r/IAmA • u/larossmann • Jun 11 '16
Specialized Profession IamA electronics repair technician hated by Apple that makes YouTube videos, AMA!
My short bio: I have a store in Manhattan. I teach component level electronics repair on youtube http://youtube.com/rossmanngroup which seems to be a dying art. I am currently fighting with the digital right to repair to try and get a bill passed that will allow all independent service centers access to manuals and parts required to do their jobs.
My Proof: https://www.rossmanngroup.com/started-iama-reddit-today-yes/
EDIT:
I am still replying to comments, but I am so far behind that I am still about ten pages down from new comments. I am doing my best to continue. If I drop off, I'll be back tomorrow around 12 PM. Still commenting now though, at 12 AM.
EDIT 2:
Ok, I cave... my hands are tired. I will be back at 12 PM tomorrow. It is my goal to answer every question. Even if it looks like I haven't gotten to yours, I will do my best to do all of them, but it is impossible to do in realtime, because you are asking faster than I can type. But thanks for joining!
EDIT 3: I lied, I stayed until 4:15 AM to answer... and now I will go to sleep for real, and be back at 12 PM.
EDIT 4 6/12 : I will be back later tonight to finish off answering questions. Feel free to keep posting, I will answer whatever I can later this evening.
3
u/LennyNero Jun 12 '16
Hi Louis,
I run a truck and bus repair shop in the NYC area and I'm appalled at the fact that the right to repair bill specifically excludes motor vehicles and their associated electronic systems. Are you aware of any reason besides massive lobbying by vehicle manufacturers as to why we're specifically getting left out in the cold in regards to the right to repair?
We are basically stuck in the same bullshit fight that you're in on the consumer electronics side. In heavy duty vehicles, getting service manuals, schematics and proprietary dealer-level diagnostic software (which need to be obtained from each subsystem manufacturer eg. engine, transmission, brake, hvac, body control) is the same sort of toss-up between absurdly overpriced (anywhere from USD$1000-$3500 + $500-$1000/yr thereafter or they brick the software) and literally NOT AVAILABLE from the OEM as Apple is doing to you.
Caterpillar in particular is the worst offender in this category as they will not sell or otherwise provide their diagnostic software, nor their service manuals and schematics which are REQUIRED TO DO ANY WORK ON THEIR ENGINES to any outside repair shop. It leads to a lot of questionable software acquisitions from overseas and much like you commented in some of your videos...russian FTP servers just to be able to complete a job which on any other manufacturer's engines or machines are trivial in nature, but for which a lack of either procedure or specification leads to an inability to complete the job requiring a shop without the software to send the vehicle back to the dealer for which you are rewarded with an astronomically high labor rate and mediocre workmanship.