It wasn’t that long ago that you could pop the hood on your car and climb in to work on the engine. These days, you can barely get an arm down into the engine compartment. This begs the question of whether you can still work on your own car these days given the complexities involved?
Cars from the 1970s are essentially the same as modern cars. By this, I mean they generally have the same parts. Both cars have pistons, pumps, suspensions and what have you. The primary difference is the parts in the modern vehicle have evolved, in some cases dramatically.
The biggest difference is undoubtedly the computerization of the modern car. A computer controls the climate in the car. A computer controls the power being applied to the wheels. A computer controls the rate and timing of fuel injection into the cylinders. A computer…well, you get the idea. Given this complexity, can you still hope to work on your own car without causing a host of problems?
The good news is you can still work on your car. There are a couple of reasons why you shouldn’t be scared to do so. The first is the computerization of the modern car can actually help you. How so? The computer not only contains programs for controlling various aspects of the car, but it also will give you readings regarding problem areas. You can just plug in and error codes will show up. It speeds up the diagnostic process by a factor of 10.
There is another benefit to the design of the modern car. Cars are now a collection of modular components. Let’s say you have a crack in your from right headlight. Instead of replacing the lens, you just pop out the entire headlight module and pop a new one in. It literally takes five minutes or less. Much of the modern car is this way including many of the functioning components such as pumps.
There is, of course, a downside as well. The biggest issue usually has to do with tools. You are going to need a few specialized ones to make repairs. For instance, you can’t just plug your laptop into the car computer. You need a diagnostic tool designed for it. A secondary problem can also be the cost of the parts. Modulation is great when it comes to convenience, but the parts can cost a lot more given the fact you tend to be replacing the entire component instead of just a smaller part.
Overall, however, you can definitely still work on the modern car. If you’re like me, the problem is finding the time to do it!
Dirk Gibson is with DCJAutoParts.com - where you can find the lowest prices on high performance
auto parts and accessories.
