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Car Tech: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on?
Are cars getting harder or easier to work on?
by xboxkid58 - 1/20/09 5:46 PMWith cars today becoming more integrated with computers and new technology is helping the accessibility of cars? My father use to be a mechanic and swears that today's car are cluttered and too computerized. Your thoughts?
Diy Mechanicals NOT TECH ADVANCE
by johncofx - 1/24/09 3:14 PM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58Mission impossible. TECH
Nissan Qashqai - DPF Filter issues. Yes its Renault unit but I was miss-sold 2.0 Dci unfit for City driving as also advertised on TV. Filter soot cannot be burnt off during normal city driving. DPF for environment. Not when you got to rake up motorway 4th gear to get required 3k rpm, the dash warning indicator off. Only then drive back home otherwise Nissan will bill you substantially for the TECH service not covered by warranty.
I think they are...
by Schneezle - 1/24/09 10:15 PM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58I think they are getting much harder to work on; on my 1958 Land rover, you can sit up underneath the car with all 4 wheels on the ground and have enough space to work on it.
With modern cars, you need complicated and expensive diagnostic equipment and software for the electronics, and in order to get more space from a smaller size, everything is a lot more tightly packed under the bonnet, not to mention the sheer number of components.
As well as that, a lot of parts are "sealed-for-life," which means they are never meant to be worked on, which is a pain when they go wring.
My 2 cents.
Much harder
by jeffrheaume - 1/25/09 10:57 AM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58Today you need to be an E.E. to understand and repair CAN buss issues. Ad that to the packaging of the drivetrain for size and aerodynamic issues make getting to things almost impossible.
are car getting harder to work on
by cjcar123 - 1/26/09 3:24 PM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58Sure the new cars are a nightmare that’s why its hard to find a good mechanic, most of the old school mechanics have ran out of business because u cant keep up with the cost of these new stupid scanners with there $6000 and more price tags to purchase not to mention the cost to upgrade every month. There putting theses engines in with a shoe horn u cant get in there to work on anything. If u ask me the car companies kill them selves with the big technology race putting all theses fancy computer that helps U Park the vehicle, have u look under the hood of a ford lately. I have a 2003 ford escape it took me 6 hours to change an alternator had to remove the axle drop the frame. Had to change the plugs to do the rear plugs u have to remove the plenum .How much can u charge someone for theses services? Iv had vehicles the dealers could not fix! Iv own 9 dif cars in my lifetime as years go on cars get harder to fix. This field no one wants to do anymore.
For DIY it's definitely harder...
by Julio Bro! - 1/28/09 7:01 PM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58For authorized shops has become easier because manufacturers found higher tolerances and more durability for designs. So scheduled maintenances are fewer with less parts to change.
For saturday mechs engine bays have become "smaller" because they're filled and covered, with some parts just unreachable with simple tools.
My first car was a Toyota Corolla station wagon and engine replacement parts were very easy to get and change. My second was a Nissan 240SX with a very similar layout, but more emision controls made finding adequate replacement parts more difficult. As the parts had to be more precise, a higher price came with them.
My new car is a Subaru WRX and you can't even see where the spark plugs are. Although they don't need to be changed for many thousands of miles, they need to be changed sometime. The authorized shop will do it under warranty at first, but when this ends...then what? I hope I still have the skill set to work a simple spark plug change, but man it's gonna take a few hours more than expected.
YES !
by andrettigto - 2/4/09 8:46 AM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58At our repair shop we were talking about this question. We make up a mix of "old" and "new" school" tec's.
We all feel todays vehicles are far easier to repair. Computer diagnostics on an early ninety domestic or import was iffy at best. Any code given was taken with a grain of salt. Today's vehicle systems are far better. You seldom need to second guess the data given. Also we're not "alone" in our shop anymore. Most facilities subscribe to on-line resources for futher assistance when needed.
As far as the "physical" side of repairs, CAD-CAM has been a blessing. Yes it's tight and there are always hard to do procedures. But we're seeing more uniformity in designs that were never there 25 years ago.
Old cars? Spark plus on a V6 Citation or Monza V8, Ford's variable venturi carb's, Chrysler's lean burn, Honda cylinder heads, Hyundia's wiring.... we don't want to go back, thank-you!
There is a trade-off though
by Dan Filice - 2/5/09 12:26 PM In reply to: Are cars getting harder or easier to work on? by xboxkid58Even though cars are more complicated, today's cars (in my opinion) are leagues ahead of older cars as far as reliability and driveability. The worst car today is much better than yesterday's car. The computers at least can tell a mechanic what issues there are to fix. Fuel injection is so much better than the old carbs. Multi-link independent suspension is better. A/C and heat is better. Cold starting is a day-and-night difference. Well, I should qualify these statements by saying that these are generalized statements and they do not apply if you own a Jeep (see posts in this forum). Yes, I loved working on my old '70 Plymouth Duster 340, but today I would NEVER trade my '02 Acura for it.
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