In 1980 I could get a new (spare) ignition key for less than $5.00 at any hardware store. Recently it cost me $200+ for a new computer 'chipped' key, and then $200+ more for the dealership to program it to my car. I am so sick and tired of computers and digital technology I can't tell you. I wanna go back to 1975 when telephones were wired to the wall, and driving beyond your own town required the basic ability to read a road map.
That sounds good, BUT: Look at Hyundai and Kia being sued by customers and CITIES because they didn't have complicated computerized anti-theft key systems on their lower-priced models, making them easy to steal. They're being sued because their ignition systems WEREN'T computerized.
@@VideoArchiveGuy Well it's because they had poorly implemented keyless entry that made it easier to steal than a car from the 80s. It's the electronics that made it vulnerable to begin with. Just having a well designed tumbler with hardened steel and wheel lock is all you should really need and that doesn't require a single computer. It's why people hate their life when they lose a Mercedes key from the 90s and have to painstakingly drill it out.
@@Hedonistic0Frogum, no, no car could withstand a simple tool designed to break the lock on your ignition, and for that matter, it could also be hot wired aka bypassed. And my local dealer only charged $45 to add my key to a 2020 Kia niro.
@@sprockketsI guess you don't know that steering locks exist. Unless you're taking the dash apart and cutting that off you're not going far. It's more secure than your key fob.
@@Hedonistic0FrogNot true,old steering locks are easily broken even without tools, it was thief 101 back in the day. Dont need to take anything apart.
Unfortunately, the lobbies for both manufacturers and dealerships usually have loopholes written into that type of legislation, effectively defanging it.
All of the automotive stuff is available from manufactures. You do have to pay a fee to use stuff like programming, but its minimal. The stinky part is the push to lock down security functions such as key fobs.
So glad you are still videoing Japanese and possibly some domestic vehicles. My favorite videos are the "buy this not that"! I hope you still continue do do those when you get time, including everything! They are really helpful to us normal people out there who can't afford and BMW! Love your channel! Keep up the videos!
It absolutely is by design. I worked with a tier 1 automotive supplier from 03-06 and watched materials quality drastically go bad ...from polypropylene pellets to wiring harnesses to fabrics used in upholstery. We had engineers engineering engineers if that makes sense. Then came the drastic decline in reliability around 07. When you have to remove a bumper to change a light bulb, it's to keep people from doing it themselves.
Maybe the legislators should pass laws that require all manufactures make their service manual and programing software available to public FREE of charge.
The trouble will be when the cars get old. Techs are trained on new stuff, but when the experienced guys move on... who will know how to work on the older stuff?
One of the big innovations that came from the Model T and the assembly line as a whole was that parts were universal; you could get a part from one car and it would work on another one. It's so heartwarming to see manufacturers reversing this massive innovation in the pursuit of money.
Your comment makes no sense. Fords parts weren't universal among different models, nor was model T universal with other makes during its era. Further, it was only expected that IP for electronics and other designs would never allow universality. I do agree that it would be great if we had it, but then also, there would not be diversity in available products, diversity that allows you to choose which vehicle attributes matter most to you.
@@stinkycheese804 I mean universal among other Model Ts. I guess standardized would've been a better term to use. Back before the Model T, parts weren't standard, everything was custom made. Even if you had two of the same product, you couldn't just grab a part from one and use it to replace another, so all the pieces had to be built alongside each other, and maintenance and repair was a PITA. The Model T brought standard components. The act of making components was separated from one another, which massively boosted productivity. You just had a bin full of component XYZ and no matter which one you grabbed it would work. As you can imagine this also helped tremendously when it came to sourcing replacements. Your XYZ broke? Just get a new one, install it and you're on your way. But now we've regressed quite a bit because now components have to be programmed to a car, not too different in principle from having to custom-make something for that specific car, except that automakers tend to guard the tools to program stuff pretty closely. And regarding "universal" components, they absolutely do exist. GM is a fantastic example of this, they have tons of parts that fit a wide variety of cars. I can get an HMI for my Cadillac ELR from a bunch of cars, even GMCs and Buicks use the exact same part. They're all programmed differently, though, so I need not only to find a part, but someone to program it. Regarding the lack of diversity that standardization would bring that's BS. again look at GM, they share a bunch of parts between their cars and they have a pretty good catalog. Or look at Android devices. Are you trying to say that because they use the same OS and same USB C connector, that there's no diversity and wide selection of options? Honestly that's the type of response I'd expect from a lobbyist. "standardization is bad because it stiffles innovation".
@@stinkycheese804 Basic affordable cars like the Ford Maverick, Comet Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge Duster, Dart, Reliant, Fifth Avenue, Diplomat etc., in the 60's, 70's didn't have universal parts but parts for them and similar cars from the Big 3 at the time could be bought from the junkyards, aftermarket parts dealers and if at all else fails the dealerships at very reasonable prices. Licensed mechanics could work on these cars fairly quickly and owners didn't break the bank keeping the cars on the road. DIY owners could fix them too and Crappy Tire had loads of inexpensive parts to keep them running. Buy the way, many of these cars were built in my hometown Windsor Chrysler assembly plant which has built the venerable Chrysler minivans for 35 years. My brother's first car was a used Plymouth Duster with a slant six. Bought it for $1300 in 1981. It was a joy to own. Even when it needed servicing. In other words, parts weren't universal but they were readily available. Those cars and especially cars with the legendary Chrysler slant 6 engines were a pleasure to drive, own, maintain and get repaired. The ordinary person with a lot of money could have a car, get to work, buy groceries, pick up the kids and still have a few bucks in the bank. You didn't need to be an engineer to understand how they were built, run and repaired. The genius of the many cars based on Iacocca's K car frame (Aries, Reliant, Dynasty, Lebaron and many others) was that the cars were affordable to buy and affordable to maintain and fix. As the Bare Naked Ladies band said in the 80's sang "a nice RELIANT AUTOMOBILE." They weren't great cars, they did break down, they did rust but parts were easily found for them in many places for good prices. Licensed mechanics and DIY'ers fixed them without a computer. Chrysler was happy, customers were happy and they saved the jobs of untold numbers of auto workers for a decade or more. Motorists are pleading, begging and crying for economy cars that are easily maintained, fixed and built with or without expensive options like a DVD player for hyperactive kids in rear seat. Whether they are electric, hybrid, hydrogen fueled or gas powered which ever car manufacturer in any country engineers and builds these cars will dominate a huge chunk of the world's auto market. Not everyone needs or wants a $60,000 Truck or SUV. They want a car they can afford to buy (maybe new, like our 2012 Corolla) which is still humming down the road. It was purchased new at $16,000 in Stratford, Ontario Canada. It was built not far away in Cambridge, Ontario Canada.
My brother is a flat rate tech at a dealership and he finally broke down and bought a really expensive scan tool last year. The dealership wouldn't buy one and he was tired of losing his ass chasing electrical gremlins. The other techs were constantly asking to borrow it, but he said no way. Eventually he got smart and worked a deal with the service manager to pay him an hour for every time he lets someone use it. He also drives a 15 year old POS because the money he might spend on a car payment goes to the tool companies every month just so he can keep up with the technology. Appreciate your local mechanics!
I'm kinda surprised as generally the faster turnaround would net the dealership more profits. One dealership I worked had a bonus plan where after X months/ years the dealer paid for new tools, tool boxes etc. So the mechanics stayed happy and stayed there.
@@ReadyFreddie5523 Do you know how much the bonus was for the tools? All the shops and dealers I know offer between $250 and $750 per year... far short of a $3800 tool.
Completely agree My wife and me have a 2012 chrysler town and country, the automatic sliding doors don't want to close. Turns out, a parameter in the door module that counts how many times it open and closes is off and requires for the door module to be flashed and reprogram. For more money then im willing to pay
Is why I am glad is no computer scan emissions testing here. I have an older car with wire throttle etc. If it gets to that point? I am going to just strip it out and put in all aftermarket controls. I can see that being the new business. Alpine car controls. Doing all the GPS and climate control for your car. Plug in replacements. Compatible with Holley EFI systems. My 09 Astra, I am tempted to do that. Strip out all the computers and go stand alone. Only part of contention is the car's security system and immobilizer. Take just one tech savvy entrepreneur to solve that however.
The whole right to repair debate is massively misunderstood buy the people in Washington voting on bills and allowing things to be the way they are. "You will own nothing and be happy." You don't own any of the electronics you buy now. You also have no privacy, because the powers that be can see everything you do 24/7.
Best part is that dealerships are now refusing to work on cars older than 10yrs and manufactures like MOPAR are now stopping making parts for 5yr old cars.
I know a mechanic who is older than dirt. He ran his own shop for decades. He had all the scan tools because he believed in staying up to date in his business. He had some old equipment from the analogue days left over in the back of his shop. He told me once that the old diagnostic machinery cost the same if not more than the new stuff. He came up in the 60’s from a time when everything was done in house. He rebuilt engines, transmissions, brakes, everything. Because he was all about staying modern in his business he was better equipped than most shops and got a lot of the higher end customers because of that. He even went through auto electrical training when he saw that being a basic mechanic was not going to be enough as the technology increased.
@@AutoAndChill various equipment manufactured by sun. Ways to test spark duration and dwell angles, early fuel injection testing equipment. Mostly really early distributer and spark testing equipment. This guy had a very well equipped shop. He would travel overseas and buy equipment from various manufacturers and bring it back for his shop.
The one big difference was that you bought the equipment ONCE The newer stuff is ONLY available VIA SUBSCRIPTION 2010 was the last year I could BUY the manuals and electrical diagrams even then I would have to get a short-term subscription to program the new various modules I still do work for myself, neighbors and friends I told them all don't buy post-2010 or I can't help you since having the subscriptions only makes sense if one fixes 5+ cars per day Glad to be retired
@@WilliamPayneNZ It depends on what you mean by old. In the late 70's and early 80's a tach/dwell/volt/ohm meter were not expensive nor were a vacuum gauge or a compression gauge. A distributor machine was and so was a scope but a distributor machine was a distributor shop specialty item. The scope was for high end shops and the new (then) electronic ignitions. Prior to electronic ignitions they didn't exist. Spark checking tools (still available today) were inexpensive little mechanical things though generally you could check spark by increasing gap to your ground which is all the spark checker did. My old shop auto teacher (ex ww2 aircraft mechanic) would check the traditional coil based ignition by feel. He would grab a wire and see how much of a jolt he got. He said the new higher voltage stuff was a little much for that method.
Anyone who understands how cars work could see this coming. I know an Electrical Engineer who said he thinks cars peaked in electronic reliability around 2003. Every time I see someone with a car with all these new "features," I think, "Yes, but what are you going to do when that stops working?" One friend had his doors mysteriously start randomly unlocking themselves, and it took two trips to the dealership to get it fixed. It's insane. All the heat and vibration inherent in driving kills electronics, and the more complicated you make them, the more ways there are for them to fail. I don't want a new car at all with all this crap onboard. I own a 39 year-old truck, and it all works. None of this fancy computer-controlled gear is going to last that long. It will quickly become non-repairable, and you'll have a car-sized doorstop.
You nailed it. I own a 1984 V8 4 speed Holden ute here in Aust. Muppets are concerned about my fuel economy. The same muppets spend $6000.oo on a transmission rebuild for their 10 year old car, have clown electric windows that don't work, battery failure through faulty electronics, permanently lit ABS & Engine Warning lights, brown lensed plastic headlights, blistering paint, dead air conditioning & no heat emitting from the alleged heater. The paint on my 40 year old ute is still healthy & everything works exactly as it was designed to do. The V8 has travelled 220,000 kilometres & the tappet covers have never been off. Yep, I spend a little extra on fuel... About 10 bucks a week. My muppet friends have spent over $200,000.oo over the last 20 years alone on constantly trying to upgrade their junk before the junk suffers a massively expensive catastrophic failure. Modern cars are for spoilt brats & fools who just get robbed REPEATEDLY.
@@johnbrooks9523 It helps that you don't drive a lot. No reason to worry about MPG. I have a 2011 Scion XB with 263,000 miles on it. It's made in Japan and simple. This past week I drove in My sister's Subaru, and the controls looked more like a airplane. There are so many features that will break and cost a pretty penny. The rear view mirror has a pile of sensors so the unit costs $1500. Then the doors that open automatically aren't going to be cheap to fix when that fails. Looks like I'll be driving the 2011 for a very long time.
My 2005 Ford e250 is a work van and is still pretty simple , it still has manual windows. It will remain my daily driver till it or I die. At 442,000 miles on the van and 64 years of age on me I don't know which of us will check out first.
If you drive an old car and can avoid everything Wizard is talking about here, that’s great. But ultimately “they’re” still gonna git ya in the parts realm. Unless you stock up on good condition NOS or used parts you’ll have to buy cheap, low quality ones from China. Many of which have fatal mechanical flaws or may not even fit despite their spec sheet claiming it will fit and be suitable for your car.
I can tell you it’s not just cars, I work in building maintenance and everything from commercial dishwashers and ovens to climate control systems are full of proprietary software and unnecessary electronics.
Agree....totally invasive and WAY over-engineered. Replaced a (wireless) garage door unit. The new unit came with an APP, a forward facing camera, and of course WIFI. I chose to leave all of it disabled except the very base wireless (opener) function.
Yes not we wantz to save zhe environment with you eating zhe bugz... Yeah fuck them all!! Nothing to day is made to help the environment!! Back in the day you fixed everything and trash and scrap was at a minimum because materials were expensive.
My mom's landlord had a new fancy programmable fridge installed in her apartment. She couldn't get it to work. Nor could the THREE janitors that spent FOUR hours (i.e. 3x4=12 working hours, that probably cost about as much as the fridge itself) trying to understand and execute the installation and setup procedure. After those hours they gave up and ordered a new fridge. Was the fridge broken? Or was the setup procedure just too complex? I don't know. I suspect they didn't either. COMPUTERS ARE KILLING OUR SOCIETY!
The cost of the tool isnt the issue. The issue is the cost of licensing to be 'allowed' to use the tools. Or even have access to the service information to be able to.
That is not even what I am talking about. I am talking about multiple tools that can do these calibrations on the market right now. They are not stolen they are from major aftermarket brands that have all these functions. I am sorry that you have not done your research. Just cause you don't know anything, doesn't mean that things aren't legit.
This is one reason I love old prius's. you can bleed the brakes on these hybrids by parking it, pushing the brake pedal with a 2x4, and then opening bleeders.
Imagine if you had to pay Microsoft $10,000 a year to use /sfc scannow when you had a problem with the software they made. Right to repair is important for vehicles!!
@@noseboop4354 It all started when they stopped allowing you to just swap the cell phone battery out and glued it down. They want everything disposable so you have to keep upgrading and buying it again
@@noseboop4354 My biggest gripe with Apple is how you can't upgrade the hardware unless you buy a Mac Pro that, honestly, isn't worth it at this time ... if ever. If you need a MacBook Pro and expect the system to grow with you, it can't unless you've already upgraded it to as far as you can anticipate your future needs ... which Apple will happily do for you at a highly inflated price compared to just buying your own parts and upgrading it yourself whenever it's necessary. It's that or you just replace the whole computer for a new one with the specs that you need when it's time to upgrade ... at substantial expense. If you want to stay with macOS and help mitigate the cost, you must sell your old system for as much as you can get for it or take it up the wazoo with a relatively paltry amount that Apple's trade-in program will contribute towards the purchase of a new Mac.
FWIW, the bootlegs from China, that come complete with a laptop, have been great for me. Usually around $400 for a Mercedes STAR/XENTRY clone or Volvo VIDA/DICE. The only downside is you're not gonna be getting updates, and frankly, you don't want that laptop ever connecting to the Internet.
I 2nd this. I have owned 3 different modern Mercedes and the Star/Xentry tablets from China solve this problem just fine and well worth the $400 bucks.
@@ihavethedocuments2580stupid you say? I just ran an ABS module through an old laptop. You ain’t doing that in a Ferrari 612 Speciale without a $6,000 factory tick ✅ Or a laptop and some white hating. Looks like you’re a fool.
@@NSR747wrong, so very very wrong. All you need is a laptop and some knowledge. Get your white hat on. I guess to those 4 new injectors yesterday in that G-wagon codes themselves without access to any scan tools. 😉 enjoy flushing your money down the 🚽. Watch as your pride comes out and you reply like a fool.
We need "Right to Repair" legislation to address this growing problem. It's not just cars, appliances are fitted with ECM's on their fans which often die and will kill the entire appliance if you don't notice the fan isn't running and the compressor cooks itself. The real irony is many of these things were added for environmental reasons, to save tiny amounts of electricity, but end up in a landfill far sooner than older appliances. Very Green I'd say.
And at that point they are not green, and shouldn't be marked as better for the environment. Longer a vehicle lasts the better for the environment it is. The less pollution and energy expended to maintain that vehicle.
Honestly if I could find a simple 60s compact like a Falcon, Nova, Dart that wasn't rotted out, I'd buy it, rebuild the mechanicals and make it my daily driver.
@@MrSloikaeven better is to restomod that old car. Although my dad taught me how to rebuild carbs and properly set points, I’d rather not deal with that for a daily driver. Just before the pandemic I helped a buddy do a restomod on a ‘69 Chevelle. Nothing outrageous it’s not a trailer queen show car, just a really fun and reliable cruiser. He got a 5.3 LS (Gen III) and 4L80E, and we debated what box to use with it. Went with the Holley Terminator X. The base maps worked fine, again nothing wild about this crate engine. The car has more than enough power to smoke the tires, will happily idle in rush hour traffic with the A/C blasting, and every cold start you just flick the ignition key and away you go. I wonder when the government will make cars older than xxxx illegal to drive?
@@MrSloika I agree, a Falcon or late 60's Dart with a small block would be ideal. Not too shitty mileage and you can add electronic ignition to simplify tuneups and a Vintage Air A/C to be comfortable in hot weather. Say goodbye to "scanners"
Once these vehicles got too complicated and a ton of modules. After 2014 I gave up this profession people in my area started complaining about the cost of diagnosis. They just don't understand the cost and the knowledge you need to fix these complicated vehicles. Always enjoy your videos.
I bought an Autel MK808 off of Amazon. It does a lot of functions including bi directional. It was $400. It's probably the cheapest good tool out there.
Topdon topscan is a really good tool for under $100. Does function tests and resets. Relearned the idle on my 14 kia forte after cleaning throttle body. Performed a regen on an 18 duramax after changing the def pump module that was in limp mode. Used it to diagnose bad cats on a 2017 2500 6.0 and have really been impressed with what I can do and how fast it is vs the high dollar scanners that need booted up, logged in and plugging in the boxes to the diag port.
This was the best video ever to understand how and why vehicle maintenance became so more expensive these days. And the ludic approach of how the components interact ("hey, we're done. I'm not talking to you anymore") was awesome.😅 Thanks so much, Wiz!
These corporations and their stock holders only think about profits, and obviously the more complex the more expensive it becomes to maintain it. What they do not realize is the more complicated the system/society is, if a crash occures, it becomes infinitely more difficult to deal with. Many many people will suffer. Greed is destoying this country and the world
I am an investor and I vote AGAINST this kind of crap and the board too. They make they have enough votes to run the company like Putin runs Russia. Don't blame all the stock holders. We want to hold them to account. Everything in our society now has business managers who are trying to get every last nickel. We are in big inflation and we've been weakening anti-trust laws for years - time to do something about that. Vote for people who will put people, not business first. Judge them by their actions. Who lowered the price of inhalers? Why is it that the VA can negotiate drug prices but HHS/Medicare is having a problem and the companies are suing to prevent it! Our toothless dogs in congress want the donations so they don't do enough or often anything.
That’s the best part about the scam - like identity politics - it weaponizes the working class vs the working class in an animal farm like scenario All while The loser executives and Wall Street bros make all the $$$ Which they blow on women they couldn’t get in high school 🤣
@@mike-sk2li and thank God for it. People don't realize the change unless they are old like me. I would walk down the street in the 70s by a 6 lane road and I could point to each car way out of tune dumping out stink a mile a minute. My eyes burned at times. Spark plugs went at 12K miles. Then there was servicing points. True that anyone could work on it. And a well maintained car could pass modern tests - a friend who is a diesel tech did it with his 1960 chevy 1/2 ton. Now walking down a busy street you have none of that. It was worth it for that alone. How often do we do plugs on a modern car? I have a 2010 audi I bought 4 years ago - nothing need for plugs. Then again, on the caddy 3.6L engine you have to take off the intake manifold to get to 2 of the plugs. Someone asked me if I wanted to do that job, and they would have paid me, and I said pass. There are many pluses and minuses. I had a full size ram 5.7 hemi and I monitored my driving. Even with occasional flooring it I still got 20 mpg. My only old truck I built that could match it was a 230 ci 6 I put in a 72 chevy 1/2 ton I paid very little for and rebuilt.
It’s good to explain these things to the public because it will give them a better understanding of why it’s so expensive to have car repairs done, it’s not a inexpensive business to get of the ground and keep updated to be able to service all different makes and models.
This concept sounds like as car buyers we no longer own the car we purchased. It's some sort of weird long term lease where we are forced to only go to dealerships for repairs or have a useless machine in your driveway.
With the cost of maintenance they are disposable items. There are issues now getting a mechanic to even work on them. The other issue is the integration includes spyware to track where you go, who else is in your car (cell phones), how you drive, etc. I have heard they can even check when you turn on accessories or use a turn signal.
@@basilwatson1 True, but he implied it as a command not a statement. Poor old Schwab, born to early to join the Nazi party and has had sour grapes ever since.
This right here is why I didn't swap an LS into my 1981 Chevy C20 pickup. When I put the new small block 350 in, I used a Holley carb and a one wire HEI to eliminate the Electronic Spark Control/advance module that the truck came with new. I also left it as a manual transmission. I can almost fix anything on it with a hammer and a screwdriver : ).
Having spent a lifetime repairing electronics since the early 70's the one thing that causes a lot of faults is moisture, and the harsh condtions that cars are expected to work through makes these faults even more likely. Sealing the modules just keeps some of the damp out, but extremes of temperature causes moisture and then corrosion in time, wrecking the pcb's, components such as capactors fail often going short circuit which then takes out the i/c's. Car repair techs now require fault finding skills way beyond what they used to , scan tool codes only point you in a certain direction, it might be nothing to do with the cause of the fault.
Yup i quit being a ase tech in 09 i saw it coming as a PC builder since mid 90s. And i was the ideal tech, mechanical and advanced electronics knowledge, but was NEVER paid for my value. Now a commercial carpenter, happier, healthier, MUCH weathier
@@captaintoyota3171 Not many will want the headaches of fault finding as cars become ever more complex full of modules just waiting to fail. Little wonder that cars are now written off with only minor damage. I have just retired and my soldering iron is staying cold.
but electronics have been going that way for years. I have a how to video on my channel for replacing a cheap relay to get the a/c to come back on with a 1997 town car. How often do we toss a whole board for a few components? On a 2000 LS400 the instruments died. Well the car was still great. I bought a 'supergauge' odb2 perm display and put that on the dash in front of my gauges. No parts available, and anything else was at the end of its operational lifetime. Even with one of the best cars ever made you can still find an acheilia's heel. (that and strut rods - other than that pretty bullet proof)
@@steamboat75043 Most of the early electronic modules used off the shelf components and anyone with the right skills could repair them, i have done my share for the local car repair shops. Today with ever more complex systems that are all controlled by variations of the can bus system as the wizard has said, you can no longer plug and pray, the investment in the tools required to enable new modules to work is not cheap. Repairing these modules requires even more investment, the only ones that i attempt are the various actuators that control the HVAC systems, these suffer from split gears, sometimes it is cheaper to fit a new actuator. As the technology increases in complexity the more skills and equipment will be required to repair them, many shops just can't afford to invest in all of this.
I’ve got a 2012 G37 Its been mechanically good to me, DIYing some maintenance I’ve noticed many of the calibrations are in-car button dances with no hardware/software required. I’ve clean and relearned both throttle bodies, done the throttle pedal calibration too. After it got broke into I did the window drop-down relearn (goes down half way on door close when out of calibration). I worked at a Nissan dealer, and the only time the car saw Consult scan tool was when I was checking it out as a trade-in I wanted to buy. It feels like a solid mix between modern performance, and yesterdays right of repair standards
My 08 base model Tacoma didn’t have cruise control or intermittent wipers stock. I looked up the factory part numbers and bought the modules (which are built into the stalks) from a higher trim level model directly from a Toyota dealer. Popped out the old stalk for the wiper and the blank where the cruise stalk would be and plugged in the new parts. Everything immediately was recognized and worked. A cruise control light even started working on the gauge cluster. I think the whole endeavor cost about $150 and a few hours of my time.
I’m glad you finally explained it. I’m one of those who will avoid the dealership because I’m not willing to spend $500-$1000 per visit I hope that Amazon power steering hose doesn’t need programming.
What’s happening in a nut shell is manufacturers are trying to push you out of a vehicle in a year from the purchase date, and push you in a new vehicle, so they make more money, and you keep either a car payment or a loan payment. Gone are the days of buying new paying it off to own it, and keeping the same vehicle for 30 or 40 years, and expecting it to last, and hold up.
Funny thing I still have my 1973 box truck and my 1989 Deisel pick-up I also have a 1999 Saturn(daily driver) All three will be mine till I die I even have a spare ECM for the Saturn (just in case the old one fails)
@@MDAdams72668 oh nice! Yeah 50 years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if vehicles from the 70’s and 80’s are still going. As long as parts are available to keep them going.
Here in Europe new BMW Audi Merc models are the worst tech wise , i refuse working on them . 90's early 2000 where the best years for quality made cars and with just enough electronics not to be obsolete/outdated nor overly complex .
Euro junk are throwaway. Pure garbage and they want you tied to the dealer. And after that are at best average vehicles. Older Benz are fairly tough and were at least interesting. Modern ones are shitboxes that are dumb and stupid to drive.
So true, if a car manufacturer put out a basic car without all the electronics and crap they would make a killing, a small engine with a top speed of like 90mph and excellent mpg, no one needs to go over 100 anyway, the highest speed limit in the US is 80 on ONE road in remote UTAH. We don't need touchscreens in cars either.
There was a time when this made sense. Cars were being stolen and broken up for parts in the late 90s and it got to crazy levels. That all stopped when manufacturers started coding parts to VINs. Of course now they just steal, reprogram the whole car and ship it out .
VW got caught and that's how I got a nice 2011 touareg during the worst of the settlement for 10K. And it was in warranty up until 2/2024 and they had to provide a free loaner car. Everyone went ape and I said hey - it was a good car before the case broke - a good car now. Mine did go through a number of adblue repairs but on the dealer's nickel and after 12 years and 120K miles. So as much as I drive now - it should be good for a while. (I hope) very powerful, sure footed off road, and heavily built - still gets 26.5 combined for 5000 lbs and good performance.
@@jplacido9999 VW programmed the cars to run differently under emissions testing and got caught. And they paid for it. They could have just not done it. I have a diesegate touareg and it runs fine. I wonder how many sales they would lost if they didn't cheat and the cars ran close to the post dieselgate tune. I looked at TCU reprogramming but I wonder with the vehicle's torque do I really want it to downshift sooner/faster? It has a lot of torque. Can you miss what you can't measure? Had it never happened would people have known? Or were they trying to keep the performance close to that of the v10. The motor was used in porsche and audi SUVs too. I liked the porsche interior the best, but after dieselgate and with the warranty, the VW was too good of a deal to pass up.
I don't think that's the reason, I think the industry doesn't pay enough and expects you to work your ass off. Doesn't make sense to become a mechanic for the most part in this day in age. I make far more than a dealership tech replacing auto glass.
It does make sense if your entrepreneurial I sell cars on the side and use the lifts at the shop I work at to make repairs on my flip cars way faster and better plus free oil and coolant , use your head and it will pay off be a dumbass waiting.for a just a check at the end of the week then mechanic ain't for you
Not only is the maintenance discourging but no cars sold today will still be on the road and running 50 years from now. None of the parts like batteries or screens will be available as replacements. This is terrible as most cars prior to the 80’s could be put back on the road with many off the shelf parts and don’t need specialized parts.
Exactly, pretty much all cars from the 50s and before you can either 3D print the part or have a metalworker fabricate it. Good luck doing that with proprietary computer chips that have millions of transistors.
@@noseboop4354 cars are getting more and more expensive and technology is still developing. According to this it will be no suprise If after 50 years today´s cars will be still on the road. So maybe people will have to find the way to keep still using 2020's cars If future cars will be expensive as hell.
@@PiotrusNazwiskowy Good luck with that when 2020 cars use so many custom computer chips that will become very hard to replace, not to mention you'll need the programming codes from the manufacturer to make the car accept the replacement parts. Some cars have even locked the 12V battery this way. Only cars that don't have these 'features' have hope to survive until 2050, ie most cars from 2015 and before.
@@noseboop4354 Probably a good 15 years from now, you won't be able to find the right scan tool to program the modules supposing you were able to find the modules in the first place.
The gm Ecu has the vats so yes The throttle body needs to be calibrated The ignition control module no The jag gauge cluster depends on year so most times yes or it can trigger one of them miss matched codes Most of these are common practice these days tho I use an Autel Im608 programs a bunch of modules and keys very satisfied with it
ive been saying it for years, lawyers may be good for dui, next one criminal. doctors same heart lung etc, they pic a specialty. now we are going to do the same, its just the way it is.
These will only be allowed in non emissions areas or the cars are old enough that emissions no longer get inspected. But I can definitely see using them
Illegal to modify emissions I was fined 50k for tuning a diesel truck to run MORE efficiently I wish it wasn't so but I haven't found anyway around that law
Where we are at, after 20 years they don't do emissions, but I think they still check for a cat. But that's only a few counties out of the entire state. Back in Illinois they checked emissions forever but that was also only a few counties. If I ever move, no emissions will be a requirement.
I bought myself an Autel 906Pro-TS for Christmas. It was my favorite gift. I tinker enough with cars that it was worth it to me. It retails for $1999, but I got it on sale. You are correct about paying an annual software update fee. Still cheaper than taking my vehicles to the dealership.
if you're working on a car that has been out of production for a while you don't really need the latest updates, I've diagnosed plenty of older cars with my Autel scanner running 2021 software.
@@edwardfletcher7790 it really doesn’t. I have an AUTEL Ultra and Topdon Phoenix MAX. The Topdon runs circles around the Autel. Only thing his Autel does that neither of these do, is key programming. I have an OTOFIX(AUTEL) IM2 that does the key programming aspect.
@MrSubaru1387 you are the most annoying automotive youtuber. Let the know it all attitude go man. Also subarus are junk cars I worked for a dealership here in MN and you are the only Subaru tech that advocates for them for some odd reason
Someone told me to attach a battery tender to the negative and positive connectors when I change out a battery. Why? This keeps the car powered while the battery is gone. He tapes the connections so they do not fall off. Then he changes the battery and since the car's electrical system is powered by the tender during the short interval while there is no battery, the situation in this video does not occur. Great video!
These newer battery developments tick me off as well. The control modules (in a perfect world) should be made to tolerate short period no-power scenarios w/o throwing a bunch of codes. But mfrs don't care.
A shop wanted to charge me $450 for the AGM start stop battery installed and $100 to program the new battery. I got a mobile battery guy who charged me $490 to come to my house and did this exact thing. Connected a battery the the charge terminals and swapped battery and no programming required and all done in 10 minutes at my house. The shop wanted more money and for me to drive there and leave my car there for a few hours.
That's ok. My cutoff for vehicles is 1995. I've had newer and they just don't last in our 110f degree summer heat. I like wheel bearings that are greasable and replaceable easily. As long as I can get the ac to blow cold I will drive it. Someone needs to come up with a new take on Jerry Reed's dear mister ford song and they will have a hit song.😂
I had an 89 Accord that would blow fog out of the vents at idle in a 110f parking lot. Wrecked that car and bought a 94 Accord with their first year R-134. On the road going to big town for supplies was ok, but once we slowed in town and parked it for only a few minutes for pickups, it would never catch up until we got back on the road for home. Dealer looked at it under warranty and said "All OK". Sold it later and went to a 03 Camry...better, but no fog like before. Neighbor had an 86 Sentra with 350K miles. A/C had never been serviced (R-12) and it was ice cold.
I have an 06 Ford Falcon here in Australia they used them as taxis very reliable. Has modern safety like 2 airbags, traction control etc. Look for something about 8 years old that is reliable if you update, an 8 year old car will have plenty of info online regarding reliability. Stick to Toyota, Mazda, Lexus stay away from CVT, DSG transmissions.
It’s funny to watch you talking about limiting future domestic repairs with an old Chevy, which has been there forever, sitting on the rack behind your head! 😂. Love your channel!
I remember back in the 1980's, I had to buy a specific five-dollar tool to remove the main jet from a 1970's single-barrel Strommy. Crazy days. Greetings from Australia.
that's why there are specialty shops like my mechanic only fixes VW/Audi & Honda/Acura -- only need VW & Honda tools. And I think fixing Hondas keeps them from going totally bananas from dealing with VWs.
My dad had an 80 Audi 4000. The starter went bad and they replaced it with a new one. Only problem for then was dad did a lot work on his car. They had put in a used starter. So my dad that worked for TVA found out about an engineer who had retired from TVA who had a shop out in the country. We went there for service and it was fascinating. The Engineer had gone to live in Germany and got factory trained for VW, Audi and Porsche. He was factory certified to do welding on the company race car. So in his parking lot he had Le Mans racing cars that have been wrecked. He was fixing them all some were well over a million. He charged 25 dollars an hr in the mid 80's. He also bought railroad service cars regular track and narrow. He would get permission to travel out west on closed or lightly traveled tracks. He of course restored the service cars.
It's getting to the point where some modules don't even allow you to reprogram them to a new vehicle. You have to buy a new one from the dealer and [then] get it programmed. Earlier you could take the module apart and find an eeprom that could be rewritten by specialized people, but as modules get more complex and integrated, that chip is no longer there and the VIN info lives inside the main processor without access. Think every module from every manufacturer has different specs, so one solution only applies to a single module from a single manufacturer.
JSYK I will never be watching a foreign exotic porche,jag,Maserati etc. I don't care I will only be watching YOUR Toyota, Honda, silverado (my 2006 silverado WT) etc what me and my family own but you do you YOU ARE THE TOP 3 MECHANICS ON THE INTERWEB TH-cam❤
@@MrSloika that is already a thing mainly at "buy here pay here" used car lots, they install a GPS tracker and a kill switch in the car that the lender can trigger remotely if you miss payments and or they're gonna repo it.
*Great Videos Mr. & Mrs. Wizard* *Mrs. Wizard Does a GREAT GREAT Explanation of Cars Interiors* Mr. Wizard Today's Car's Are Now Throw Away Cars If You Can With In a Coupe of Months Of The Car Warranty Ending Get Rid Of The Car Thanks To The EPA WAY WAY To Much Sensors On Cars I Will Take a Non- Computer Car Any Day Working On Cars For 50 Years
My Ancel FX8000 can perform calibration for the steering angle sensor, it cost about $250. it can also do ABS bleed, BMS register, SAS, EPB, TPMS, IMMO, Throttle, Oil resets on top of diagnose for Engine, Transmission, ABS, SRS.. Perfect DIY tool. I only do Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Isuzu and Subaru. and no older than m.y 2000.
Thanks Wizard for clarifying the new direction your shop is taking and that your TH-cam channel will still have vehicles and content of interest to the general masses. I think the initial shock of what you said, had us draw conclusions about future content that wasn’t necessarily accurate. The first time I heard about having to reprogram after a new battery install was my sister in law, with her BMW. So far that hasn’t happened to me (2012 Ram, 2009 Honda CR-V, 2018 4Runner) and living in Las Vegas, batteries only last a few years so reprogramming costs could certainly add up.
Wizard should mention that SAM modules are the achilles heel of cars too. The VIN matching and programming is a "right to repair" feature that prevents DIYer's from fixing their own cars. All of this is done to force owners to scrap old cars and buy new ones when they break. Car manufacturers are learning something from Apple Computer.
I had a bucket list entry that at some point in the future I would find myself driving through Kansas and my 2006 Ford Crown Victoria would break down and require service at Omega Auto Clinic (I live in Long Beach, CA). Looks like that item will sadly never be scratched off now.
Not only do microprocessor controlled cars require complex scan tools, any and all personal data is transmitted over the air to the manufacturers site.
90s japanese cars are where its at. Yes efi BUT its simple 12volt signals and sensors etc. Its easy. Granted i can build a computer and program it, yet i only drive 90s japanese cars. Period. Only manual transmissions. That way i can always repair them
Me too I still drive a 1990 Lexus ls400 and 1985 Toyota pickup are so good and both engine are bulletproof. Im alway get to stay away from 2010s or above modern computers is nightmare for DIY. Also im remove emission control in my 22r engine make better gas economy and keep clean engine bay without nonsense emission protection. I will work on my Lexus ls400 to remove emission system too. I can’t imagine if you try to remove a emission system on modern vehicle. they will tell you not able to drive anymore of check engine light on lol 😂
This is why I am looking at 25 year old cars. I don't want to be stuck dealing with all of this nonsense. Not to mention, what about all this connected cars that could be turned off remotely should you not what your told by daddy government. Miss something on your taxes? Car is locked. Sorry about your luck!
ain't the government doing this. its the people who profit by it - the makers. the government should be regulating against it. Although reading through 'Project 2025' I wouldn't be surprised if they are trying to bring that in. I highly suggesting looking that document over before you just hit 'accept' at the ballot box like a cell phone agreement.
Love your channel @Car Wizard. With all these car connections we need to replace our battery more often if not driven for long enough to recharge the battery and weaken it. I ran into many problems, understanding CAN obd2 and added networking was tough. I used to have to stop by a local Saab garage with the Saab tech 2 to enter the vin on the abs module or srs reset, which I often set when replacing the heater core in a few Saab convertibles.
You handled that professionally and yeah it kinda cleared things up, but it just proves I just heard what I wanted to hear the other day. I don't know why I was so upset anyway, Jesus Christ like I take anything to the shop anyway, I do my own work and know what I'm doing, thats why I love your channel, you know what you're doing. Relax wizards, I'm not going anywhere. Still love the content and look forward to more for years to come.
He probably never shouldve mentioned it in the first place if he's still going to occasionally have domestics. No one would've even noticed. 🤷🏻♂️ I know I wouldn't have noticed, I just watch the channel for his knowledge on all cars, not a specific brand. Unless he's trying to deter people from trying to bring in domestics for repairs, but briefly mentioning it in a couple videos isn't going to deter much...
That's why I m keeping my honda cr v 2008. I m afraid of purchasing new car because they are way to complicated to repair, you re right 200% on this topic. Congratulations to your videos and channel here on TH-cam.
Congratulations on achieving your dream of having a foreign service center Wizard! A well deserved reward to the time and training you (and your guys) have put in.
Canadian here - Regarding the mileage reading on your cluster. Yes it's illegal to misrepresent the mileage as something that isn't accurate. You cant toss a cluster in that has 50,000 less miles on it and call it genuine. In Canada, you are able to toss whatever you want in the car for a new cluster if the mileage is off, then so be it. However, you must be upfront about the true mileage when selling or requested the information. Misrepresenting the true milage is the issue.
Also learning all the wire repairs, the common issues on each brand or model, each little thing that is normal operation per model, it can get over whelming, I work for a manufacturer and it's way easier just dealing with the same cars everyday and on side jobs I stay with Honda's and Vws which is what I'm used to aswell
Family had a 2014 Outback from brand-new. Absolute pile of junk. Ate wheel bearings for breakfast, CVT went bad at 60k. Eventually got rid of that nightmare at 72k. I will say it did fantastic in the snow.
You must have bad luck, my mom drives the crap out of her Outback and at 245,000 it still looks new! Regular maintenance does wonders! It's a Subaru and should run forever!
I had to replace the ECM in a 1999 Hyundai Accent. I went to the wrecking yard and not only did I find one, I found one that rolled off the assembly line the same exact day mine did. Plugged it in and worked and still works to this day.
I have driven around with a “faulty tire pressure sensor”, for 5 years now. I’ve replaced the sensor twice, before I realized I needed the dealer to recode it. They wanted $250 bucks to hit 3 buttons on a tablet. I’ll just check my tires every now and then, instead.
Car wizard recently talked about that. Toyota and maybe Subaru will turn on every light on the dash over a charcoal canister or something else minor. They want to make you panic and go to the dealership.
My beater car developed a CEL transmission code shortly after I changed out the trans fluid. Figured “we’ll, transmission is on its way out. Guess I’ll drive it until it dies” About 15k miles later, the light went off and has never returned. Delayed maintenance worked out that time. 🤷🏽♂️
The 900 dollar special from harbor freight will do that procedure. Next time I am in a Subaru I will see if my cell phone app will do it. The funny thing is my cell phone app can retrieve the pin code and program keys in under five minutes for my Ram truck. The harbor freight wouldn't pull the pin. It's a crazy mixed up world especially in the diagnostic equipment market. There are massive problems even with the dealer level laptop diagnostics. Anyone who has ever used a computer has experienced issues. It all boils down to compatibility. Hardware, software, firmware, operating systems, the server your tool is connecting to and on and on it goes. I had to update a tpms tool on an old windows 7 machine because an up to date computer did not install the file properly. It's an older tpms that you don't have to pay for updates, but you do need a computer from it's same era to actually update the damn thing.😅
It was 600 dollars to up date it and it bricked it. It took me 2 weeks worth of emails from tech support, which if I remember correctly was affiliated with launch, to get the master software and updates. All is good now but what a fiasco.@@pablopicaro7649
I have a $100 amazon dongle that I have used to program a new key starting with no key at all and all SRS functions so far on a 2011 Honda. The app i am using is Ediag
And no updates or support on older Os' like windows 95 etc. You could just run an old OS virtually in sandbox but then the issue is the legacy peripheral ports.
Thanks dude, like all your videos, you are doing a public service which I’m sure so many are greatful. Keep going as much as you can. You and staff are awesome.
One neat feature that covers many Subaru vehicles is the ability to self-calibrate throttle position and re-learn idle control by using a simple key on/off procedure when timed correctly in the right sequence, with no need for any scan tool other than the ease of which to clear ECU memory prior to the procedure.
Another online car mechanic recently featured a 2018 Buick. It had a long list of broken, leaking and failed items that left me I shaking my head, after all it is a 2018 m.y. not some 20 year old clunker. Conceivably a 2018 could still be under financing and the thing was a broken heap needing thousand of dollars in multiple repairs.
The Car Wizard explains a few reasons why all of my cars are from the 1980s & 1990s. I had a 2001 Audi a6 2.7T manual. I learned my lesson from that car and went out and bought an FZJ80 Lexus, which saved me so much money, I was able to buy my 993 4s, VW Cabriolet , W126 "87" Diesel. I don't know what to do with my FZJ80 but I know I can not let it go.
Had a litte laugh: You said "newer cars" when talking about vehicles being a quarter of a century old. Thus, I feel "as new" with my six centuries of age 😁
I am more thankful every day that Ross Tech provides reasonably-priced industrial strength scanning software for VW/Audi cars -- it has been a real time-saver and money-saver for me over the years.
In 1989 Buick and Oldsmobile did just that-- put the diagnostic tool in the screen, easily accessible by pushing two buttons simultaneously. That's why I always look for Trofeos and Reattas for my own personal vehicle, because I know I can fix any problem on my own
@@amarstaI have a 1994 Buick Roadmaster wagon. It is too big for what I need it for and am looking for a Reatta. I'm located in Ontario, long shot but if you are too i'll trade you lol
I'll drive an antique before paying a scanner fee. Hoping a scanner for a 2016 gmc isn't too expensive as I'd like to check fuel trim numbers on a regular basis in case a diesel injector goes bad. Still working my way up as I'm doing bunch of service work now due at 150,000 miles. Timing belt/tensioner/water pump/balancer/timing tools.
I have a 140,000 mile 2011 Outback that looks just like that. We bought it new when my daughter was five and told her it would be her first car and it is. This info is good to know for it. Thanks, Wizard!
So true. I have a working driving mercedes, but the computer/modules/emissions are not working right and I cannot pass inspection, experts want a blank check with no guarrantee to fix the issue, so I had to junk it unfortunately. It had 47 modules talking over a spagetti wire network. Why is this electronics needed? For what, so I can program the headlights, push button to roll down the window, its just stupid and we are for buying it.
The question of why modules/CANBUS systems were instituted in the first place has never been addressed. The popular answer used to be that it simplified wiring, but that obviously has been superseded by the enormous complexity and sheer number of computer modules used in modern cars. It is my impression that many of these are related to the vast number of options made available these days beyond what is really necessary to run and drive a car in reasonable comfort. Beyond A/C, cruise control, and a stereo, I'm at a loss as to why you need anything more. As well, the necessary systems that remain have also been made overly complex and unreasonably inaccessible (heater cores and HVAC components hidden behind the dashboard come to mind) I believe that there is some deliberate effort of the manufacturers to make this so in order to generate profits for dealers, but customers also apparently demand these heavily optioned and overly complicated cars, which, when out of warranty become nightmares. I will never buy another new car because they are just too complicated and expensive, costing 6 months to a year's salary for the average Joe and making people like the Car Wizard millionaires just for being a competent repair shop.
Not unusual to see that, except that… If one is in an accident, and the adjuster sees that - you policy will be dropped mid-term. You’ll also become a high risk to insurance, your rates will literally double. But it gets better. If insurance finds out about it, it’s actually insurance fraud according to the contract you signed up for - an actual crime
manufactures constantly walk the line for right to repair. it wont be long before independent shops suffer from WORSE computer programming locks and emissions
GM, VW, and others have been very vocal that you don't own the vehicle. They own it and repairs should be done at the dealership or through those licensed and authorized to repair them. They want zero modifications to vehicles. Luckily SEMA and other organizations fight for our rights to repair things that are the second most expensive things we buy, and for some of us, we probably spent so much over the decades that it's more than our home. As an enthusiast we have to know our limits and concede that the modern electronics are out of our league for most DIYers. Car Wizard has a lot of valid points. Respect the trade! Diagnosing isn't easy and turning wrenches isn't always fun. Have a blessed day.
Well It's time to get good at hacking then. You're a fool if you put up with any of this "subscription based services" bullshit, ie. Heated Seats, etc. We can't allow that to be the norm, and we _will_ find workarounds eventually.
So many good arguments for why "right to repair" legislation is urgently needed.
Right to repair is socialism. Why do you hate US Murica?
No, now that EPA lost in federal court, you can just slap on a Holley carburetor.
Luis Rossmann agree
Right to repair is not only fought by Manufactures, but also shops.
@@JR-cf3wh You mean the stealerships. Independent shops would welcome Right to repair (unless they're getting bribed to say otherwise).
In 1980 I could get a new (spare) ignition key for less than $5.00 at any hardware store. Recently it cost me $200+ for a new computer 'chipped' key, and then $200+ more for the dealership to program it to my car. I am so sick and tired of computers and digital technology I can't tell you. I wanna go back to 1975 when telephones were wired to the wall, and driving beyond your own town required the basic ability to read a road map.
That sounds good, BUT:
Look at Hyundai and Kia being sued by customers and CITIES because they didn't have complicated computerized anti-theft key systems on their lower-priced models, making them easy to steal.
They're being sued because their ignition systems WEREN'T computerized.
@@VideoArchiveGuy Well it's because they had poorly implemented keyless entry that made it easier to steal than a car from the 80s. It's the electronics that made it vulnerable to begin with. Just having a well designed tumbler with hardened steel and wheel lock is all you should really need and that doesn't require a single computer. It's why people hate their life when they lose a Mercedes key from the 90s and have to painstakingly drill it out.
@@Hedonistic0Frogum, no, no car could withstand a simple tool designed to break the lock on your ignition, and for that matter, it could also be hot wired aka bypassed.
And my local dealer only charged $45 to add my key to a 2020 Kia niro.
@@sprockketsI guess you don't know that steering locks exist. Unless you're taking the dash apart and cutting that off you're not going far. It's more secure than your key fob.
@@Hedonistic0FrogNot true,old steering locks are easily broken even without tools, it was thief 101 back in the day. Dont need to take anything apart.
This is why it's so important to support "Right to Repair" laws in your state!
More laws have been f'ing things up for 240 years. They haven't gotten better but worse. All the politicians are useless sociopaths and psychopaths.
Unfortunately, the lobbies for both manufacturers and dealerships usually have loopholes written into that type of legislation, effectively defanging it.
All of the automotive stuff is available from manufactures. You do have to pay a fee to use stuff like programming, but its minimal. The stinky part is the push to lock down security functions such as key fobs.
@@mph5896 The fees/costs are nowhere near "minimal".
@@IndependenceCityMotoring I bought a 2 day subscription to Helm today to flash a module. It was $50. That is minimal😉
So glad you are still videoing Japanese and possibly some domestic vehicles. My favorite videos are the "buy this not that"! I hope you still continue do do those when you get time, including everything! They are really helpful to us normal people out there who can't afford and BMW! Love your channel! Keep up the videos!
Who else suspects the complication is on purpose to pull repair work back to the dealerships?
simplicity works for us, complexity works against us
With the new vehicles?
Mission accomplished
It absolutely is by design. I worked with a tier 1 automotive supplier from 03-06 and watched materials quality drastically go bad ...from polypropylene pellets to wiring harnesses to fabrics used in upholstery. We had engineers engineering engineers if that makes sense. Then came the drastic decline in reliability around 07. When you have to remove a bumper to change a light bulb, it's to keep people from doing it themselves.
Maybe the legislators should pass laws that require all manufactures make their service manual and programing software available to public FREE of charge.
The trouble will be when the cars get old. Techs are trained on new stuff, but when the experienced guys move on... who will know how to work on the older stuff?
One of the big innovations that came from the Model T and the assembly line as a whole was that parts were universal; you could get a part from one car and it would work on another one. It's so heartwarming to see manufacturers reversing this massive innovation in the pursuit of money.
Your comment makes no sense. Fords parts weren't universal among different models, nor was model T universal with other makes during its era. Further, it was only expected that IP for electronics and other designs would never allow universality. I do agree that it would be great if we had it, but then also, there would not be diversity in available products, diversity that allows you to choose which vehicle attributes matter most to you.
@@stinkycheese804 I mean universal among other Model Ts. I guess standardized would've been a better term to use.
Back before the Model T, parts weren't standard, everything was custom made. Even if you had two of the same product, you couldn't just grab a part from one and use it to replace another, so all the pieces had to be built alongside each other, and maintenance and repair was a PITA. The Model T brought standard components. The act of making components was separated from one another, which massively boosted productivity. You just had a bin full of component XYZ and no matter which one you grabbed it would work. As you can imagine this also helped tremendously when it came to sourcing replacements. Your XYZ broke? Just get a new one, install it and you're on your way.
But now we've regressed quite a bit because now components have to be programmed to a car, not too different in principle from having to custom-make something for that specific car, except that automakers tend to guard the tools to program stuff pretty closely.
And regarding "universal" components, they absolutely do exist. GM is a fantastic example of this, they have tons of parts that fit a wide variety of cars. I can get an HMI for my Cadillac ELR from a bunch of cars, even GMCs and Buicks use the exact same part. They're all programmed differently, though, so I need not only to find a part, but someone to program it.
Regarding the lack of diversity that standardization would bring that's BS. again look at GM, they share a bunch of parts between their cars and they have a pretty good catalog. Or look at Android devices. Are you trying to say that because they use the same OS and same USB C connector, that there's no diversity and wide selection of options? Honestly that's the type of response I'd expect from a lobbyist. "standardization is bad because it stiffles innovation".
@@stinkycheese804 Basic affordable cars like the Ford Maverick, Comet Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge Duster, Dart, Reliant, Fifth Avenue, Diplomat etc., in the 60's, 70's didn't have universal parts but parts for them and similar cars from the Big 3 at the time could be bought from the junkyards, aftermarket parts dealers and if at all else fails the dealerships at very reasonable prices. Licensed mechanics could work on these cars fairly quickly and owners didn't break the bank keeping the cars on the road. DIY owners could fix them too and Crappy Tire had loads of inexpensive parts to keep them running.
Buy the way, many of these cars were built in my hometown Windsor Chrysler assembly plant which has built the venerable Chrysler minivans for 35 years.
My brother's first car was a used Plymouth Duster with a slant six. Bought it for $1300 in 1981. It was a joy to own. Even when it needed servicing.
In other words, parts weren't universal but they were readily available. Those cars and especially cars with the legendary Chrysler slant 6 engines were a pleasure to drive, own, maintain and get repaired. The ordinary person with a lot of money could have a car, get to work, buy groceries, pick up the kids and still have a few bucks in the bank. You didn't need to be an engineer to understand how they were built, run and repaired.
The genius of the many cars based on Iacocca's K car frame (Aries, Reliant, Dynasty, Lebaron and many others) was that the cars were affordable to buy and affordable to maintain and fix. As the Bare Naked Ladies band said in the 80's sang "a nice RELIANT AUTOMOBILE." They weren't great cars, they did break down, they did rust but parts were easily found for them in many places for good prices. Licensed mechanics and DIY'ers fixed them without a computer. Chrysler was happy, customers were happy and they saved the jobs of untold numbers of auto workers for a decade or more.
Motorists are pleading, begging and crying for economy cars that are easily maintained, fixed and built with or without expensive options like a DVD player for hyperactive kids in rear seat. Whether they are electric, hybrid, hydrogen fueled or gas powered which ever car manufacturer in any country engineers and builds these cars will dominate a huge chunk of the world's auto market. Not everyone needs or wants a $60,000 Truck or SUV. They want a car they can afford to buy (maybe new, like our 2012 Corolla) which is still humming down the road. It was purchased new at $16,000 in Stratford, Ontario Canada. It was built not far away in Cambridge, Ontario Canada.
The model T you could make a carburator from a tomato sauce can. 🤣@@MrFastFox666
My brother is a flat rate tech at a dealership and he finally broke down and bought a really expensive scan tool last year. The dealership wouldn't buy one and he was tired of losing his ass chasing electrical gremlins. The other techs were constantly asking to borrow it, but he said no way. Eventually he got smart and worked a deal with the service manager to pay him an hour for every time he lets someone use it. He also drives a 15 year old POS because the money he might spend on a car payment goes to the tool companies every month just so he can keep up with the technology. Appreciate your local mechanics!
Your brother should either A) Charge way more money for the use of that scanner or B) Quit and move to a better dealership.
I'm kinda surprised as generally the faster turnaround would net the dealership more profits. One dealership I worked had a bonus plan where after X months/ years the dealer paid for new tools, tool boxes etc. So the mechanics stayed happy and stayed there.
@@ReadyFreddie5523 Do you know how much the bonus was for the tools? All the shops and dealers I know offer between $250 and $750 per year... far short of a $3800 tool.
Sounds like a pretty smart dude to drive a 15 year-old car. I'd be willing to bet he could raise his rates.
@@lvsqcsl
Yeah but what fun is it to drive a 15 year old piece of crap
Completely agree My wife and me have a 2012 chrysler town and country, the automatic sliding doors don't want to close. Turns out, a parameter in the door module that counts how many times it open and closes is off and requires for the door module to be flashed and reprogram. For more money then im willing to pay
That’s the dumbest shit
Cars are adopting the John Deer model for repairs only at their shop.
Is why I am glad is no computer scan emissions testing here. I have an older car with wire throttle etc. If it gets to that point? I am going to just strip it out and put in all aftermarket controls.
I can see that being the new business. Alpine car controls. Doing all the GPS and climate control for your car. Plug in replacements. Compatible with Holley EFI systems.
My 09 Astra, I am tempted to do that. Strip out all the computers and go stand alone. Only part of contention is the car's security system and immobilizer.
Take just one tech savvy entrepreneur to solve that however.
Like John Deer they'll disable your car if you're late on the payment by 1 day.
The whole right to repair debate is massively misunderstood buy the people in Washington voting on bills and allowing things to be the way they are. "You will own nothing and be happy." You don't own any of the electronics you buy now. You also have no privacy, because the powers that be can see everything you do 24/7.
Best part is that dealerships are now refusing to work on cars older than 10yrs and manufactures like MOPAR are now stopping making parts for 5yr old cars.
I fix all the issues on my john deere myself and I have no mechanical training, youtube and the internet are a heck of a thing
I know a mechanic who is older than dirt. He ran his own shop for decades. He had all the scan tools because he believed in staying up to date in his business. He had some old equipment from the analogue days left over in the back of his shop. He told me once that the old diagnostic machinery cost the same if not more than the new stuff. He came up in the 60’s from a time when everything was done in house. He rebuilt engines, transmissions, brakes, everything. Because he was all about staying modern in his business he was better equipped than most shops and got a lot of the higher end customers because of that. He even went through auto electrical training when he saw that being a basic mechanic was not going to be enough as the technology increased.
What old diagnostic machinery?? Old school diagnostic was the mechanic's eyes and ears.
@@AutoAndChill various equipment manufactured by sun. Ways to test spark duration and dwell angles, early fuel injection testing equipment. Mostly really early distributer and spark testing equipment. This guy had a very well equipped shop. He would travel overseas and buy equipment from various manufacturers and bring it back for his shop.
The one big difference was that you bought the equipment ONCE The newer stuff is ONLY available VIA SUBSCRIPTION 2010 was the last year I could BUY the manuals and electrical diagrams even then I would have to get a short-term subscription to program the new various modules I still do work for myself, neighbors and friends I told them all don't buy post-2010 or I can't help you since having the subscriptions only makes sense if one fixes 5+ cars per day Glad to be retired
Pride monkey 🙉 😅😅😅😅
@@WilliamPayneNZ It depends on what you mean by old. In the late 70's and early 80's a tach/dwell/volt/ohm meter were not expensive nor were a vacuum gauge or a compression gauge. A distributor machine was and so was a scope but a distributor machine was a distributor shop specialty item. The scope was for high end shops and the new (then) electronic ignitions. Prior to electronic ignitions they didn't exist. Spark checking tools (still available today) were inexpensive little mechanical things though generally you could check spark by increasing gap to your ground which is all the spark checker did. My old shop auto teacher (ex ww2 aircraft mechanic) would check the traditional coil based ignition by feel. He would grab a wire and see how much of a jolt he got. He said the new higher voltage stuff was a little much for that method.
engineered obsolescence, its a feature not a flaw
Should be a felony.
Anyone who understands how cars work could see this coming. I know an Electrical Engineer who said he thinks cars peaked in electronic reliability around 2003. Every time I see someone with a car with all these new "features," I think, "Yes, but what are you going to do when that stops working?" One friend had his doors mysteriously start randomly unlocking themselves, and it took two trips to the dealership to get it fixed. It's insane. All the heat and vibration inherent in driving kills electronics, and the more complicated you make them, the more ways there are for them to fail. I don't want a new car at all with all this crap onboard. I own a 39 year-old truck, and it all works. None of this fancy computer-controlled gear is going to last that long. It will quickly become non-repairable, and you'll have a car-sized doorstop.
You nailed it.
I own a 1984 V8 4 speed Holden ute here in Aust. Muppets are concerned about my fuel economy. The same muppets spend $6000.oo on a transmission rebuild for their 10 year old car, have clown electric windows that don't work, battery failure through faulty electronics, permanently lit ABS & Engine Warning lights, brown lensed plastic headlights, blistering paint, dead air conditioning & no heat emitting from the alleged heater.
The paint on my 40 year old ute is still healthy & everything works exactly as it was designed to do. The V8 has travelled 220,000 kilometres & the tappet covers have never been off.
Yep, I spend a little extra on fuel... About 10 bucks a week. My muppet friends have spent over $200,000.oo over the last 20 years alone on constantly trying to upgrade their junk before the junk suffers a massively expensive catastrophic failure.
Modern cars are for spoilt brats & fools who just get robbed REPEATEDLY.
@@johnbrooks9523 It helps that you don't drive a lot. No reason to worry about MPG. I have a 2011 Scion XB with 263,000 miles on it. It's made in Japan and simple. This past week I drove in My sister's Subaru, and the controls looked more like a airplane. There are so many features that will break and cost a pretty penny. The rear view mirror has a pile of sensors so the unit costs $1500. Then the doors that open automatically aren't going to be cheap to fix when that fails. Looks like I'll be driving the 2011 for a very long time.
My 2005 Ford e250 is a work van and is still pretty simple , it still has manual windows. It will remain my daily driver till it or I die. At 442,000 miles on the van and 64 years of age on me I don't know which of us will check out first.
If you drive an old car and can avoid everything Wizard is talking about here, that’s great. But ultimately “they’re” still gonna git ya in the parts realm. Unless you stock up on good condition NOS or used parts you’ll have to buy cheap, low quality ones from China. Many of which have fatal mechanical flaws or may not even fit despite their spec sheet claiming it will fit and be suitable for your car.
I can tell you it’s not just cars, I work in building maintenance and everything from commercial dishwashers and ovens to climate control systems are full of proprietary software and unnecessary electronics.
Agree....totally invasive and WAY over-engineered. Replaced a (wireless) garage door unit. The new unit came with an APP, a forward facing camera, and of course WIFI. I chose to leave all of it disabled except the very base wireless (opener) function.
Yes not we wantz to save zhe environment with you eating zhe bugz... Yeah fuck them all!! Nothing to day is made to help the environment!! Back in the day you fixed everything and trash and scrap was at a minimum because materials were expensive.
My mom's landlord had a new fancy programmable fridge installed in her apartment.
She couldn't get it to work.
Nor could the THREE janitors that spent FOUR hours (i.e. 3x4=12 working hours, that probably cost about as much as the fridge itself)
trying to understand and execute the installation and setup procedure.
After those hours they gave up and ordered a new fridge.
Was the fridge broken? Or was the setup procedure just too complex? I don't know. I suspect they didn't either.
COMPUTERS ARE KILLING OUR SOCIETY!
Mac donalds ice cream machine
@@matseriksson8177 Someone must have tried a DIY repair on some part or component inside the fridge
I have one of my work trucks at the dealership for 3 months now waiting on a body control module... this is exactly to bring service back to dealers.
The cost of the tool isnt the issue. The issue is the cost of licensing to be 'allowed' to use the tools. Or even have access to the service information to be able to.
You can get service data for cheap and a $100 tool to do this.
@@ChiefDLK Cheap maybe if you only license for a single car. A 100 dollar tool wont do that much either.
@@russelljacob7955 You are just wrong and don't know where to look.
@@ChiefDLK Well, if want to buy stolen tools or use illegal software. Good way to get your shop shut down.
That is not even what I am talking about. I am talking about multiple tools that can do these calibrations on the market right now. They are not stolen they are from major aftermarket brands that have all these functions. I am sorry that you have not done your research. Just cause you don't know anything, doesn't mean that things aren't legit.
This is one reason I love old prius's. you can bleed the brakes on these hybrids by parking it, pushing the brake pedal with a 2x4, and then opening bleeders.
Imagine if you had to pay Microsoft $10,000 a year to use /sfc scannow when you had a problem with the software they made. Right to repair is important for vehicles!!
Have you ever heard of Apple? They've already been doing these kind of tactics (impossible to repair without authorization code) for years.
@@noseboop4354 It all started when they stopped allowing you to just swap the cell phone battery out and glued it down. They want everything disposable so you have to keep upgrading and buying it again
As someone who works IT sfc /scannow has not once fixed anything.
Imagine paying Microsoft a subscription fee just to use Windows. Of course, this hasn't happened yet ... and hopefully it won't. But you never know...
@@noseboop4354 My biggest gripe with Apple is how you can't upgrade the hardware unless you buy a Mac Pro that, honestly, isn't worth it at this time ... if ever.
If you need a MacBook Pro and expect the system to grow with you, it can't unless you've already upgraded it to as far as you can anticipate your future needs ... which Apple will happily do for you at a highly inflated price compared to just buying your own parts and upgrading it yourself whenever it's necessary.
It's that or you just replace the whole computer for a new one with the specs that you need when it's time to upgrade ... at substantial expense. If you want to stay with macOS and help mitigate the cost, you must sell your old system for as much as you can get for it or take it up the wazoo with a relatively paltry amount that Apple's trade-in program will contribute towards the purchase of a new Mac.
Boycott companies that act like a mafia, don't support them in any way & call out this despicable behaviour. Always good information from the Wiz
Same goes for political parties
FWIW, the bootlegs from China, that come complete with a laptop, have been great for me. Usually around $400 for a Mercedes STAR/XENTRY clone or Volvo VIDA/DICE. The only downside is you're not gonna be getting updates, and frankly, you don't want that laptop ever connecting to the Internet.
A lap top to maintain a vehicle
That is simply stupid
Sorry
I 2nd this. I have owned 3 different modern Mercedes and the Star/Xentry tablets from China solve this problem just fine and well worth the $400 bucks.
Vida/Dice you cant program most of the modules, For example diesel injectors, you need vdash or other software what Is not Free.
@@ihavethedocuments2580stupid you say? I just ran an ABS module through an old laptop. You ain’t doing that in a Ferrari 612 Speciale without a $6,000 factory tick ✅
Or a laptop and some white hating. Looks like you’re a fool.
@@NSR747wrong, so very very wrong. All you need is a laptop and some knowledge. Get your white hat on.
I guess to those 4 new injectors yesterday in that G-wagon codes themselves without access to any scan tools.
😉 enjoy flushing your money down the 🚽.
Watch as your pride comes out and you reply like a fool.
We need "Right to Repair" legislation to address this growing problem. It's not just cars, appliances are fitted with ECM's on their fans which often die and will kill the entire appliance if you don't notice the fan isn't running and the compressor cooks itself. The real irony is many of these things were added for environmental reasons, to save tiny amounts of electricity, but end up in a landfill far sooner than older appliances. Very Green I'd say.
we don't match so we don't talk to each other anymore🤣🤣
Today’s cars are entering the point of being a disposable vehicle.
And at that point they are not green, and shouldn't be marked as better for the environment. Longer a vehicle lasts the better for the environment it is. The less pollution and energy expended to maintain that vehicle.
The second law of thermodynamics is about to give the world a big 🖕
A direct result of shareholder influence on cost reduction. MBAs and shareholder agreements have ruined the entire world.
But the prices don't reflect being disposable
I can them appliances now
Boycott all new cars.!!!
ABSOLUTELY! LETS GO BACK TO THE HORSE-AND-BUGGY DAYS LIKE THE AMISH! 🧑🏻🌾
yes and if you need a car there are plenty old school ones at vintage junk yards easy to fix and love
My newest vehicle is a 2005 and I just traded for a 1938 Buick. I love the old cars.
Except that, look at the used car market.
Finding a used car that has been maintained properly is like finding a unicorn
This is why I like cars before cup holders.
Honestly if I could find a simple 60s compact like a Falcon, Nova, Dart that wasn't rotted out, I'd buy it, rebuild the mechanicals and make it my daily driver.
My '65 Dodge pckup had cup holders. That I mounted on the steel dash. They were "Bar Buoys" meant for boats with swivel mounts. Heh.
@@MrSloikaeven better is to restomod that old car. Although my dad taught me how to rebuild carbs and properly set points, I’d rather not deal with that for a daily driver.
Just before the pandemic I helped a buddy do a restomod on a ‘69 Chevelle. Nothing outrageous it’s not a trailer queen show car, just a really fun and reliable cruiser.
He got a 5.3 LS (Gen III) and 4L80E, and we debated what box to use with it. Went with the Holley Terminator X. The base maps worked fine, again nothing wild about this crate engine.
The car has more than enough power to smoke the tires, will happily idle in rush hour traffic with the A/C blasting, and every cold start you just flick the ignition key and away you go.
I wonder when the government will make cars older than xxxx illegal to drive?
Now everything is bmw to fix, their forcing me to only buy cars in manufacturers warranty
@@MrSloika I agree, a Falcon or late 60's Dart with a small block would be ideal. Not too shitty mileage and you can add electronic ignition to simplify tuneups and a Vintage Air A/C to be comfortable in hot weather. Say goodbye to "scanners"
Once these vehicles got too complicated and a ton of modules. After 2014 I gave up this profession people in my area started complaining about the cost of diagnosis. They just don't understand the cost and the knowledge you need to fix these complicated vehicles. Always enjoy your videos.
I bought an Autel MK808 off of Amazon. It does a lot of functions including bi directional. It was $400. It's probably the cheapest good tool out there.
Topdon topscan is a really good tool for under $100. Does function tests and resets. Relearned the idle on my 14 kia forte after cleaning throttle body. Performed a regen on an 18 duramax after changing the def pump module that was in limp mode. Used it to diagnose bad cats on a 2017 2500 6.0 and have really been impressed with what I can do and how fast it is vs the high dollar scanners that need booted up, logged in and plugging in the boxes to the diag port.
This was the best video ever to understand how and why vehicle maintenance became so more expensive these days. And the ludic approach of how the components interact ("hey, we're done. I'm not talking to you anymore") was awesome.😅 Thanks so much, Wiz!
These corporations and their stock holders only think about profits, and obviously the more complex the more expensive it becomes to maintain it.
What they do not realize is the more complicated the system/society is, if a crash occures, it becomes infinitely more difficult to deal with.
Many many people will suffer.
Greed is destoying this country and the world
I am an investor and I vote AGAINST this kind of crap and the board too. They make they have enough votes to run the company like Putin runs Russia. Don't blame all the stock holders. We want to hold them to account. Everything in our society now has business managers who are trying to get every last nickel. We are in big inflation and we've been weakening anti-trust laws for years - time to do something about that. Vote for people who will put people, not business first. Judge them by their actions. Who lowered the price of inhalers? Why is it that the VA can negotiate drug prices but HHS/Medicare is having a problem and the companies are suing to prevent it! Our toothless dogs in congress want the donations so they don't do enough or often anything.
Who do you think the stockholders are it's everybody and anybody around you so it's everybody's full
That’s the best part about the scam - like identity politics - it weaponizes the working class vs the working class in an animal farm like scenario
All while
The loser executives and Wall Street bros make all the $$$
Which they blow on women they couldn’t get in high school 🤣
Most of the technology is EPA mandated to meet fuel milage.
@@mike-sk2li and thank God for it. People don't realize the change unless they are old like me. I would walk down the street in the 70s by a 6 lane road and I could point to each car way out of tune dumping out stink a mile a minute. My eyes burned at times. Spark plugs went at 12K miles. Then there was servicing points. True that anyone could work on it. And a well maintained car could pass modern tests - a friend who is a diesel tech did it with his 1960 chevy 1/2 ton. Now walking down a busy street you have none of that. It was worth it for that alone. How often do we do plugs on a modern car? I have a 2010 audi I bought 4 years ago - nothing need for plugs. Then again, on the caddy 3.6L engine you have to take off the intake manifold to get to 2 of the plugs. Someone asked me if I wanted to do that job, and they would have paid me, and I said pass. There are many pluses and minuses. I had a full size ram 5.7 hemi and I monitored my driving. Even with occasional flooring it I still got 20 mpg. My only old truck I built that could match it was a 230 ci 6 I put in a 72 chevy 1/2 ton I paid very little for and rebuilt.
It’s good to explain these things to the public because it will give them a better understanding of why it’s so expensive to have car repairs done, it’s not a inexpensive business to get of the ground and keep updated to be able to service all different makes and models.
This concept sounds like as car buyers we no longer own the car we purchased. It's some sort of weird long term lease where we are forced to only go to dealerships for repairs or have a useless machine in your driveway.
That's basically the Tesla buyer agreement, you own the physical "car" but Tesla owns the software that makes it work.
You'll own nothing and you WILL be happy.
With the cost of maintenance they are disposable items. There are issues now getting a mechanic to even work on them. The other issue is the integration includes spyware to track where you go, who else is in your car (cell phones), how you drive, etc. I have heard they can even check when you turn on accessories or use a turn signal.
didnt that mad german say ,," you will own nothing and be happy ?"
@@basilwatson1 True, but he implied it as a command not a statement. Poor old Schwab, born to early to join the Nazi party and has had sour grapes ever since.
This right here is why I didn't swap an LS into my 1981 Chevy C20 pickup. When I put the new small block 350 in, I used a Holley carb and a one wire HEI to eliminate the Electronic Spark Control/advance module that the truck came with new. I also left it as a manual transmission. I can almost fix anything on it with a hammer and a screwdriver : ).
Amen Brother.
Having spent a lifetime repairing electronics since the early 70's the one thing
that causes a lot of faults is moisture, and the harsh condtions that cars are expected
to work through makes these faults even more likely.
Sealing the modules just keeps some of the damp out, but extremes of temperature
causes moisture and then corrosion in time, wrecking the pcb's, components such as
capactors fail often going short circuit which then takes out the i/c's.
Car repair techs now require fault finding skills way beyond what they used to ,
scan tool codes only point you in a certain direction, it might be nothing to do with
the cause of the fault.
Yup i quit being a ase tech in 09 i saw it coming as a PC builder since mid 90s. And i was the ideal tech, mechanical and advanced electronics knowledge, but was NEVER paid for my value. Now a commercial carpenter, happier, healthier, MUCH weathier
@@captaintoyota3171 Not many will want the headaches of fault finding as cars become ever more complex
full of modules just waiting to fail.
Little wonder that cars are now written off with only minor damage.
I have just retired and my soldering iron is staying cold.
but electronics have been going that way for years. I have a how to video on my channel for replacing a cheap relay to get the a/c to come back on with a 1997 town car. How often do we toss a whole board for a few components? On a 2000 LS400 the instruments died. Well the car was still great. I bought a 'supergauge' odb2 perm display and put that on the dash in front of my gauges. No parts available, and anything else was at the end of its operational lifetime. Even with one of the best cars ever made you can still find an acheilia's heel. (that and strut rods - other than that pretty bullet proof)
One of them could just bring their wife into the dealership to do all of the fault finding.
@@steamboat75043 Most of the early electronic modules used off the shelf components
and anyone with the right skills could repair them, i have done my share for the local car repair shops.
Today with ever more complex systems that are all controlled by variations of the can bus system as the
wizard has said, you can no longer plug and pray, the investment in the tools required to enable new modules to
work is not cheap.
Repairing these modules requires even more investment, the only ones that i attempt are the various actuators
that control the HVAC systems, these suffer from split gears, sometimes it is cheaper to fit a new actuator.
As the technology increases in complexity the more skills and equipment will be required to repair them, many shops
just can't afford to invest in all of this.
I’ve got a 2012 G37
Its been mechanically good to me, DIYing some maintenance I’ve noticed many of the calibrations are in-car button dances with no hardware/software required.
I’ve clean and relearned both throttle bodies, done the throttle pedal calibration too.
After it got broke into I did the window drop-down relearn (goes down half way on door close when out of calibration).
I worked at a Nissan dealer, and the only time the car saw Consult scan tool was when I was checking it out as a trade-in I wanted to buy.
It feels like a solid mix between modern performance, and yesterdays right of repair standards
@@megamort698 I have the '09. What sites and forums do you use? I go to myg37
I get what you mean with narrowing down the list. You need to pay 3 or 4 more manufacturer software subscriptions you don't have to pay for.
My 08 base model Tacoma didn’t have cruise control or intermittent wipers stock. I looked up the factory part numbers and bought the modules (which are built into the stalks) from a higher trim level model directly from a Toyota dealer. Popped out the old stalk for the wiper and the blank where the cruise stalk would be and plugged in the new parts. Everything immediately was recognized and worked. A cruise control light even started working on the gauge cluster. I think the whole endeavor cost about $150 and a few hours of my time.
I’m glad you finally explained it. I’m one of those who will avoid the dealership because I’m not willing to spend $500-$1000 per visit I hope that Amazon power steering hose doesn’t need programming.
It'll just need calibration LOL.
What’s happening in a nut shell is manufacturers are trying to push you out of a vehicle in a year from the purchase date, and push you in a new vehicle, so they make more money, and you keep either a car payment or a loan payment. Gone are the days of buying new paying it off to own it, and keeping the same vehicle for 30 or 40 years, and expecting it to last, and hold up.
Funny thing I still have my 1973 box truck and my 1989 Deisel pick-up I also have a 1999 Saturn(daily driver) All three will be mine till I die I even have a spare ECM for the Saturn (just in case the old one fails)
@@MDAdams72668 oh nice! Yeah 50 years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if vehicles from the 70’s and 80’s are still going. As long as parts are available to keep them going.
Here in Europe new BMW Audi Merc models are the worst tech wise , i refuse working on them . 90's early 2000 where the best years for quality made cars and with just enough electronics not to be obsolete/outdated nor overly complex .
So True.....late 90,s on into early 2000,s on just about every make were the best looking back.
Audi are INSANE !
They have the fuse box mounted underneath the leaky wiper fluid reservoir !!!
Euro junk are throwaway. Pure garbage and they want you tied to the dealer. And after that are at best average vehicles. Older Benz are fairly tough and were at least interesting. Modern ones are shitboxes that are dumb and stupid to drive.
Which are best now?
So true, if a car manufacturer put out a basic car without all the electronics and crap they would make a killing, a small engine with a top speed of like 90mph and excellent mpg, no one needs to go over 100 anyway, the highest speed limit in the US is 80 on ONE road in remote UTAH. We don't need touchscreens in cars either.
There was a time when this made sense. Cars were being stolen and broken up for parts in the late 90s and it got to crazy levels. That all stopped when manufacturers started coding parts to VINs. Of course now they just steal, reprogram the whole car and ship it out .
Euro Diesel Cars are programed to run 'clean' on the dyno. and spew unlimited pollution on the road. that is some innovative technology
VW got caught and that's how I got a nice 2011 touareg during the worst of the settlement for 10K. And it was in warranty up until 2/2024 and they had to provide a free loaner car. Everyone went ape and I said hey - it was a good car before the case broke - a good car now. Mine did go through a number of adblue repairs but on the dealer's nickel and after 12 years and 120K miles. So as much as I drive now - it should be good for a while. (I hope) very powerful, sure footed off road, and heavily built - still gets 26.5 combined for 5000 lbs and good performance.
Dieselgate was because of the public wanting performance, and it was a shame that diesel VW didn't set a new standard for millage....
@@jplacido9999 VW programmed the cars to run differently under emissions testing and got caught. And they paid for it. They could have just not done it. I have a diesegate touareg and it runs fine. I wonder how many sales they would lost if they didn't cheat and the cars ran close to the post dieselgate tune. I looked at TCU reprogramming but I wonder with the vehicle's torque do I really want it to downshift sooner/faster? It has a lot of torque. Can you miss what you can't measure? Had it never happened would people have known? Or were they trying to keep the performance close to that of the v10. The motor was used in porsche and audi SUVs too. I liked the porsche interior the best, but after dieselgate and with the warranty, the VW was too good of a deal to pass up.
The complexity of today’s cars are discouraging the younger generation from being an automotive technician.
That’s the whole point.
They want to nickel and dime us to death.
I don't think that's the reason, I think the industry doesn't pay enough and expects you to work your ass off. Doesn't make sense to become a mechanic for the most part in this day in age. I make far more than a dealership tech replacing auto glass.
Making $20hr while the shop charges $150-350/hr is why no one wants to do it. I don't blame them. You simply cannot live on that. This isn't 1980.
It does make sense if your entrepreneurial I sell cars on the side and use the lifts at the shop I work at to make repairs on my flip cars way faster and better plus free oil and coolant , use your head and it will pay off be a dumbass waiting.for a just a check at the end of the week then mechanic ain't for you
Yes, because now you need brains to do it
I like how resetting the VSC zero point on my 2004 4runner is done by jumping two points on the obd2 port with a paperclip and turning the key.
Not only is the maintenance discourging but no cars sold today will still be on the road and running 50 years from now.
None of the parts like batteries or screens will be available as replacements. This is terrible as most cars prior to the 80’s could be put back on the road with many off the shelf parts and don’t need specialized parts.
Exactly, pretty much all cars from the 50s and before you can either 3D print the part or have a metalworker fabricate it. Good luck doing that with proprietary computer chips that have millions of transistors.
@@noseboop4354 cars are getting more and more expensive and technology is still developing. According to this it will be no suprise If after 50 years today´s cars will be still on the road. So maybe people will have to find the way to keep still using 2020's cars If future cars will be expensive as hell.
@@PiotrusNazwiskowy Good luck with that when 2020 cars use so many custom computer chips that will become very hard to replace, not to mention you'll need the programming codes from the manufacturer to make the car accept the replacement parts. Some cars have even locked the 12V battery this way. Only cars that don't have these 'features' have hope to survive until 2050, ie most cars from 2015 and before.
@@noseboop4354 Probably a good 15 years from now, you won't be able to find the right scan tool to program the modules supposing you were able to find the modules in the first place.
The gm Ecu has the vats so yes
The throttle body needs to be calibrated
The ignition control module no
The jag gauge cluster depends on year so most times yes or it can trigger one of them miss matched codes
Most of these are common practice these days tho
I use an Autel Im608 programs a bunch of modules and keys very satisfied with it
Workshops that specialise in specific brands usually do better.
ive been saying it for years, lawyers may be good for dui, next one criminal. doctors same heart lung etc, they pic a specialty. now we are going to do the same, its just the way it is.
Everything has become like that, you need a tree specialist, a bush specialist, a grass specialist, the sprinkler tech, just to keep your yard nice.
Aftermarket EFI controllers (MegaSquirt, Holley Sniper, Speeduino) will be the future of many cars. open source software, with multiple part options.
These will only be allowed in non emissions areas or the cars are old enough that emissions no longer get inspected. But I can definitely see using them
What is emissions inspection? 🤔
Illegal to modify emissions I was fined 50k for tuning a diesel truck to run MORE efficiently
I wish it wasn't so but I haven't found anyway around that law
Where we are at, after 20 years they don't do emissions, but I think they still check for a cat. But that's only a few counties out of the entire state. Back in Illinois they checked emissions forever but that was also only a few counties. If I ever move, no emissions will be a requirement.
@@MDAdams72668 how did they know? On my cars, two have tunes and always pass.
I bought myself an Autel 906Pro-TS for Christmas. It was my favorite gift. I tinker enough with cars that it was worth it to me. It retails for $1999, but I got it on sale. You are correct about paying an annual software update fee. Still cheaper than taking my vehicles to the dealership.
if you're working on a car that has been out of production for a while you don't really need the latest updates, I've diagnosed plenty of older cars with my Autel scanner running 2021 software.
@@evelynsahoe8896 My newest vehicle is a 2012, so I'm good.
$3000 Autel has to be used? Funny, just did this exact same procedure, in a Legacy, with a $600 Topdon scan tool.
my $250 topdon would probably do it too.
Topdon tools are great and bargain priced.
But the Autel he's using does have more features.
@@edwardfletcher7790 it really doesn’t. I have an AUTEL Ultra and Topdon Phoenix MAX. The Topdon runs circles around the Autel. Only thing his Autel does that neither of these do, is key programming. I have an OTOFIX(AUTEL) IM2 that does the key programming aspect.
@MrSubaru1387 you are the most annoying automotive youtuber. Let the know it all attitude go man. Also subarus are junk cars I worked for a dealership here in MN and you are the only Subaru tech that advocates for them for some odd reason
My $80 Topdon had bidirectional
That explanation for the ECM vin verification was hilarious. "We don't talk anymore" 😂
@Vicstruction :
Sounds like a
'Cliff Richard ' song ?
@@charlesallanstewart-kl2op Now that is an obscure reference I totally love! :)
"It's not me, it's you! You and your non-matching VIN! Ima put my fingers in the CANbus and ignore you now."
“Yea bye girl 💅🏻” -ECM
Perhaps Connie Francis had a similar song 🎶
Someone told me to attach a battery tender to the negative and positive connectors when I change out a battery. Why? This keeps the car powered while the battery is gone. He tapes the connections so they do not fall off. Then he changes the battery and since the car's electrical system is powered by the tender during the short interval while there is no battery, the situation in this video does not occur.
Great video!
These newer battery developments tick me off as well. The control modules (in a perfect world) should be made to tolerate short period no-power scenarios w/o throwing a bunch of codes. But mfrs don't care.
A shop wanted to charge me $450 for the AGM start stop battery installed and $100 to program the new battery. I got a mobile battery guy who charged me $490 to come to my house and did this exact thing. Connected a battery the the charge terminals and swapped battery and no programming required and all done in 10 minutes at my house. The shop wanted more money and for me to drive there and leave my car there for a few hours.
That's ok. My cutoff for vehicles is 1995. I've had newer and they just don't last in our 110f degree summer heat. I like wheel bearings that are greasable and replaceable easily. As long as I can get the ac to blow cold I will drive it. Someone needs to come up with a new take on Jerry Reed's dear mister ford song and they will have a hit song.😂
I've found 95 to 2000 to be my sweet spot.... I like OBD2 but, I hate canbus....
I had an 89 Accord that would blow fog out of the vents at idle in a 110f parking lot. Wrecked that car and bought a 94 Accord with their first year R-134. On the road going to big town for supplies was ok, but once we slowed in town and parked it for only a few minutes for pickups, it would never catch up until we got back on the road for home. Dealer looked at it under warranty and said "All OK". Sold it later and went to a 03 Camry...better, but no fog like before. Neighbor had an 86 Sentra with 350K miles. A/C had never been serviced (R-12) and it was ice cold.
What happens when you can no longer get parts?
I have an 06 Ford Falcon here in Australia they used them as taxis very reliable. Has modern safety like 2 airbags, traction control etc. Look for something about 8 years old that is reliable if you update, an 8 year old car will have plenty of info online regarding reliability. Stick to Toyota, Mazda, Lexus stay away from CVT, DSG transmissions.
@@HoustonRoad Continue sticking your head in the ground.
It’s funny to watch you talking about limiting future domestic repairs with an old Chevy, which has been there forever, sitting on the rack behind your head! 😂. Love your channel!
This is the reason we need an Open Source project Wizard!
We don't need open source. We need legislation to prevent automakers from doing this.
I remember back in the 1980's, I had to buy a specific five-dollar tool to remove the main jet from a 1970's single-barrel Strommy. Crazy days. Greetings from Australia.
that's why there are specialty shops like my mechanic only fixes VW/Audi & Honda/Acura -- only need VW & Honda tools. And I think fixing Hondas keeps them from going totally bananas from dealing with VWs.
My dad had an 80 Audi 4000. The starter went bad and they replaced it with a new one. Only problem for then was dad did a lot work on his car. They had put in a used starter.
So my dad that worked for TVA found out about an engineer who had retired from TVA who had a shop out in the country. We went there for service and it was fascinating. The Engineer had gone to live in Germany and got factory trained for VW, Audi and Porsche. He was factory certified to do welding on the company race car. So in his parking lot he had Le Mans racing cars that have been wrecked. He was fixing them all some were well over a million. He charged 25 dollars an hr in the mid 80's.
He also bought railroad service cars regular track and narrow. He would get permission to travel out west on closed or lightly traveled tracks. He of course restored the service cars.
It's getting to the point where some modules don't even allow you to reprogram them to a new vehicle. You have to buy a new one from the dealer and [then] get it programmed. Earlier you could take the module apart and find an eeprom that could be rewritten by specialized people, but as modules get more complex and integrated, that chip is no longer there and the VIN info lives inside the main processor without access. Think every module from every manufacturer has different specs, so one solution only applies to a single module from a single manufacturer.
JSYK I will never be watching a foreign exotic porche,jag,Maserati etc. I don't care I will only be watching YOUR Toyota, Honda, silverado (my 2006 silverado WT) etc what me and my family own but you do you YOU ARE THE TOP 3 MECHANICS ON THE INTERWEB TH-cam❤
Soon you won't be able to start your car if a bulb is out!!!!!!
More importantly for the bank, you won't be able to start your car if you are a day late on the payment.
GM is already doing that.
Your AWD switch is broken? We're disabling A/C to make sure you get that fixed asap.
already happening many cars won't accept LED bulbs...CAN BUS system shuts down the car and it won't start.
@@MrSloika that is already a thing mainly at "buy here pay here" used car lots, they install a GPS tracker and a kill switch in the car that the lender can trigger remotely if you miss payments and or they're gonna repo it.
Stop giving them ideas, Bob!!
*Great Videos Mr. & Mrs. Wizard* *Mrs. Wizard Does a GREAT GREAT Explanation of Cars Interiors*
Mr. Wizard Today's Car's Are Now Throw Away Cars If You Can With In a Coupe of Months Of The Car Warranty Ending Get Rid Of The Car
Thanks To The EPA WAY WAY To Much Sensors On Cars I Will Take a Non- Computer Car Any Day Working On Cars For 50 Years
My Ancel FX8000 can perform calibration for the steering angle sensor, it cost about $250.
it can also do ABS bleed, BMS register, SAS, EPB, TPMS, IMMO, Throttle, Oil resets on top of diagnose for Engine, Transmission, ABS, SRS..
Perfect DIY tool.
I only do Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Isuzu and Subaru. and no older than m.y 2000.
Thanks Wizard for clarifying the new direction your shop is taking and that your TH-cam channel will still have vehicles and content of interest to the general masses. I think the initial shock of what you said, had us draw conclusions about future content that wasn’t necessarily accurate.
The first time I heard about having to reprogram after a new battery install was my sister in law, with her BMW. So far that hasn’t happened to me (2012 Ram, 2009 Honda CR-V, 2018 4Runner) and living in Las Vegas, batteries only last a few years so reprogramming costs could certainly add up.
Wizard should mention that SAM modules are the achilles heel of cars too. The VIN matching and programming is a "right to repair" feature that prevents DIYer's from fixing their own cars. All of this is done to force owners to scrap old cars and buy new ones when they break. Car manufacturers are learning something from Apple Computer.
They can all go to h3ll in a Hyundai.
I had a bucket list entry that at some point in the future I would find myself driving through Kansas and my 2006 Ford Crown Victoria would break down and require service at Omega Auto Clinic (I live in Long Beach, CA). Looks like that item will sadly never be scratched off now.
And don't forget the dealers love to obsolete or discontinue these modules pretty darn quickly
Manufacturers actually. And even then they tender out the service parts for older models so NOT the same quality as OEM
Not only do microprocessor controlled cars require complex scan tools, any and all personal data is transmitted over the air to the manufacturers site.
Great point on the expense of, and all the different tools needed for all the different types of cars on the road today.Awsome video.
This is why i refuse to buy any new car. Ridiculous. ill stick to my 70s Beetle thank you very much
90s japanese cars are where its at. Yes efi BUT its simple 12volt signals and sensors etc. Its easy. Granted i can build a computer and program it, yet i only drive 90s japanese cars. Period. Only manual transmissions. That way i can always repair them
I wish I still had my 62 beetle, my very first car.
Me too I still drive a 1990 Lexus ls400 and 1985 Toyota pickup are so good and both engine are bulletproof. Im alway get to stay away from 2010s or above modern computers is nightmare for DIY. Also im remove emission control in my 22r engine make better gas economy and keep clean engine bay without nonsense emission protection. I will work on my Lexus ls400 to remove emission system too. I can’t imagine if you try to remove a emission system on modern vehicle. they will tell you not able to drive anymore of check engine light on lol 😂
Punch buggy 🤜🤜..👍
I can understand getting an older car, but that thing is a death trap.
I tip my hat to you for being able to choose your path in the auto repair shop.
YOU DID WELL FELLA FOR SURE.
This is why I am looking at 25 year old cars. I don't want to be stuck dealing with all of this nonsense. Not to mention, what about all this connected cars that could be turned off remotely should you not what your told by daddy government. Miss something on your taxes? Car is locked. Sorry about your luck!
ain't the government doing this. its the people who profit by it - the makers. the government should be regulating against it. Although reading through 'Project 2025' I wouldn't be surprised if they are trying to bring that in. I highly suggesting looking that document over before you just hit 'accept' at the ballot box like a cell phone agreement.
Pride monkey 🙉 😅😅😅😅
Totally agree! I don’t want a newer vehicle with all that nonsense garbage. I perfer a older vehicle vs all that unnecessary stuff
Love your channel @Car Wizard. With all these car connections we need to replace our battery more often if not driven for long enough to recharge the battery and weaken it. I ran into many problems, understanding CAN obd2 and added networking was tough. I used to have to stop by a local Saab garage with the Saab tech 2 to enter the vin on the abs module or srs reset, which I often set when replacing the heater core in a few Saab convertibles.
You handled that professionally and yeah it kinda cleared things up, but it just proves I just heard what I wanted to hear the other day. I don't know why I was so upset anyway, Jesus Christ like I take anything to the shop anyway, I do my own work and know what I'm doing, thats why I love your channel, you know what you're doing. Relax wizards, I'm not going anywhere. Still love the content and look forward to more for years to come.
He probably never shouldve mentioned it in the first place if he's still going to occasionally have domestics. No one would've even noticed. 🤷🏻♂️ I know I wouldn't have noticed, I just watch the channel for his knowledge on all cars, not a specific brand. Unless he's trying to deter people from trying to bring in domestics for repairs, but briefly mentioning it in a couple videos isn't going to deter much...
@@AbeIsLincoln no he said Hoovie and Euro bob, he aint working on anybodys shit.
@@namemcnamerton4249 I know....
That's why I m keeping my honda cr v 2008. I m afraid of purchasing new car because they are way to complicated to repair, you re right 200% on this topic. Congratulations to your videos and channel here on TH-cam.
Congratulations on achieving your dream of having a foreign service center Wizard! A well deserved reward to the time and training you (and your guys) have put in.
"You have to have one of these"....and a competent and honest mechanic. Meanwhile my 2011 Scion XB has 260K miles and no CEL.
Canadian here - Regarding the mileage reading on your cluster. Yes it's illegal to misrepresent the mileage as something that isn't accurate. You cant toss a cluster in that has 50,000 less miles on it and call it genuine. In Canada, you are able to toss whatever you want in the car for a new cluster if the mileage is off, then so be it. However, you must be upfront about the true mileage when selling or requested the information. Misrepresenting the true milage is the issue.
There is a line on my state’s transfer paperwork to declare actual mileage and reason it’s not correct
Also learning all the wire repairs, the common issues on each brand or model, each little thing that is normal operation per model, it can get over whelming, I work for a manufacturer and it's way easier just dealing with the same cars everyday and on side jobs I stay with Honda's and Vws which is what I'm used to aswell
Family had a 2014 Outback from brand-new. Absolute pile of junk. Ate wheel bearings for breakfast, CVT went bad at 60k. Eventually got rid of that nightmare at 72k.
I will say it did fantastic in the snow.
You must have bad luck, my mom drives the crap out of her Outback and at 245,000 it still looks new! Regular maintenance does wonders! It's a Subaru and should run forever!
@@thecman26does she have a continuously variable transmission?
Subaru’s are very hit or miss. Toyota or Lexus for me thanks.
I had to replace the ECM in a 1999 Hyundai Accent. I went to the wrecking yard and not only did I find one, I found one that rolled off the assembly line the same exact day mine did. Plugged it in and worked and still works to this day.
What percentage of cars are driving around with permanent engine warning lights on I wonder. Back in my day we never had that stress.
I have driven around with a “faulty tire pressure sensor”, for 5 years now. I’ve replaced the sensor twice, before I realized I needed the dealer to recode it. They wanted $250 bucks to hit 3 buttons on a tablet. I’ll just check my tires every now and then, instead.
Car wizard recently talked about that. Toyota and maybe Subaru will turn on every light on the dash over a charcoal canister or something else minor. They want to make you panic and go to the dealership.
Several of mine.....
Count me in. '99 Suburban, 282K miles, runs like new, check engine light on forever.
My beater car developed a CEL transmission code shortly after I changed out the trans fluid.
Figured “we’ll, transmission is on its way out. Guess I’ll drive it until it dies”
About 15k miles later, the light went off and has never returned. Delayed maintenance worked out that time. 🤷🏽♂️
I love my Fiat 500. So happy you still work on good foreign cars. Thank you.
The 900 dollar special from harbor freight will do that procedure. Next time I am in a Subaru I will see if my cell phone app will do it. The funny thing is my cell phone app can retrieve the pin code and program keys in under five minutes for my Ram truck. The harbor freight wouldn't pull the pin. It's a crazy mixed up world especially in the diagnostic equipment market. There are massive problems even with the dealer level laptop diagnostics. Anyone who has ever used a computer has experienced issues. It all boils down to compatibility. Hardware, software, firmware, operating systems, the server your tool is connecting to and on and on it goes. I had to update a tpms tool on an old windows 7 machine because an up to date computer did not install the file properly. It's an older tpms that you don't have to pay for updates, but you do need a computer from it's same era to actually update the damn thing.😅
not sold anymore, only can get software updates for it, thats like $500 each time
It was 600 dollars to up date it and it bricked it. It took me 2 weeks worth of emails from tech support, which if I remember correctly was affiliated with launch, to get the master software and updates. All is good now but what a fiasco.@@pablopicaro7649
I have a $100 amazon dongle that I have used to program a new key starting with no key at all and all SRS functions so far on a 2011 Honda. The app i am using is Ediag
And no updates or support on older Os' like windows 95 etc.
You could just run an old OS virtually in sandbox but then the issue is the legacy peripheral ports.
Thanks dude, like all your videos, you are doing a public service which I’m sure so many are greatful. Keep going as much as you can. You and staff are awesome.
Subscription is definitely the future. “You’ll own nothing and be happy.”
One neat feature that covers many Subaru vehicles is the ability to self-calibrate throttle position and re-learn idle control by using a simple key on/off procedure when timed correctly in the right sequence, with no need for any scan tool other than the ease of which to clear ECU memory prior to the procedure.
Another online car mechanic recently featured a 2018 Buick. It had a long list of broken, leaking and failed items that left me I shaking my head, after all it is a 2018 m.y. not some 20 year old clunker. Conceivably a 2018 could still be under financing and the thing was a broken heap needing thousand of dollars in multiple repairs.
yes, Eric O. showed us how GM really took a dump in quality.
@@oregonwinger64SMA-
The man's a legend.
Many Buick models are Chinese imports now
Buicks come from China now days
The Car Wizard explains a few reasons why all of my cars are from the 1980s & 1990s. I had a 2001 Audi a6 2.7T manual. I learned my lesson from that car and went out and bought an FZJ80 Lexus, which saved me so much money, I was able to buy my 993 4s, VW Cabriolet , W126 "87" Diesel. I don't know what to do with my FZJ80 but I know I can not let it go.
Had a litte laugh: You said "newer cars" when talking about vehicles being a quarter of a century old. Thus, I feel "as new" with my six centuries of age 😁
If you have six centuries of age I think even the concept of a car is a foreign concept.
6 centuries ?? are you a vampire?
6 decades?
@@lightningdemolition1964 may I exchange the centuries for decades 😀
@@MDAdams72668 watch out tonite ... 😀
I am more thankful every day that Ross Tech provides reasonably-priced industrial strength scanning software for VW/Audi cars -- it has been a real time-saver and money-saver for me over the years.
Every car has a screen. Every car should have this software in it standard. 100% anti consumer.
In 1989 Buick and Oldsmobile did just that-- put the diagnostic tool in the screen, easily accessible by pushing two buttons simultaneously. That's why I always look for Trofeos and Reattas for my own personal vehicle, because I know I can fix any problem on my own
@@amarstaI have a 1994 Buick Roadmaster wagon. It is too big for what I need it for and am looking for a Reatta. I'm located in Ontario, long shot but if you are too i'll trade you lol
I'll drive an antique before paying a scanner fee.
Hoping a scanner for a 2016 gmc isn't too expensive as I'd like to check fuel trim numbers on a regular basis in case a diesel injector goes bad.
Still working my way up as I'm doing bunch of service work now due at 150,000 miles.
Timing belt/tensioner/water pump/balancer/timing tools.
Exactly why I love my old car.
I have a 140,000 mile 2011 Outback that looks just like that. We bought it new when my daughter was five and told her it would be her first car and it is. This info is good to know for it. Thanks, Wizard!
GM was reporting driving data to the insurance companies.
reporting = "selling"
Except that, it’s actually every new car sold in america for the last 10+ years
So true. I have a working driving mercedes, but the computer/modules/emissions are not working right and I cannot pass inspection, experts want a blank check with no guarrantee to fix the issue, so I had to junk it unfortunately. It had 47 modules talking over a spagetti wire network. Why is this electronics needed? For what, so I can program the headlights, push button to roll down the window, its just stupid and we are for buying it.
The question of why modules/CANBUS systems were instituted in the first place has never been addressed. The popular answer used to be that it simplified wiring, but that obviously has been superseded by the enormous complexity and sheer number of computer modules used in modern cars. It is my impression that many of these are related to the vast number of options made available these days beyond what is really necessary to run and drive a car in reasonable comfort. Beyond A/C, cruise control, and a stereo, I'm at a loss as to why you need anything more. As well, the necessary systems that remain have also been made overly complex and unreasonably inaccessible (heater cores and HVAC components hidden behind the dashboard come to mind) I believe that there is some deliberate effort of the manufacturers to make this so in order to generate profits for dealers, but customers also apparently demand these heavily optioned and overly complicated cars, which, when out of warranty become nightmares. I will never buy another new car because they are just too complicated and expensive, costing 6 months to a year's salary for the average Joe and making people like the Car Wizard millionaires just for being a competent repair shop.
Yeah CRAZY I paid less for my home AND 4 bay shop in 2000 than the average car costs today
My ABS light came on about ten years ago, I put electrical tape over it. Been driving fine ever since
Not unusual to see that, except that…
If one is in an accident, and the adjuster sees that - you policy will be dropped mid-term. You’ll also become a high risk to insurance, your rates will literally double. But it gets better. If insurance finds out about it, it’s actually insurance fraud according to the contract you signed up for - an actual crime
manufactures constantly walk the line for right to repair. it wont be long before independent shops suffer from WORSE computer programming locks and emissions
GM, VW, and others have been very vocal that you don't own the vehicle. They own it and repairs should be done at the dealership or through those licensed and authorized to repair them. They want zero modifications to vehicles. Luckily SEMA and other organizations fight for our rights to repair things that are the second most expensive things we buy, and for some of us, we probably spent so much over the decades that it's more than our home.
As an enthusiast we have to know our limits and concede that the modern electronics are out of our league for most DIYers. Car Wizard has a lot of valid points. Respect the trade! Diagnosing isn't easy and turning wrenches isn't always fun.
Have a blessed day.
Well It's time to get good at hacking then. You're a fool if you put up with any of this "subscription based services" bullshit, ie. Heated Seats, etc. We can't allow that to be the norm, and we _will_ find workarounds eventually.