It's good and bad.
Good in terms of safety, potential longevity (if well maintained) and in some cases build quality.
Bad in terms of complexity. The more stuff that is on a car, the more there is to go wrong. And since so much of the extra stuff is electrical or electronic, finding problems can be very difficult. While that frustrates most DIY types, it's also a problem for trained technicians. The very best will be able to detect and solve problems in a timely and cost-effective way, but the average tech is going to spend longer on the hunt for a problem and its repair. And his/her employer is looking for a way to make more money and is more apt to encourage throwing parts and labor hours at a problem. So it winds up costing more to fix something partly because the machine is so much more complex.

Cars need better diagnostic programs in their computers to aid fault detection and identification. The current crop of error codes are good, but it needs to go a step further, be more specific, and not be wrapped in mystery. If there is an electrical problem that requires replacing a part, it should be easier to diagnose. Parts replacement is largely plug-and-play, and anyone can do it. But making it easier is really not in the interest of the manufacturers. They want to make it hard for anyone but their own (dealer) techs to fix things. So car owners get hosed.

N



posted by 69.163.42...

• New cars are too expensive to fix, Brian in MA, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 09:05:23
  • Most of those parts mentioned in the article..., keeton, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 19:57:48
  • Much cheaper and easier to fix a car than it is to fix., Red Rocket, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 13:03:20
  • 740iL, $4,500 airbags and windshield....., Mike Lynch , Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:31:35
  • This is one reason I plan on keeping my C900 TCoupe, KB88900T, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:31:22
    • Pic of my car. n/m, KB88900T, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:36:15
      • Thats 1 pretty car ... n/m, SeeVTSaab, Thu, 22 Apr 2004 10:11:46
      • I'm thinking a silver/blue for repainting. Thoughts?, KB88900T, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 14:43:28
        • Re: I'm thinking a silver/blue - YES!, JimBlake , Tue, 20 Apr 2004 06:27:29
      • Silver is a beautiful color for C900..., Street, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:51:49
  • $1000 per air bag?, Bob M, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:06:02
  • What makes it more interesting is how the prices, Noel, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:04:25
    • Re: What makes it more interesting is how the prices, JB, Tue, 20 Apr 2004 04:05:10
      • Short lived Saab engine??? My last one I got 300k mile, Talladega900, Tue, 20 Apr 2004 12:43:51
      • Re: Not making them like they used to..., Noel, Tue, 20 Apr 2004 06:39:10 <-- Viewing This Message
    • Well said! n/m, Street, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:45:18
  • Maybe, but still cheep compared to a new head! ;) /nm, Nathaniel Wallace, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:01:48
  • New cars are cheap to assemble but expensive..., TKC, Mon, 19 Apr 2004 09:57:07

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