Roibeard,with all due respect, I don't understand what you don't understand about the point I'm trying to make.

The subject is " does a owner of a newer forklift, with an on board computer, have the right to repair the computer?"

The owner of the forklift has the right to fix anything on the truck he/she wants to, but how would an owner fix a computer/software issue if they don't have access to the tools needed to diagnose/repair the electronics? The day is coming that independents like me will have no choice but to call the dealer in for help whenever an electronic issue arises. The same is true for the end users. The electronic diagnostic tools needed are OEM protected, therefore aren't available for use by anyone except a representative of the OEM-ie, the dealership tech.

The only reason I brought up reprogramming the computer was to show that, if an end user wanted to have access to the computer programs, that although doable, is cost prohibitive.

We are slowly being conditioned to replace, rather than repair, the "gadgets" we use in our personal lives along with what we use in business. The costs of repairing things is slowly raising to the point where replacing is actually the less costly option. (I was recently quoted $6,000.00 for a 7 series Toyota LP forklift wiring harness - the truck is only 9 years old. Customer bought new truck instead- no surprise).