[quote=flu]There’s a misconception about why some car repair bills are so high.. Beyond just the labor, these days it’s parts. Most problems are in the electronics…Mechanics don’t repair electronics… they swap boards….[/quote]Part of the problem is the way the cars are ‘built’. Recent problem: Older Mustang, S.O. took it to JiffyLube. Person there packed the terminal protector with lithium grease because there was a little corrosion. This only makes the problem worse because it traps the acid against the connectors. Went to Ford to get the positive terminal wire fixed. Price would be about $700. The wire is built into the engine bay wiring loom that traverses under the engine… even though battery terminals are highly likely to corrode. They only do the repair by replacing the entire lower engine wiring loom. Guess one of my long weekends is going to be pulling the loom apart and pulling out and replacing the positive terminal wires.. Other problems I have come across:
The driveline U joints on Nissan 280ZX, 300ZX(s) are not replaceable. You have to replace the entire driveshaft.
Distributors of Nissan 280ZX, 300ZX(s) are not rebuildable if one of the sealed ball bearings wears out.
The fuel pump relay on a 280ZX is hidden.. and not even the factory manual is clear about its location (passenger side, near wheel, at top, hidden behind side paneling of engine compartment).
The reality is that there is not much motivation for a manufacturer to make a car easy to fix/repair. It is actually the opposite. Every repair ends up being a big expensive part that has to come from the factory instead of the real cause.. like a small seal, bearing, u-joint.. which is a commodity item and comparatively cheap.
[quote=bearishgurl]flu, even if you spend $50 to $100 for your vehicle’s shop manual, these “specialized tools and scanners” you speak of here can run up to $80K apiece (for the European models).[/quote]This is not the way it is supposed to be, but each of the manufacturers tries to make it hard by not adhering to standards. The electronics bus that is most cars these days is known as the CAN-BUS. It is a standardized format, the problem is most manufacturers ‘tweak’ the protocol to make it non-compatible. ODB-II was supposed to force it to a more of a ‘standard’.. but the manufacturers come up with all sorts of excuses as to why they can’t. The other problem is that auto buyers have no good reference as to how the manufacturer has built the car for repairability.
