible when they break.
Matthew Parker is from Tulsa. Tulsa is a car centric city . It’s laid out in a grid of north- south, east -west ribbons of cement and asphalt. Mathew has a mobile car repair business and large you-tube and media presence. He donates a lot of his services to people in need. He is a saint . I’ve followed him for a couple a years now and am amazed at his technological and mechanical abilities. His kindness to strangers is unparalleled … He has helped so many people.
https://youtu.be/RZBS57v1xoQ
Years schmears…
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fact-check-was-a-man-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison-simply-for-fixing-his-own-car/
Which came first, the chicken or the choke?*
Which went away first, that knob or the smelly smoke?
Now it’s legal to sell a toke?
Is Ai tickled at all, by my joke?
*Ancient dinosaurs, like me, can remember the choke knob on the car dashboard. It was in the age before mandatory seat belts and insurance took over the world. Or maybe those were just imaginary archaic mythical times.
Great podcast episode James
In the same vein as Ursa Ag, There is a laptop manufacturer called Framework that build fully repairable and upgradable laptops compatible with linux: https://frame.work/
Similar to them is also a UK company called Starlab: https://starlabs.systems/
Regarding smartphone, Fairphone has the same philosophy and also allow de-googled OS like /e/OS: https://www.fairphone.com/
Also, the website ifixit propose maybe guides to explain how to repair tech when possible: https://www.ifixit.com/
(related to article)
Automakers’ Biggest Fear About Vehicle Repairs Just Got Exposed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCoVcpxvHU
.. The deeper you dig into the latest Right to Repair battle, the more one question keeps surfacing: Why are automakers fighting so hard to control information generated by vehicles that consumers already own?
We were just talking about this after watching Truthstream’s video on being in a tech bubble — when will someone start making cars that are engineered like the old days? Of course, horses are the next best ride if policy enforcers ignore the law about riding a horse in commercial zones.
Each of my teens will inherit an old Chevy truck. At risk of having a redneck appearance in the yard, it will be worth it, as long as parts are still available. We need more machinists.
Oh boy! did you hit the spot with this episode! I get hot under the collar when I think of modern cars with all that impossible computer stuff, never mind the whole surveillance and data collection thing!
I drove a Toyota long wheel base pickup truck for years when i lived overseas, it just ran and ran, I gave it oil, water, regular check ups and loads of love. It had gears, a clutch, brakes that lasted as long as I owned that wonderful vehicle, not a computer in sight.
I’m back in the old country now, but miss my old pick up that took me on holidays, with the back kitted out with two bunk beds and a lockable storage; gingham curtains on the canopy windows for privacy. Any good mechanic could fix if something went wrong, which it never did. I drove thousands and thousands of miles in it, it felt like an extension of myself, best bit of mechanics I ever owned, other than my 50 year old electric sewing machine.
I’ll never buy a modern car!
Maybe I’ll contact that lovely tractor maker and ask if he can design a 1970’s type pick up? There must be hundreds of people, other than farmers who enjoyed the feel and repairability of vehicles from that era or older, and lots of younger people who’d probably prefer something other than the self-driving monstrosities on the close horizon, ugh!
New Cars – Data-Raping the Consumer
CorbettReport Member Vienticus Prime has an important post about car manufacturers vs California legislation to stop the Data-Rape…
https://corbettreport.com/june-open-thread-and-subscriber-exclusive-video-2026/#comment-188248
“Lehto’s Law” gives the low-down about SB 1394.
California’s Senate Bill No. 1394
…technology-enabled stalking and abuse involving vehicles are increasing as automakers include app-connected remote access and digital features.
Through these apps, abusive partners are tracking, surveilling, and intimidating abuse survivors through location-tracking and remote-control functions to turn on the ignition, adjust the vehicleโs climate, lock doors, turn off electric charging, honk the horn, record video footage and audio, and use other means of electronically or remotely controlling the vehicle.
Tracking can be viewed in real time, or location history records can be accessed and reviewed at a later time….
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There may be hope as motor enthusiasts share methods to disconnect the Data-Raping devices where drivers and occupants are being violated.
The following video gives various methods on how to disconnect ‘spy-features’ by make and model.
QUEUED at Ford (7:35)…
How Smart Owners Are Pulling Trackers From Toyota, Ford, and GM (The Complete Removal Guide)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4FkqJo4J3w&t=455s