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These Canadians want the ‘right to repair’ their stuff: ‘We can’t continue on the same way of consuming’

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-these-canadians-want-the-right-to-repair-their-stuff-we-cant-continue/

They are asking product manufacturers to provide the tools, parts, repair manuals and other information they need to repair

These Canadians want the ‘right to repair’ their stuff: ‘We can’t continue on the same way of consuming’

Archive: [ https://archive.is/n5388 ]

22 comments

CanadianCorhen

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i would love a right to repair, and to me that doesn't mean "every moron with a screwdriver" can repair it, but replacement parts should be availible, for minimum amount of time after the product launches, at a reasonable markup.

I'm happy to have a pro replace the battery in my phone, but he should be able to buy JUST the battery, the existing one should have pull tabs, and there shouldnt be any insane warnings.

Similar, if the motherboard of my stove goes, it shuoldnt cost $700 for what basically an arduino.

nik282000

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Similar, if the motherboard of my stove goes, it shuoldnt cost $700 for what basically an arduino.

You just gave me an idea. The mobo on a stove is just a PWM temperature controller, it probably doesn't even use a PID loop. Drop in replacement boards would sell like crazy on eBay.

baggins

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open source appliances when

Someonelol

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The 3DO game company had a similar premise back in the mid 90s. They designed their console's chip set and allowed any manufacturer to license and build them. Because the licensees didn't get any royalties for game purchases like 3DO would, they'd sell them at high prices and levels of quality control to make sure they'd still make a profit.

It might be easier for a single company to make an open source appliance to better control initial build quality and allow the aftermarket vendors to handle replacement parts depending on the consumer's preferences.

alexc

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Right to repair is only part of the solution. We’ll almost certainly need an economic shift that rewards (or compels) companies who make their stuff repairable. While we’re at it, we should also try and deal with planned obsolescence, too

Pxtl

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The problem is that always the economically cleanest approach is to add fees, which are political suicide.

Like, if you add a "disposal fee" to electronics, that creates incentive to build electronics that last long. But Ford chased Wynne out of Ontario Government using their e-waste fees.

The alternative is stupid bulky bureaucracy and regulation. Which voters say they hate, but their actions speak louder.

Carrots are politically better than sticks, but how do you offer a carrot for not doing something? Fee-and-dividend is supposed to do that, but now we're at "axe the tax" under a fee-and-dividend model.

So maybe bureaucracy and regulation is the way to go.

Ban glue in portable electronics assembly? I'll never forgive Apple for inventing that nonsense.

Require that any device that is E-Waste have a big ugly "this is e-waste" label on its exterior that end users are totally allowed to remove, but replacing the "this is e-waste" panel with something clean-looking must be at least as easy as replacing the battery.

Nouveau_Burnswick

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that *end users are totally allowed to remove

Que every muppet ever that keeps saying "OMG, it's illegal for me to remove a mattress tag" when it's absolutely not, and they'd know that if they ever read the fucking mattress tag.

doxxx

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Something I don’t understand about the anti-glue sentiment: how do you make a device waterproof without glue or sealant?

Pxtl

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Old Casio watches managed to do it with just screws. We live in the future, I'm sure there's a way to fasten a phone together waterproof with just rubber gaskets and mechanical fasteners instead of glue.

doxxx

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Ah yeah, rubber gaskets! I totally forgot about those. With today’s manufacturing capabilities it should be possible to create super-thin gaskets without affecting product design too much.

adsforsales

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Absolutely! With today’s advanced manufacturing technologies, it is indeed possible to produce super-thin rubber gaskets that maintain a strong seal without significantly impacting the product design. Modern rubber equipment is capable of creating precision-engineered gaskets tailored to specific applications, ensuring that they are both durable and effective while being as thin as necessary to meet design requirements. Whether you're dealing with complex machinery or high-performance systems, the right rubber equipment can produce gaskets that balance thinness with functionality, providing the perfect solution for maintaining seals without compromising on design integrity.

Nogami

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I’d like warranties in Canada extended to 2 years mandatory on everything and 5 years on major appliances.

Yes it would raise prices initially but manufacturers would have to stop using crap components and plastic gears and such so the price would be offset by lasting longer.

alexc

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Agreed with that. Two years is the norm in most of the G7, so why Canada is lagging is surprising.

Then again, where doesn’t Canada lag…?

Nogami

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Canada needs to follow the lead of the US and start electing young energetic women instead of sadsack old men.

alexc

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Older white male here, and I fully endorse this. We just need to find one first…

lobut

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My dehumidifier kicked off after 3 years. I have no instruction manual on how to fix it ... the company isn't replying to me when I asked what steps I can take to see what's wrong.

ikidd

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I doubt they know. This is where you have to learn basic troubleshooting steps, and get comfortable with taking things apart. Even things like appliances won't tell you how to fix them, they'll just get a parts diagram on the inside of the panel and it's on you to figure it out. I find stuff made in Europe will often have at least a parts diagram where you can get replacements. You aren't getting that from some Chinese manufacturer, so keep that in mind when you buy stuff. I would bet you if it were a deLonghi dehumidifier, you'd have something you could use to order parts.

At the other end, I have 10,000 page diagnostic and repair manuals with flowcharts and checklists for my JD combine to figure out specific error codes or symptoms. In between is things like Chilton manuals for vehicles, but things have to be something other than cheap disposable trash before you get actual help.

Fiivemacs

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I've stopped buying things because I can't repair them or it's absurdly insane to even try it. Checked out from society as a result. My accounts and never felt more loaded as a result.

PenguinTD

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If everything adapt the pc building modular approach we would be in a much better place, some of the replaceable components are already modular if you see the ifixit tear down, it's just that the manufacturer spends more time trying to ruin your chance at properly open it without damage other parts. Same thing for many electronics, the opening part are the worst as you can damage the casing(crack the clips bent stuff, broke the ribbon etc) or some one way bs. Even opening a freaking hair dryer to clean up the internals is a challenge.

BCsven

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Those Framework laptops are nice

avidamoeba

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Have one, can confirm. I've already replaced a damaged chassis. Just a cheap aluminum stamping.

nik282000

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ThinkPads used to be like this but now there are only one or two models that are actually reparable (and oh my god did I pay a premium to get one). Being able to buy a machine and know that it was reparable for the next 10 years was THE reason I bought ThinkPad.

In 2008 I bought a W500, I used it until 2018 and replaced 2 screen backs, a keyboard, a battery, an HDD, and added more RAM in those 10 years. Coming out to about $160 per year if you spread out the cost.

avidamoeba

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In 2008 I bought a W500, I used it until 2018 and replaced 2 screen backs, a keyboard, a battery, an HDD, and added more RAM in those 10 years. Coming out to about $160 per year if you spread out the cost.

Nice. I used a T430s from 2013 till 2021. Still have it. I sort of bought a Framework because I had the means and I felt I should support this in the early stages to help make it successful. Gotta say the parts situation with Framework is much better than ThinkPad, even way back when. The parts are available straight from Framework so you know you're buying a quality part, and the prices are low. Batteries are $50-80 whereas getting a genuine ThinkPad battery has typically been >$100 for a while.