Technology

The replacement component often requires programming, coding, calibration, or authentication before the vehicle will recognize it.

A simple windshield replacement can trigger calibration requirements for cameras and radar sensors. A battery replacement may require registration procedures.

The main issue is built-in obsolescence.

Even old regularly easy repair work in early mid 2000s vehicles is getting worse because replacement parts quality has dropped off a cliff.

I regularly have to replace the same part 2, 3 times IMMEDIATELY OUT OF THE BOX because they’re defective or barely remanufactured (brake calipers are almost a complete crap shoot and new copies are harder and harder to buy, and if they arec can be up to 10x the price).

"owners".

As someone who fix car for a living and most car engine here is below 2.0L, i find that european car or european inspired car (chinese) are notoriously hard to fix. Some simple stuff can take hours to repair and that cost people more.

Like for example, recently one owner of Geely Boyue(1st gen) come in with an engine oil/coolant mixing issue, so the culprit is the oil cooler. To access the oil cooler i have to remove all the useless plastic cover, inlet manifold, fuel pump, water pump, and then finally the cooler. Then i also have to change the radiator because of the oil clogging the rad, which i have to take off the whole front bumper, headlamp, the front (plastic) frame, air cond condenser, turbo cooler, then finally to the radiator. Doing it at one go solo takes around 8 to 9 hours, separately takes about 4.5 - 5 hours each. And you have to handle it with care, because a mistake (paint scratch, snapped plastic) can cost you and your company, and you have to interact with shit tons of plastic. Hard to access wiring, bolts and nuts that is hidden from plain sight, all these bullshit drag the repair time to double digit. Not to mention if your radiator fan motor spoiled you have to remove the radiator to get to it.

Ohh did i mention how annoying it is to change the battery? I have to remove the whole cover with brittle plastic clip and cover and sometime the air filter box just to access the battery. Compare that to something like Honda Civic 2017, it's day and night.

I'd just considering myself lucky since i don't have to deal with the interior.

Years ago we made fun of the concept of an Apple Car. Now everything is Apple Cars.

Interesting thing here; I drive a 2013 vehicle. Other than regular maintenance, the only repair it’s ever needed was a rear bumper replacement and a bit of bodywork when someone rear ended me at a stoplight.

Contrast this with vehicles from the 1950s-1990s where sure, you could affordably repair them yourself or at the local garage, BUT that was something that became a regular event after the vehicle was 4-5 years old.

Personally, I’m more concerned with how manufacturers are closing off sections of the software in their vehicles such that it can’t be audited, security reviewed, independently patched, or modified to prevent all the telematics from flowing back to them.

In the 1990's you could look in the Uncle Henry's and get a decent used car for like $300. you'd register it, and it would last you a few years until it was too expensive to fix, (or it wouldn't pass state inspection) then you'd move on. In the early 2000's you could look on craigslist and find a decent used car for $500. Same deal. But by the time the housing bubble burst, I came to the realization that whatever the price of the car was, it would cost you $3,000 at the end of the day just to get it up and running. By the end of the 20 Teens, that number was $5k, and side of the road sales were junk that the seller knew was about to be REALLY EXPENSIVE to fix so wanted out from under it. These days, don't buy used from a private seller unless it's a collectable: the car is a money pit and they know it. This is one of those things where the auto industry enshittified to kill the resale market. Now they are starting subscriptions for features you used to get as standard. the infuriating thing is that the tech exists to build a car that will last 30-40 years, little major maintenance, but "it's not profitable," so they won't.

Improved reliability is, ironically a major cause of this problem.

Buyers of brand new cars in the USA keep them for fewer than ten years on average. If most cars can go ten years without needing major repairs, the car manufacturer's actual customer is not strongly motivated to consider repairability in buying decisions. The second or third owner likely cares a lot, but their preferences don't matter very much to manufacturers.