[mkhcodes]

I'm in the same boat. I don't understand the argument that manufacturers are using telematics as a loophole, since it seems that the 2013 law specifically says that while many uses of telematics are not covered by the law, those that are "necessary to diagnose and repair a customer's vehicle" ARE still covered.

> With the exception of telematics diagnostic and repair information that is provided to dealers, necessary to diagnose and repair a customer’s vehicle and not otherwise available to an independent repair facility [...] nothing in this chapter shall apply to telematics services [...].

So, are manufacturers doing things like including telematics that they claim "aren't necessary" but in reality are pretty important? If so, then independent repair shops are at a disadvantage, but the solution should be to force those signals to be available through the physical port.

Or is it a matter of independent repair shops not being able to compete with the dealerships who can get telematics to do things like email you when it is detected that your oil is low?

[bzbarsky]

As far as I can tell, the 2013 law doesn't actually define "telematics" or "telematics data". This intiative does define the latter to be data that the car collects and phones home, and which the car itself may not store at all (but the "remote receiving point", as the law calls it, does store).

It seems to me that you can't reasonably require access via the physical port on the car to data that is not actually present in the car's systems. Or am I missing something?