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Right To Repair - A Hot Issue or Big Problem?

575 messages,  Last post on Feb 04, 2013 at 8:06 PM

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What is this discussion about? Electrical

Messages Page 58 of 59

#564 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [steve_] by thecardoc3

Nov 22, 2012 (10:10 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Nov 22, 2012 9:41 am)
Something has to give - otherwise the standard in twenty years will be ZipCars and public transportation.
 
Do you really think there is any chance of ending up anywhere else, unless the "consumers" change their habits first?
 
Few things are as expensive as owning a depreciating asset like a car and Gen Y may have figured that out early. If you are making $25k a year, a $1,400 repair bill (with no guarantee that something different isn't going to break next month) means that a big part of your working life is spent on transportation.
 
Compare that to dumping the car for yet another $400 a month payment for the next five years, and then a $450 a month for the next five years after that, etc...
 
The alternative is and has always been competent repair, and that needs to be recognized by the consumers. Every other responses here seems to still go towards trying to discourage long term ownership and service and repair. The depreciation values of a given vehicle is controlled by those who sell vehicles to make their fortunes. They don't create an accurate picture for the average vehicle owner and haven't for decades. Properly repaired my cusrtomers Nissan will do EVERYTHING that any brand new car will do, except come with a guarantee of almost five more years of payments.

#565 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [thecardoc3] by steve_ HOST

Nov 22, 2012 (10:18 am)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Nov 22, 2012 10:10 am)
Well, it won't have a warranty and free roadside assistance when something else breaks on it.
 
Consumers are changing their habits and this may be the last "golden age" of new car sales. The kids aren't buying. I doubt that repair costs figure into their decision but us old guys don't like paying the freight that the local garage charges either.
 
I'd sure be upset if I had to remove a fender skirt and some other junk just to replace a headlight bulb, but apparently there are some cars like that out there. Or my friend's Concorde with the battery buried in the fender. What are these engineers thinking when they design stuff like that, knowing that replacement will be required in a year or three?

#566 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [thecardoc3] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 22, 2012 (12:18 pm)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Nov 22, 2012 1:45 am)
Not so easy---I'm using an undersize drive pulley on the supercharger as well. I rather doubt that your excellent suggestion will work, since I stopped at rest stops, etc and it made no difference.
 
The black tape, however, seems quite reliable.
 
Besides, there will always be more pressing needs--a MINI breaks something every few months, and it's always punishingly expensive to fix.
 
The last fun event was a "simple" door lock actuator---too bad they used fasteners made in Mongolia for .02 cents apiece, as well as burying the actuator where human hands dare not tread.
 
I did it but I wish I hadn't.
 
Between access issues and multiplexing, newer cars are built in defiance of mechanics, not to help them.

#567 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [steve_] by obyone

Nov 22, 2012 (7:41 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Nov 22, 2012 10:18 am)
I'd sure be upset if I had to remove a fender skirt and some other junk just to replace a headlight bulb, but apparently there are some cars like that out there.
 
On the GMC Acadia, booktime to replace the front headlight is .8 hours. Imagine that to replace a $15 part. People have been complaining that dealers charge up to $300 labor to replace the headlight. Course GM revised the original procedure which required tire removal as well as the front wheelhouse front liner. Currently only the front wheelhouse front liner removal is required for bulb replacement.

#568 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [obyone] by steve_ HOST

Nov 22, 2012 (10:11 pm)

Replying to: obyone (Nov 22, 2012 7:41 pm)
All to save 15 cents a copy going down the assembly line.

#569 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [steve_] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 23, 2012 (10:49 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Nov 22, 2012 10:11 pm)
On some cars you have to take the bumper off.

#570 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [Mr_Shiftright] by thecardoc3

Nov 24, 2012 (2:26 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Nov 23, 2012 10:49 am)
On others with the HID headlights you don't even know if the problem is the headlight bulb or the ballast (transformer), or both. There is no practical way to test the ballast since it generates the 25,000v that is required to turn the headlight on. The only thing we can do is dissasemble both headlight assemblies and try the bulb in the opposite ballast.
 
From there we have the motorized aiming assemblies. There are cars that we cannot check and adjust the headlights on "correctly" because it requires bi-directional commands from the factory scan tool to put them in the "home" position for aiming, and then there is another function to re-train the headlight aiming controller.
 
The engineers often have claimed that they try and consider servicing issues during design but you can't prove that for the most part by what I've seen. The moment I find the next new fastener that means I'll be purchasing yet another whole set of sockets and possibly wrenches I have all the proof I need about how much they think of technicians.

#571 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [thecardoc3] by steve_ HOST

Nov 24, 2012 (7:59 am)

Replying to: thecardoc3 (Nov 24, 2012 2:26 am)
The only thing we can do is dissasemble both headlight assemblies and try the bulb in the opposite ballast.
 
You mean you just swap the parts out instead of doing a proper diagnosis? Gasp!
 
In another twenty years, this place will start looking like Cuba with a bunch of 40 year old cars limping around because they'll be all we can afford to patch up and keep rolling.

#572 of 575 Re: shaking out the vote [steve_] by obyone

Nov 24, 2012 (3:30 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Nov 24, 2012 7:59 am)
In another twenty years, this place will start looking like Cuba with a bunch of 40 year old cars limping around because they'll be all we can afford to patch up and keep rolling.
 
Now that you mention it I always wanted one of these:
 

#573 of 575 Here we go again. by thecardoc3

Feb 04, 2013 (3:34 pm)

http://www.pressherald.com/politics/long-drive-for-car-repair-sparks-call-for-le- gislation_2013-02-04.html

Messages Page 58 of 59

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