2025 OEM Portals & Right-to-Repair: What Independents Really Get
Car makers keep saying “we support independents”. Workshops keep saying “I can’t download the file without a dealer login”. In 2025 the truth is in the middle: most OEMs do publish online portals where you can buy service info, wiring diagrams or even ECU flash files – but the level of access is not the same in the EU and in the US, and some brands have added extra identity layers like SERMI. Let’s unpack what an independent workshop can realistically do.
1. EU vs US: the basic difference
EU: the EU framework and the upcoming SERMI scheme require vehicle makers to make service & repair information available to independents. In practice you get web portals with VIN lookup, TSBs, wiring, sometimes coding info and short-term access to diagnostic apps. But for security-related functions (keys, immobilizer, component protection) you need additional authorization (SERMI or brand-specific vetting).
US: the US right-to-repair path is more “download what you need, pay per time, use J2534”. A lot of OEMs let you buy 1–3 days of access, install the OEM app and flash via your own pass-thru. Security stuff is still limited, but emissions-related updates are generally available.
Programming/flash portals: either you download the calibration file and program via J2534, or you run an online session that pushes the file straight to the car.
3. Brands that usually offer short-time access
Many European and US OEMs sell 1-hour, 1-day or 3-day packages so independents can do a single job:
VAG (via online ODIS)
BMW/Mini (ISTA/Rheingold with short license)
Mercedes (Xentry Pass Thru)
JLR (Pathfinder/Topix)
Ford / GM / Chrysler–Stellantis (US) for J2534 reflashing
It’s not “free”, but it is legal: you buy time, connect your pass-thru/DoIP device and perform the operation exactly as the dealer would.
4. When you will be asked for SERMI / identity
Right-to-repair was never meant to give anonymous access to immobilizers and key data. In 2025 you should expect extra checks for:
key/immobilizer programming, PIN, seed-key files;
component protection removal (VAG, some Stellantis lines);
certain ADAS/driver-support calibrations that affect safety;
online coding/parameter changes for telematics modules.
Here the OEM can say: “yes, independents can do it – after SERMI or after we confirm your workshop/technician identity”. If you don’t have it, the portal will let you read info but won’t run the secure job.
5. Pay-per-hour vs full subscription
Pay-per-hour/day: best for small shops and rare brands. You pass the cost to the customer as “OEM portal access”.
Monthly / annual: good when you service the same brand all the time (taxis, fleets, VAG/BMW specialists).
Hybrid: buy cheap access to PDFs on the portal, but do actual programming via a remote tech.
6. “We will do it for you, but on your account” model
This one is getting popular in 2025. Some remote programming providers ask you to:
create your own legal OEM account,
buy 1 day of access,
plug in your J2534/DoIP tool,
and then they connect and perform the task through your account.
This way the whole job stays legal (your name, your IP, your payment), and you don’t have to learn the OEM tool. It also solves the problem when the OEM sold access only to your country – a foreign remote tech just uses your local login.
7. What you cannot simply download
Even with R2R you will still see red lines:
full databases of immobilizer secrets and blank keys;
anti-theft protected firmware images without an online session;
files that are geo-restricted or model-restricted (EU vs NA spec);
legacy images that OEM stopped serving publicly.
For that you either need dealer-level credentials, or an officially authorized locksmith path, or a remote provider.
8. How to present it to your customer
Don’t hide OEM portal costs. Write in the job card:
“OEM portal access (1 day) – 35 EUR”
“Online programming (OEM) – 1.0 h”
“Secure function – SERMI-required. Performed by authorized technician”
Customers understand that “online = official = paid”. It also protects you when the OEM server is slow or offline – you can show that you paid for access but the manufacturer didn’t respond in time.
Conclusion
Right-to-repair in 2025 is not a magic “download anything” button. It is a toolbox: public OEM portals for everyday repair data, short-time access for programming, SERMI for security-related jobs, and remote providers that can work through your legal account. If your workshop sets this up once, every future article about diagnostics, ADAS or ECU flashing on your site can simply say: “log into OEM portal and pull the data” – and your readers will actually know where to go.
