Do automobile manufacturers consciously try to make their vehicles more complicated & frustrating?

Question

I see & hear about cars not starting, having a lit "check engine" light, being difficult to perform basic maintenance, or having some other issue for a dumb reason more than a serious problem. They'll have complicated electronics & hardware to try to optimize engine performance & mileage, added features for comfort & convenience, but when you have a blinking "check engine" light you still have to consult the internet, a scan tool, or a book that's not the owner's manual to find out why. Many have displays that indicate an open door or to change the oil, but if the computer knows what's wrong, would it kill them to display the problem in words? A loose gas cap is a dumb reason not to allow the vehicle to start or shift, but at least tell me that's why. I think the built in "security" systems that prevent the starting of the engine for 10 minutes or more cause more drivers frustration than prevention of auto theft. If they think they can make something that thieves can't defeat then they should embed GPS tracking systems. Let the guy take my car as long as I can start it when there's no mechanical problem. Having so much technology to the point where your key is synch'd to the vehicle but you can't bypass it with ON/OFF & START switches is ridiculous. The newer vehicles I've seen have batteries positioned so that it's more difficult to attach jumper cables. Oil filters are put it places that make it difficult to attach a removal tool & above obstructions so that socket wrench extensions can't be used. Also, whose bright idea was it to have separate fuse blocks? I realize that they're out to make money by forcing you to have them or a very educated mechanic work on them, but come on.

Answer 1

Yes they do.

Answer 2

I've always thought same way until I got into mechanics...and even now I still think "wtf were they thinking when putting this part in this spot? Who the heck in the world would be able to get to it without taring half the car apart!"



The thing is, people want their cars cheap, to offer cheaper prices, they need to use some cheaper parts...why do you think they offer warranty up to 100,000miles? Because certain components are more likely to go out right after that 100,000miles. Also, if cars weren't so complicated, less people would go to a shop to get it fixed and instead do it themselves, which would cost a lot of money to dealerships in loss. If they were to add the option that would show the driver what exactly is wrong with the car when check engine light is on, it'd cost more money for them to put that on the car (which would be useless for a lot of people bc they'd rather just go to mechanic) and dealerships would lose money on diagnosis (therefore if you're a mechanic, you'd lose work)



In reality, although it pisses off even mechanics on how hard some jobs are due to some truely idiotic engineering, in the end, it makes it cheaper for people to buy new cars (they just need to start taking advantage of warranty, after the warranty is up, trade the car in for another new one) and gives mechanics jobs to keep food on their tables for their families.

Answer 3

You can thank your elected government officials and bureaucrats for most of the problems. There are dozens of new regulations coming online every month and the auto manufacturers are scrambling in all directions just to keep up.



The biggest problem is that the people who are writing the new regulations don't have the slightest clue on how to make them work... Or if it can be done at all, and that just pushes the auto manufacturers to throw in anything they can and worry about the consequences later.

Answer 4

Does seem like they could put in a lap top type computer that would give the average driver real time information for systems and trouble shooting.