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Right for repair regulation?
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ndarjo21:
hello all, after looking around after watching some of removable battery and USB type c regulation videos in EU. i read this regulation "Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 of 16 June 2023". Is this what Louis Rossman fight for?
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1670/oj
tom66:
Half-hearted attempt though.

No guaranteed access to repair tools or parts for regular consumers, only independent repair professionals and the company that makes the product must make their repair services available.  Well in the latter case that's already common so I'm not sure why it needs to be law.   Apple will repair your broken iPhone if you want, they'll just charge you an absurd amount to do so. 

There's also nothing to stop companies gouging the prices they charge for replacement parts or services.  They just have to be made 'available on the market'.

True right to repair would include:

* Access to parts and service guides by ALL.  Service guides should be made freely available for a 10 year period from the time a product is introduced into the market.  No bull about how consumers don't have the skills needed.  I can get a service manual for my car, I definitely don't feel comfortable changing brakes but VW won't stop me.  So why should Bosch stop me getting access to the service guide for my tumble dryer?    I had this fun with my Bosch tumble dryer recently.

* Tools and parts needed should be available at nominal cost within some time after a product is put on the market; companies should have an obligation to make the parts available for this period.  Where parts are not available, companies should have an obligation to make pattern parts available through third parties by providing design information.  The market then determines if there is a need for these parts to be produced.

* Service guides should, at a minimum, describe overall system design and block layouts.  Companies that disclose schematic layouts of major components could be awarded some additional grade as part of Ecodesign regulations.  Every product with a sale value >€200, sold over say 10,000 units, should come with such a guide if placed on the EU market.

Psi:
Also, for chips that need programming, the chip can be sold pre-programmed. There's no need to release binary files if the manufacturer wants to keep that proprietary to avoid people decompiling it.

There's also no need to force product manufacturers to deal with the overhead of selling/shipping many small quantities of spare parts. It's totally acceptable to have a large min order qty so a 3rd party distributor can stock up on the part for resale over many years.
Only requirement is that these orders can still be made long enough after the product release that any parts prone to failures are known.

The profit of selling spare parts is actually pretty high in terms of the cost to the manufacture to buy/make the part,
Verses what they'd get selling it as a spare part compared to the price they would get turning that part into a product and selling that product.
The margin on repair labour is high enough that it can tolerate 5x 10x 20x, even 30x the cost of the part (even when that cost is not even BOM cost but a fraction of retail product cost). A $1 IC might still be profitable sold for $30 repair part if the total repair cost charged by the repair person is like $400.
Obviously it's better if the part cost is lower, I'm just saying there is money to be made in selling spare parts.
Selling bulk orders of every spare part in a product for use in repair would, in a lot of cases, be more profitable than turning those parts into products and selling the products.
ndarjo21:
actually, the conclusion is "From 20 June 2025, manufacturers, importers or authorized representatives shall ensure that the process for replacement of parts referred to in point 1(c), meets the following criteria: the process for replacement shall be able to be carried out by a layman."
and the 1(c) is
"From 20 June 2025 or from one month after the date of placement on the market, whichever is later:
(i) manufacturers, importers or authorised representatives shall make available to professional repairers and end-users at least the following spare parts, including required fasteners, if not reusable, until at least 7 years after the date of end of placement on the market:
(a) battery or batteries;
(b) back cover or back cover assembly, if to be fully removed for replacement of the battery;
(c) protective foil for foldable displays;
(d) display assembly;
(e) charger, unless the device complies with Article 3(4) of Directive 2014/53/EU;
(f) SIM tray and memory card tray, if there is an external slot for a SIM tray or memory card tray."

i think, that scope of repair is enough for end user. cause the mainboard repair requires more tools like hot air and soldering station.

maintenance information also at least include electronic board diagrams. and i think it good enough to help diagnose and repair process. even though it need registration which i think will be hard and manufacturers may charge reasonable and proportionate fees.

but i think at least manufacturer forced to make diagram exist. it better than nothing.

also it stated in the regulations that
In order to ensure that devices are able to be effectively repaired, the price of spare parts should be reasonable and should not discourage repair.
tom66:
That sounds like it only applies to phones, tablets and maybe laptops...  What about the thousands of tonnes of televisions, fridges/freezers, dryers, washers etc thrown away every year.  Smartphones are definitely an e-waste issue but any proposal needs to encompass all items that would be economical to repair if parts and service documentation were available.
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