Those are not the kind of people that buy new cars i.e. the one manufacturers need to appeal to.
bigfatmat1,
Apr 29, 8:08am
I think this is more a combination of lack of equipment, knowledge, and resources,Sometimes you have no option but to swap a computer because you simply cannot obtain the info for it or ya boss wont invest in the software or equipment to help you diagnose the fault. What makes things harder for the likes of me is lack of standards. I do agree that electrical problems can take excessive hard to justify bills for the consumer. Most people ofset this with the thought of having to drive round in a hilman hunter or mk3 cortia
wrong2,
Apr 29, 8:11am
so you are simple then
& that "record" setting mclaren was for top speed
wrong2,
Apr 29, 8:14am
exactly
& the systems are only getting more complex - beyond what the trade is training for
completely unrelated areas causing gremlins - the people praising modern electrics have no clue
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 8:19am
So what this is really about is that _You_ don't want to have to learn something new!
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 8:29am
Imagine how much faster it could have gone without that modem and that old, simple motor huh.
Oh wait, what does a Bugatti Veyron weigh again!
bigfatmat1,
Apr 29, 8:41am
I would tend to disagree with you. I think the trade is training. I think the problem lies on the lack of standards. It is also vital to keep on training as technology progresses. No single person could possibly be learn everything about every car so we need resources and or information sometimes these resources are unavailable to us.
pebbles61,
Apr 29, 8:43am
So if all the young mechanics learn to plug in cars etc to find out what's wrong etc, how will they fix older cars etc!
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 8:54am
The IEEE has existed for longer than desktop computers have. Take your Fiat to a Fiat dealer, Toyota to a Toyota dealer, Nissan to a Nissan dealer and they'll all have the tools to do the work.
Contrary to popular opinion, there is a huge amount of regulation in the industry, its "mum and dad" private garages that don't want to buy the designed tools to do the job properly because they don't specialise in any particular brand of car.
it limits your home handyman from having a tinker out the back as well, but that's the price that has to be paid for modern cars with 200k warranties that might only need a trip to a mechanic once or twice a year, instead of once or twice a month to have oil changed, plugs gapped, heads planed, filters replaced, radiators topped up, carbs recalibrated etc etc.
bigfatmat1,
Apr 29, 8:55am
define older 5years! or 50! if its five years principles are similiar 50 years whats there to fix a ballast ignition a starter and a generator and some lights hardly rocket science!
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 8:57am
They won't.
Once upon a time people got paid money to rub mercury into hats. That job is no longer required in society.
There will always be people who can fix old cars, its whether they're willing and interested in rubbing mercury into hats for the right price.
bigfatmat1,
Apr 29, 9:01am
Not really talking regulation communication protocols But standards in the way a a sensor outputs, wire colouringect ect. I have struck at times even dealerships dont have the information needed
pebbles61,
Apr 29, 9:03am
This is true. I few places I have rang up in the past don't wanna know when I say it's an older car. Their loss of business I guess.
michael.benn,
Apr 29, 9:03am
First time I'm gonna disagree with you foxdonut. Let's take a look at a mid nineties BMW E36 M3. 15-18 years old. Would that be ready for the scrap heap!
There's also plenty of older cars that are fuel efficient and can play mp3's through the radio off a USB stick (albeit with an aftermarket stereo).
Are you having a laugh!
michael.benn,
Apr 29, 9:07am
Although you do make good points here. Dammit :P
pebbles61,
Apr 29, 9:09am
Wait, who takes a car to a mechanic to do all of that stuff!! lol save the head work.
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 9:20am
Not really. I'm not saying that by the time a car is ten years old its automatically shit, but thinking along the lines of your mainstream 4 seat family car, after 10 years of daily driving, kids puking, carpark prangs, neglected or ignored maintenance and general wear and tear an old car is never going to stand the test of time.
A driven once every six months Jag 220 or a 60 year old Ferrari kept in a hermatically sealed storage facility is a different matter entirely, but they have a different set of rules for value and worth of ownership that don't apply to a family commuter car.
Re the M3, if it'd done over 200k and been owned by a dozen people then no, I'd rather have a new model Hyundai for the same money, because having owned an E36 with a smaller motor, brake package and computer there's practically no difference except wing mirrors and seats; and the majority of E36's should have just rolled from assembly line to junk heap anyway.
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 9:22am
I know a guy, knows everything about Apple computers and Steve Jobs, but fk all about anything useful. He asked me (no shit) how much it costs to get windsheild washers refilled at the mechanics for his newer model Honda.
They are out there, there are millions of them, billions even.
michael.benn,
Apr 29, 9:36am
Curious - What model e36 did you have! I agree that the smaller engined versions are generally pretty rubbish, but all the manual 323's, 325's, and 328's I've driven have been fantastic!
I drive late model BMW's every time I go to work and I can say with all honesty I prefer the feel of the E36 over all of them.
foxdonut,
Apr 29, 9:39am
Later model 318, early model 320. I had a 46 325 in a manual, that wasn't that great either, but I got it cheap.
These days I'd rather drive something new and entry level than some thing old and "specc'd" out, because the low end of the market today has mostly the same stuff as the top end did ten years ago.
The current Honda Civic has a paddleshift option. 'nuff said.
martin11,
Apr 29, 9:51pm
Buy a vw both of our electric windows have failed , not expensive to repair though
elect70,
Apr 30, 1:55am
Like my granny said, she wanted smallnew carthat didnt needguys in white coats @ mega $ /hrto fix . Governments & green lobby make it almost impossible asneed all theelectronics to makie itpassemissions regs .
wasser61,
Apr 30, 3:28am
You can't have it both ways. You either want cars that are friendly to the environment or not.
guest,
Nov 23, 8:29am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepney
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