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I remember thinking how modern my car was because my AM/FM radio also had a cassette player built into it.
Cars have more electronics in it now then a radio station in the 70's had.
I remember thinking how modern my car was because my AM/FM radio also had a cassette player built into it.
Cars have more electronics in it now then a radio station in the 70's had.
I had a am/fm with a 8 track now thats going back. I also remember the retro fit on ac kits you could put in a car that had no ac because back then ac was a option.
Whether the newer cars are better is open to interpretation. Yes, they might be technologically superior, what with FI, computers, and more safety equipment, but they have gotten to the point where the average car lover can't do a damn thing to them when they break. Pretty soon they will be impossible to do anything to without going to the dealer. Even my local garage down the street admits he can only do certain cars now.
I play with old cars, and you can keep all of those "improvements" as far as I am concerned. When my newer Caddy has a light come on the dash, I know it is going to be a trip to the dealer and big $$$$$$.
Whether the newer cars are better is open to interpretation. Yes, they might be technologically superior, what with FI, computers, and more safety equipment, but they have gotten to the point where the average car lover can't do a damn thing to them when they break. Pretty soon they will be impossible to do anything to without going to the dealer. Even my local garage down the street admits he can only do certain cars now.
I play with old cars, and you can keep all of those "improvements" as far as I am concerned. When my newer Caddy has a light come on the dash, I know it is going to be a trip to the dealer and big $$$$$$.
Don
A check engine light on an OBDII equipped car should not automatically be something necessitating a dealership run. I have been doing mostly my own repairs on them since OBDII came along. You just have to get the codes the CEL is giving and do some investigative work.
You can equip a smartphone to read the codes, go to autozone and get them read, and some cars will give you the codes themselves.
Sometimes the code gives you a system that needs further diagnosis, and sometimes it gives you a specific malfunctioning part/sensor.
This can create some hunting and investigative work, but with the amount of resources online concerning common problems, issues, symptoms, and fixes, it is not all that difficult to diagnose and repair a lot of problems you may run across. (depending on the issue/system of course).
The stuff employed in the engine bay may be different and a little more complicated, but it doesn't have to seem overly daunting. I know it is not the same as days gone by, but in the end they are still just internal combustion engines.
A check engine light on an OBDII equipped car should not automatically be something necessitating a dealership run. I have been doing mostly my own repairs on them since OBDII came along. You just have to get the codes the CEL is giving and do some investigative work.
You can equip a smartphone to read the codes, go to autozone and get them read, and some cars will give you the codes themselves.
Sometimes the code gives you a system that needs further diagnosis, and sometimes it gives you a specific malfunctioning part/sensor.
This can create some hunting and investigative work, but with the amount of resources online concerning common problems, issues, symptoms, and fixes, it is not all that difficult to diagnose and repair a lot of problems you may run across. (depending on the issue/system of course).
The stuff employed in the engine bay may be different and a little more complicated, but it doesn't have to seem overly daunting. I know it is not the same as days gone by, but in the end they are still just internal combustion engines.
But if still under emission warenty from the factory you have to take it to dealer if you want it fixed for free most Check Engine Light problems are emissions related.
A check engine light on an OBDII equipped car should not automatically be something necessitating a dealership run. I have been doing mostly my own repairs on them since OBDII came along. You just have to get the codes the CEL is giving and do some investigative work.
You can equip a smartphone to read the codes, go to autozone and get them read, and some cars will give you the codes themselves.
Sometimes the code gives you a system that needs further diagnosis, and sometimes it gives you a specific malfunctioning part/sensor.
This can create some hunting and investigative work, but with the amount of resources online concerning common problems, issues, symptoms, and fixes, it is not all that difficult to diagnose and repair a lot of problems you may run across. (depending on the issue/system of course).
The stuff employed in the engine bay may be different and a little more complicated, but it doesn't have to seem overly daunting. I know it is not the same as days gone by, but in the end they are still just internal combustion engines.
Ive had a few problems with this...my wifes Subaru had a transmission problem where it would stall out sometimes when coming to a stop. I did my research and thousands of people have had the same issue. The fix was to get a flash update which the average Joe cannot do. I called the dealer and they refused to do the flash unless they diagnosed the problem themselves. So instead of paying x amount of dollars for this update they now wanted me to pay to have the car re-diagnosed too ...ugh.
Another time I had an issue that I troubleshot down to a bad sensor. The location of the sensor was to difficult for me to replace in a reasonable amount of time so I called the dealer and again they would not just replace the part. They wanted to troubleshoot it themselves which again was more money than what was needed to fix the problem.
On a different note..my ATV has EFI... thought it was pretty amazing compared to the carb on my old one. The old one takes forever to warm up, needs to be adjusted every now and then, and takes longer to start. My newer EFI model wouldn't start one day..when I contacted the dealer they said if the battery is low the EFI will not work which in turn will not allow it to start. What if I was on the trail when this happened? The old one, as much of a pain as it is also has a pull start, so even if my battery is dead I still have a backup.
Electronics make things more efficient when working properly but makes things much more difficult and expensive to repair when they do go bad.
But if still under emission warenty from the factory you have to take it to dealer if you want it fixed for free most Check Engine Light problems are emissions related.
Whats that have to do with the shadetree mechanic? I doubt anyone working on cars in their garage are going to buy parts and do repairs which are warranty covered.
Ive had a few problems with this...my wifes Subaru had a transmission problem where it would stall out sometimes when coming to a stop. I did my research and thousands of people have had the same issue. The fix was to get a flash update which the average Joe cannot do. I called the dealer and they refused to do the flash unless they diagnosed the problem themselves. So instead of paying x amount of dollars for this update they now wanted me to pay to have the car re-diagnosed too ...ugh.
Another time I had an issue that I troubleshot down to a bad sensor. The location of the sensor was to difficult for me to replace in a reasonable amount of time so I called the dealer and again they would not just replace the part. They wanted to troubleshoot it themselves which again was more money than what was needed to fix the problem.
On a different note..my ATV has EFI... thought it was pretty amazing compared to the carb on my old one. The old one takes forever to warm up, needs to be adjusted every now and then, and takes longer to start. My newer EFI model wouldn't start one day..when I contacted the dealer they said if the battery is low the EFI will not work which in turn will not allow it to start. What if I was on the trail when this happened? The old one, as much of a pain as it is also has a pull start, so even if my battery is dead I still have a backup.
Electronics make things more efficient when working properly but makes things much more difficult and expensive to repair when they do go bad.
For the flash update, I suspect the dealer ripped you off. If Subaru offered a flash update for the computer, their "diagnosis" of a problem should have been irrelevant.
I can see why the dealer would want to diagnose the sensor since they are backing the repair. Although, it sounds like you did diagnose it, and you were capable of replacing it. You just wanted the conveinence of the dealer.
Bad dealer practices or desire for convenience are not necessarily proofs that cars are not "better." They are, well, bad dealer practices and personal desire and choice.
Whats that have to do with the shadetree mechanic? I doubt anyone working on cars in their garage are going to buy parts and do repairs which are warranty covered.
How many shade tree mechanic are left they don't have the money to buy all the modern diagnostic equipment or training needed to work on today's cars.
How many shade tree mechanic are left they don't have the money to buy all the modern diagnostic equipment or training needed to work on today's cars.
I know a number of people who casually work on their modern vehicles, and they do not all have huge investments in diagnostic tools or professional training.
I guess anyone who really wants to work on their vehicle will find a way to do so. Those that don't really want to are free to seek out a mechanic or garage to do it for them. However, blaming modern technology for it is really just complaining as it is not the great hinderance it is sometimes made out to be.
I guess those of us who did not grow up in the era of carbuerated big blocks do not see the computer controls and electonics as such scary hurdles to turning a wrench.
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