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Independent garage owners in the US have found that with the introduction of computerised engines, car manufacturers get somewhat stingy when it comes to sharing data. The knock-on effect is that because the garages can't get the information they need to control emissions, there could be an increase in pollution.
Some cars have built-in computers controlling everything from fuel mixture to brake lights: problems can be accessed using the on-board
diagnostic computer. But the codes needed to work with these systems are supplied by the manufacturers. And although they are supposed to pass on the codes to independent garages, they often don't. Owners often take their vehicles to cheaper independents when their threeyear warranties are up, and if they don't have the reference material they can't interpret the diagnostic computer. What a swiz! Is this a problem over here? Write and let us know.