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You are a moron if you think your plugs, coolant, etc will last 100K miles. Yet another scam the car companies came up with.
Well I have seen plugs go 100K but if they were put in without any anti-seize at the factory, good luck getting them out after about 10 years in service...
And then there is DexCool, the brilliant 100K mile coolant - not. More like cherry jello after a while.
I can still work on my car just fine. I need a scanner tool now for all the code information, but the basics of the engine aren't any different. Change the fluids, check the hoses and wires, and replace what's worn or broken.
The packaging has definitely gotten smaller though, so you need to be a little more dexterous.
I think the real problem is that people just don't know how to work on anything mechanical anymore. Partly that's because cars are so much more reliable - a car breaking down anymore is extremely rare or a Land Rover so people don't need the knowledge and aren't accustomed to working on a car. People see a little light on the dash and cry mercy anymore, call AAA, dealership roadside assistance, or the local mechanic.
On a side note, I recently called my local dealer for the price of an oil filter for my motorcycle. Out of curiosity I also asked how much an oil change was, and I was quoted almost $80 (its about 30 minutes of work and $30 for filter/oil and a monkey can do it). Either people are paying that because there's demand or the dealership is insane, but I think the reason is people don't do their own work anymore and dealerships are now seen as integral to fixing issues.
i'd have to agree with Mitch here. i don't find new cars intimidating at all, at least for the stuff a basic DIY guy like me does. i can change the air filter in my 2009 xB faster than any car i have ever worked on, and even all the others have not been that bad. sparkplugs? with more cars going OHV, i would argue most are easier now than they have been in years past. and for those who don't fear a computer, modern electronics are great. diagnostics or power tuning are just a couple clicks away.
i think back to my first vehicle (1971 F100) and think of all the stuff i had to do with it. carburetor work, points, condensers, distributors, drum brakes all around, etc. then i think of all the vehicles i have had since. they have gotten progressively newer and yet progressively easier to work on. honestly, i will probably never own a carbureted vehicle again as long as i live. too much of a PITA. maybe it's just my generation (i'm 27), but i'd rather click a few buttons and swap in an injector or two than spend all day swapping jets and making miniscule adjustments with a screwdriver.
On a side note, I recently called my local dealer for the price of an oil filter for my motorcycle. Out of curiosity I also asked how much an oil change was, and I was quoted almost $80 (its about 30 minutes of work and $30 for filter/oil and a monkey can do it). Either people are paying that because there's demand or the dealership is insane, but I think the reason is people don't do their own work anymore and dealerships are now seen as integral to fixing issues.
that's a pretty normal price, especially if your bike has fairings that need removed. i do my own, but by the time i buy the good filter and the good oil i'm about $40 in anyway. another $40 for labor with fairing removal/installation seems pretty fair.
I think many forget how LITTLE maintenance modern cars need. They start perfectly 99.99% of the time. They idle flawlessly. The plugs last 100K miles. They develop enormous power with better economy and vastly lower pollution. None of this would be possible if the cars had carburetors, points, and an air filter on top.
Our 2006 Honda Pilot has 86,000 miles on it and has never required unscheduled maintenance. It is on its 3rd set of tires and wiper blades. One air filter change. And it runs perfectly.
I agree with you, except for the part about running spark plugs 100,000 miles. It maybe be possible, but considering how poorly they'd be firing at that point, it'd be foolish to have not changed them earlier.
In some ways, newer cars are actually easier to work on than a lot of the old ones. Your check engine light comes on, and you can get trouble codes right off the dash, then go to work fixing what is wrong. It's not fool proof, but it's not bad either.
The biggest problem is when you have major issues, such as an internal engine problem or transmission malfunction. I used to rebuild engines, but anymore the cost of the parts and machining is so high that often it makes rebuilds non-cost-effective.
But probably the single most annoying thing to me is that newer cars tend to have so much stuff crammed in such a tiny space. I remember the days of the old Chevy pickups, when you could practically climb in under the hood, sit down and work on the engine. With most cars now, you're lucky if you can get a finger in between critical parts and the firewall.
On a side note, I recently called my local dealer for the price of an oil filter for my motorcycle. Out of curiosity I also asked how much an oil change was, and I was quoted almost $80 (its about 30 minutes of work and $30 for filter/oil and a monkey can do it). Either people are paying that because there's demand or the dealership is insane, but I think the reason is people don't do their own work anymore and dealerships are now seen as integral to fixing issues.
I just changed the oil & filter in my Vulcan 1500 a couple weeks ago.
Top-end WIX filter was $12.00, and I got 4 quarts of 5w50 Castrol Syntec on sale for $4.99 per quart (used 3.5 quarts). I got all my stuff at OReilly's.
So my cost, even with the oil on sale, was over $30.
You can bet that the dealership is going to charge you at least $20 for the filter, and $10 per quart for the oil - assuming they're using synthetic oil.
i'd have to agree with Mitch here. i don't find new cars intimidating at all, at least for the stuff a basic DIY guy like me does. i can change the air filter in my 2009 xB faster than any car i have ever worked on, and even all the others have not been that bad. sparkplugs? with more cars going OHV, i would argue most are easier now than they have been in years past. and for those who don't fear a computer, modern electronics are great. diagnostics or power tuning are just a couple clicks away.
i think back to my first vehicle (1971 F100) and think of all the stuff i had to do with it. carburetor work, points, condensers, distributors, drum brakes all around, etc. then i think of all the vehicles i have had since. they have gotten progressively newer and yet progressively easier to work on. honestly, i will probably never own a carbureted vehicle again as long as i live. too much of a PITA. maybe it's just my generation (i'm 27), but i'd rather click a few buttons and swap in an injector or two than spend all day swapping jets and making miniscule adjustments with a screwdriver.
Mike
More cars going OHV? I don't think so. GM makes a lot of OHV V8s, and Chrysler too - but almost everything else is OHC. I am not aware of any OHV foreign engines.
Do they even make a new car with a carb? The only new thing with a carb that I can think of is the GM 602 crate engine going into my street stock race car.
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so people don't need the knowledge and aren't accustomed to working on a car. People see a little light on the dash and cry mercy anymore, call AAA, dealership roadside assistance, or the local mechanic.
