the reliabillity factor in new cars is good for the owner, the dealership and the manufacturer.
the unreliability of old cars was, good and bad because mechanics were paid flat rate, they used to be able to do repairs quickly and invest in tools so they could make money.
now, manufacturers post a time for a repair which is unreasonable so the service writer adds things on to sell parts and labor, for instance an engine check light when the repare was a noisy rear axle bearing and replacing a lifetime lubricant when they should put it back in, it all pumps up the bill.
most service writers are paid commission only, no wages, if the customer buys these add ons its bad for the customer, good for the dealer and the manufacturer, because the mechanic is still paid flat rate, he rarely does the job within the book time, so he has to look for more reasons to get some hours from a given vehicle just to make 40 hours and is expected to work 130% efficient.
so yes new cars are better than old cars but in truth the dealer is still a crook, the expence a vehicle tech has in tools is somewhere around $20,000.00, which he needs on day one, name me another trade that is paid piece work that is not repetative and requires that kind of outlay.
in the "old days" a mechanic could get by with a little knowledge and a top box, make good money and the customer accepted the need for service, now the vehicle tech has to have a taco stand full of tools, a degree level qualification and still has to book 40 hours or cheat the customer for a weeks wages and the customer loves him when the car is broken and hates him when its not.
there are no more simple repairs on a modern car, apart from oil changes, if your car has to go to the dealer its gonna cost big time.
look at the price of used cars in states that require the mil to be out and no codes set before they do a smog test, half the faults are in the engine monitoring system and do not affect the performance of the engine at all.
now compare these prices in a state that doesn't have smog inspections, the price is reflected by the condition and usability of the vehicle, instead of wether you can renew your registration because a little light is on, telling you that the gas cap is not sealing, or the variable intake swirl plates are stuck open when they are not!
in both the above instances a vehicle would not pass a smog test in California and you would have no idea that anything was wrong with the car other than the mil.
in the "old days" if there was a fault that made the owner go to a repair shop, you can believe there was a fault 'cos the thing wouldn't run right, nine times out of ten, the part could be fixed not replaced, now its computer controlled this and that and who knows wether you needed a new computer or not.
question, can you rebuild a carb, most here would say yes, can you rebuild a modern fuel injection system, most would say no! and the cost.
when Duntov designed the first fuel injection system they needed the car for a press day and couldn't get it to run right, a technician said to Duntov "if all cars had this fuel injection and you had invented the carburetor, you would be regarded as a genius".
what i am getting at is, modern vehicles are designed with a 5 year life span, they will go wrong after that, who knows when the manufacturers will force the mil to set after a given time period even if there are no faults present at all other than the vehicle has been on the road for 60 months or 100,000 miles.
unfortunately, most people can't afford to change their car so are pinalized for not doing so by costly repairs that have no need to be done other than the legal requirement that the check light is on and it won't pass an emmissions test.
i could go into a rant here about molecular cracking and why lead was removed from gas, and it has nothing to do with smog or the developement of childrens brains.
don't you love it.
p.s. SU carbs, i love them and "if" you know what you are doing they are easy to fix, and i mean easy!
_________________ this story shall the good man teach his son, and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by, from this day to the end of the world. but we in it shall be remembered.
Last edited by john hennessy on May 21, 2012, 6:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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