[Phys-L] Car repair

[Jim Deane <jim.deane@gmail.com>]

> Come on!  The average guy cannot fix his car in his garage any longer!
> You simply can't diagnose a problem and repair the computer yourself.

I provided references to the contrary.  The same kind of average guys who
worked on cars in the 1960's are working on cars in the 2010's.  Check out
any car forum (e.g. www.neons.org/forums)--there are people helping each
other learn how to diagnose and repair (and soup up) their own modern
cars.  Some out of necessity, some out of hobby interest.

You tell me I can't diagnose and repair the computer myself, and I tell you
that the vast majority of the time I can do exactly that.  Virtually all
failures come down to sensor or wiring problems.  Tracking them down
requires the same skills needed to track down an intermittent spark or
headlamp, with a large dose of patience.

For less than $30 you can buy a bluetooth interface for your car that will
let you datalog the sensor data from your car while driving.  Reading and
interpreting that data is analogous to reading and interpreting spark plugs
to determine if you need to change carb jets.

I do however know a lot of people who believe the claim that no one can
work on cars these days.  In the face of countless people doing exactly
that, I'm not really sure how to respond.