Actually, auto manufacturers were trying to lock-down their computer codes to ace-out the independent shops, but our hated government told them to take a hike, so they don’t do it anymore. I suspect that the auto companies are also required to sell parts to the public (and indies, of course) as well.
For other stuff, my guess is that it hasn’t been much of a problem...maybe until now.
There are limits, of course, but the current philosophy of forcing customers to buy new stuff before the old stuff is slap worn out really sticks in my craw.
I've been out of the hardware business for almost 20 years, still have customers who call me for advice before they repair something old or buy something new. That is worth a lot to me.
For cars, there tend to be lots of reliable aftermarket parts, especially for high wear items like brake shoes and windshield wipers. For everything else, there’s the local junk yard.
You can still get Model T parts from J.C. Whitney.
So now they sell the computer codes for a price none of the small timers can afford?
The repair business is sweet cash for auto companies, at least at GM (circa 1999 when I worked on this) and I assume others... Post market parts had 2 different prices, 1 for authorized dealers and 1 for parts stores/independent shops. Care to take a guess which one GM made pay more??
You got, your GM Dealer paid more for an ACDelco/EPIC part than Autozone did for the same part. In fact the price differencial was so great at times, that your local GM Dealer would go to someplace like Autozone and buy the part from them, because even with their markup it was still cheaper than ordering the part from GM directly for them. And you wonder why they went bankrupt.