I remember when motor cars were simple to fix.

[subaqua]

What I find annoying is the fact that modern technicians , ( they are not called mechanics anymore), rely entirely on computers to tell them what the fault is. If the computer says "no fault" , then they are not capable of using their own brains and detect the fault the computer missed.

Much like teachers don’t need to think anymore as the computer in the class can do it ....

It’s a start point . Not the be all and end all . A good technician will use the diagnostics to get a point to start from then work from there.

The Skoda garage by me did when the car wouldn’t start . Diagnostics said fine , took a few hours to work out the EGR was blocked

 

[Fnaar]

I'm wilfully ignorant when it comes to engines and stuff. I just want them to work, which these days they usually do. I'm far more interested in what colour and shape a car is

 

[Yellow Fang]

That would be a broken down Lada sir

It was actually a parked Lada. There was not actually much damage to the Lada, but my mini was an insurance write-off.

 

[keithmac]

What I find annoying is the fact that modern technicians , ( they are not called mechanics anymore), rely entirely on computers to tell them what the fault is. If the computer says "no fault" , then they are not capable of using their own brains and detect the fault the computer missed.

I had a bike in last year at work, we were the 5th garaged the customer had been to with the same fault (he lived a fair distance away!).

While talking to him the last shop had said there were no faults shown on diagnostics BUT they said replacing the ECU at £600 was the next option and would not guarantee a fix..

Just 200 meters riding the bike into the workshop revealed classic fuel starvation traits, fuel pressure test showed poor pressure (1 bar instead of 3!).

Tested voltage to pump and then removed the tank, found a split pipe inside the tank causing poor pressure/ fuel delivery.

The last shop would have taken £600 and the bike would have been exactly the same.

I've worked through both the carb and efi era, seems nowadays people are too quick to grab the diagnostics without doing the groundwork and basick checks first.

I couldn't do my job without the diagnostic kit, but also without the ability to think outside the box and years of fault finding without the luxury of a computer.

 

[screenman]

We dont ALWAYS really have that much choice.
My criteria were.....
Petrol
Automatic....
One/two years old
Low mileage
NOT black.
Took me 4 months to locate one and that was 60 miles away.

That was only because you were choosy, you can still by a Moggie 1000. Maybe not the age you wanted though.

 

[screenman]

View attachment 384661

Topical quiz, what is this?

Handbrake warning light, unless you are moving when it becomes the low brake fluid one.

 

[Illaveago]

Things were a lot simpler in the old days. Bulbs were easier to replace and most were interchangeable between makes which also included headlights. If you accidentally touched the wrong terminals when replacing a battery it didn't require getting the E C U fixed, very expensive.
A lot of the parts could be obtained from a scrap yard and didn't need them to be reprogrammed to suit your car.
I must admit that changing brake pads are easier on both of our newer cars, but I was told by a mechanic that replacing rear brake pads on a car with an electronic hand brake can be a problem if you do not re programme the ECU.
My 1983 Cavalier CDi was about the easiest of all my car's to work on with a single overhead cam which when the cam belt went didn't mean that your valves got bent like what happened to my Vectra.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Handbrake warning light, unless you are moving when it becomes the low brake fluid one.

Sort of correct, it is the low brake fluid light, it is coincidental that operating the handbrake tests whether the circuit works, there is no legal requirement to have a handbrake light, but it is a legal requirement to have a low brake fluid warning light & a method to testing that the bulb whilst sitting in the drivers seat.

 

[midlife]

Things were a lot simpler in the old days. Bulbs were easier to replace and most were interchangeable between makes which also included headlights. If you accidentally touched the wrong terminals when replacing a battery it didn't require getting the E C U fixed, very expensive.
A lot of the parts could be obtained from a scrap yard and didn't need them to be reprogrammed to suit your car.
I must admit that changing brake pads are easier on both of our newer cars, but I was told by a mechanic that replacing rear brake pads on a car with an electronic hand brake can be a problem if you do not re programme the ECU.
My 1983 Cavalier CDi was about the easiest of all my car's to work on with a single overhead cam which when the cam belt went didn't mean that your valves got bent like what happened to my Vectra.

Blimey I had forgotten about scrapyards.... clambering over cars piled 5 high looking for parts for our Velox...

 

[Stephenite]

I have to agree with the point the OP is making. A couple of months ago both sidelight bulbs had gone in my B6 Passat. YouTube told me I'd have to take the front of the car off to replace them! "Fortunately" though someone crashed their car into mine and i got the bulbs replaced for free at the garage/workshop.

 

[Stephenite]

I used to love scrap yards as a kid. My dad would send me off to look for any good red Cortinas he could have the bits from.

Health and safety did not exist in those days.

 

[raleighnut]

View attachment 384661

Topical quiz, what is this?

Low brake fluid

 

[Dave7]

Blimey I had forgotten about scrapyards.... clambering over cars piled 5 high looking for parts for our Velox...

I remember similar....for a fuel pump for my 1964 Mini.
Jacked it up and disconnected the pipes.......not realising it was gravity fed. Found out what petrol tastes like

 

[sp_biker]

I have a Toyota Hybrid with radar cruise, heated seats and auto everything. I also have an MGB with manual choke, a flap you open to cool down and a hammer for when you have to change a wheel... I know which one I would rather be driving on a day like today :-)

 

[Brandane]

My "modern" car is a 2006 Toyota Corolla. It is quite simple to do the basic servicing like oil and filter changes, spark plugs, brake pads, air filter (don't even need any tools for that one).. It only needs oil changes every 10k miles (but as a result of my sympathy for engines it gets done about every 6 or 7k). Brake pads last so long that they are almost fit and forget (about 30k miles the front pads lasted IIRC). It has now done 104k miles and just keeps going. Not a spot of rust to be seen either.
I seem to remember our family car in the late 60's being a Hillman Minx which needed a full service every 4k miles. As well as oil and filter it needed points adjusting, tappets adjusting, new brake pads/shoes, greasing of all sorts of different bearings and shafts, transmission oil, tracking and wheel alignment adjusting, brakes bled, coolant changed, etc. etc.. Even after all that it would regularly refuse to start. It could only dream of reaching 100k miles without major surgery.
Progress? Oh yes!