Ars Technica tested John Deere's new self-repair service, Operations Center Pro Service, by fixing a disconnected water-in-fuel sensor on a tractor using guided software instructions, successfully completing the repair in minutes without professional help. The trial comes as John Deere, the largest US agricultural machinery manufacturer, faces sustained pressure from the right-to-repair movement over software locks that have historically restricted repairs to dealer-approved technicians, a practice that has fuelled lawsuits and regulatory action.

The company introduced Pro Service in 2025, with pricing starting at $195 a year for an individual machine, rising to $4,995 or $5,995 annually for full-fleet access by larger operations or independent repair shops. In April, John Deere agreed to a $99 million settlement over burdensome repair costs, and in July it settled a separate Federal Trade Commission lawsuit requiring greater repairability, though it admitted no wrongdoing in either case; both settlements await final court approval. Right-to-repair advocates argue these measures, and the new self-repair programme, remain insufficient to genuinely change the company's practices, while John Deere maintains the service demonstrates its commitment to owner-friendly repair.