Spectre
The Deported
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
- Messages
- 36,832
- Location
- Dallas, Texas
- Car(s)
- 00 4Runner | 02 919 | 87 XJ6 | 86 CB700SC
Spectre's awesome Jag is a remnant from a long lost era. It's very hard to service relatively new cars yourself. Honestly, everytime I see a mechanic break out the diagnosis tools(different ones for each make) I'm a little bit scared. A couple of years ago(ok, decades, really), I barely managed to replace an indicator light bulb on my Golf MkII. It has not easily accessible. Today I think that's the least of your worries.
To be blunt, that's less the function of modern technology and more caused by idiot engineers who refuse to take serviceability into account when designing their vehicles. German engineers are especially guilty of this; I have owned several German cars (the last being a BMW E32 750iL) and on most of them it is apparent that the engineers did not believe that there was any possible way for the majority of parts to ever break or fail and therefore things like window regulators and tracks would never need to be removed. Likewise, they didn't seem to think that the battery in the E32 would ever fail because when it does, you can't get into the car without major jumping through hoops (and another battery, and some specialized knowledge), and then changing the damn thing is a huge pain in the arse. It gets worse as you get closer to the present day; see katwalk's Beetle convertible and the absolutely insane and nigh-unserviceable design they used for power actuation of the top (diagrams have been posted to FG).
British engineers can be about as obtuse at times, but they're constrained by the cultural knowledge that anything British made is prone to failure and may need to be replaced. My 95 XJR, despite being a much newer design, is still a joy to work on. My former 00 XKR was similarly nice.
American engineers also don't seem to be afflicted with the problem nearly as badly. You can't say that the 2011 Corvette is less advanced than a 3 series in terms of systems and electronics, yet they are extremely easy to work on and the 3-series isn't these days (just ask Der Stig of this forum). And therefore, easily modified. Same deal with the CTS-V vice the 5-series. The quintessential American pony car, the Mustang, is still easy to service and maintain.
Japanese designs can be hit or miss. The old Z31 was easy to work on, the successor Z32 was terrible to service, but the Z33 wasn't bad.
As for the diagnostics, I rather prefer the capabilities of the later systems - it cuts way down on the amount of time you have to spend troubleshooting and diagnosing.
What I take away form this thread is that there apparantly still people who want a sunroof in a car......I can't recall the last time I have SEEN a new car with a sunroof.
They were everywere in the 80's, you could even buy aftermarket kits for a DIY job (wich ALWAYS ended badly) , then they just disappeared.
Sunroofs and moonroofs are still very popular here and are common options on cars - some cars even come standard with them. The DIY jobs are mostly extinct but there are some firms still offering them and they have come a long way since the 80s.
You can even get trucks with factory sunroofs now.
My next vehicle purchase probably won't have one (9th gen F350s didn't have a sunroof as an option) but I'll likely add one. Easier to spot the airborne speed patrols with one, as well as escape if the thing rolls over.
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