Secret shackles of servicing - Introduction

Imagine if you couldn't replace a bulb on your car without visiting a flash franchised showroom, or that the independent bodyshop you've been using for years suddenly couldn't touch your latest car.

It's already happening, and computer codes are the cause. Right to Repair is a campaign organised by independent car workshops, and it reckons these codes could potentially afflict 80% of all new cars sold by 2010.

UK motorists already shell out £10 billion every year on servicing and repairs, and a greater dependence on more expensive franchised workshops means that cost will only go up.

Can anything be done to stop this trend? Read on to find out.