The Allure and Decline of Car Maintenance: A Reflection on the Past and Future of Automotive Repair

As I reflect on my college days, driving a 1996 Honda Passport, I remember one constant annoyance - the check engine light that seemed to always return. This experience sparked an interest in understanding how cars became more complicated and why regular maintenance is becoming less accessible to car owners.

The American tradition of repairing cars on one's driveway on a Sunday afternoon, a cherished custom that has become increasingly rare. The increasing reliance on computerized systems and the growing complexity of modern vehicles have made even routine maintenance like brake jobs out of reach for many new car owners. So, how did this shift occur? And what does it mean for our future relationship with cars?

The history of automotive repair is a long and fascinating one, dating back to the early days of horse-drawn carriages, steam engines, bicycles, and other machinery that required skilled repairmen. With the advent of the automobile in the late 1800s, drivers began bringing their busted rides to these same mechanics who had more than enough skill to work on primitive cars. Machinists and blacksmiths soon devoted their entire businesses to automotive repair and maintenance, with most dealerships opening up their own shops and gas stations did as well.

By the end of the 1920s, there were an estimated 60,000 service shops in the US, making it relatively easy for car owners to find someone to work on their vehicle. However, what if you didn't live near a shop? In that case, you had to do it yourself. The Model T, introduced in 1908, was a game-changer in terms of car repair. Not only was it the first car affordable for many Americans, but it also came with a mandatory tire-changing lesson for every driver, teaching them how to handle emergencies.

The simplicity of the Model T made it possible for nearly anyone to get their hands dirty and have a good time wrenching as most repairs could be made with just a screwdriver, wrench, and hammer. The Model T might not have been the most reliable car ever, but that was okay because it introduced Americans to regular maintenance. And while some owners were stoked about this newfound ability, others were less than enthused.

Alfred P. Sloan, President of General Motors in the mid-20s, thought Henry Ford's one-car-fits-all model was stifling the car market and keeping owners from buying new cars. He believed that people would get used to buying one car and maintaining it for the rest of their lives. To counter this trend, Sloan came up with a plan - every year, his brands would release a new model with features and colors that made current owners think their car was out-of-date.

This strategy, known as planned obsolescence, became a huge boon for the auto industry and paved the way for the rise of new models. But despite this shift towards newer, more complex vehicles, people continued to work on their cars and make them better. The tuning scene, also known as hot rodding, was born from these DIY enthusiasts who wanted to push their cars to their limits.

The auto executives took note of what the kids were doing and decided to build their own hot rods in the factory, giving birth to the muscle car era that reached its peak in the late 60s and early 70s. The classic designs we see today in models like the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger owe a debt to this era of innovation.

However, as cars continued to evolve, so did their complexity. Until the late 1970s, there weren't many ways to tell if something was wrong with your car. If you didn't know what to look for, it was relatively easy to overlook problems until they became major issues. But with the advent of computerized engine controls in the early 80s, things started to change.

The malfunction indicator lamp, which appeared on most cars, could output codes when two specific pins on the assembly line diagnostic link were jumped. This meant that lights would flash codes, creating a sort of Morse code that car owners had to decipher using service manuals. While this innovation might seem like a step forward, it's also important to note that people didn't necessarily want computers in their cars - they just needed them.

In 1980, California took things further by passing a law requiring all new cars to meet emissions standards. This added another layer of complexity to the vehicle's systems and necessitated more sophisticated diagnostic tools. The result was a cascade of technological advancements that have made modern cars safer, cleaner, and more efficient but also more complicated.

As we look back on this journey, it's clear that our relationship with cars has become increasingly intertwined with technology. While some might see this as a positive trend, others worry about the consequences of relying so heavily on computer systems to keep us safe on the road. Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain - car maintenance will continue to play an important role in keeping us driving safely and efficiently for years to come.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- This episode of Wheelhouseis made possible by FIXD.Stay tuned to the end of the episodefor a special offer onlyfor Wheelhouse fans.When I was in college Idrove a 1996 Honda Passport.It wasn't fast but I loved that car.There was only one thingthat bugged me about it.No matter what I fixed or replaced,that dang check engine lightwould always find its way to turn back on.Lucky for me, that Hondawas easy to work onbut as cars get more complicated,it won't be that way forever.It seems the Americantradition of repairing your caron your driveway on a Sunday afternoonis becoming less of a customand more of a distant memory.Increasingly complicated systemsand reliance on computershas made even regularmaintenance, like brake jobs,out of reach for a lotof owners of new cars.So, how did it get this way?And will you even bother towork on your car in the future?Let's dig in.As long as there have beenthings that need fixing,there have been mechanics.Even before the car, therewere skilled repairmenworking on horse drawn carriages,steam engines, bicycles,anything that could be broken.With the introduction of theautomobile in the late 1800s,drivers started bringingtheir busted ridesto these same guys whohad more than enough skillto work on these primitive cars.Machinists and blacksmiths decidedto devote their entire businessesto automotive repair and maintenance.Most dealerships openedup their own shops,and gas stations did, as well.If you were in a car-friendly citythere was a good chancethere'd be someone thereto work on your car.By the end of the 1920s,there was an estimated 60,000service shops in the USbut what if you didn't live near a shop?Well, you had to do it yourself.When the Model T debuted in 1908,it was many Americans' firstexperience with car repairbecause tires blew out on a regular basis,it was mandatory for driversto know how to change them.Many owners learned howto repair other problemsfrom manuals or experience on a farm.It also became fashionableto do small repairsout of convenience and even fun.The simplicity of theModel T made it possiblefor nearly anyone to get their hands dirtyand have a good time wrenchingas most repairs could be madewith a screwdriver, wrench, and a hammer.The Model T might not havebeen the most reliable car everbut that's okay becauseit introduced Americato regular maintenance.But not everyone was stoked.Alfred P. Sloan was the Presidentof General Motors in the mid '20sand he thought Henry Ford wasstagnating the car market,nevermind the Great Depression.Sloan believed that Ford'sone-car-fits-all modelwas keeping owners from buying new carsand he was afraid that peoplewould get used to buyingone car and maintaining itfor the rest of their life.Man, that sounds horrible.So, he came up with a plan.Every year his brandswould release a new modelwith features and new colors.The goal was to make newand current owners thinktheir car was out-of-dateand that they couldn't possibly livewithout these new features,even if their current car was just fine.This was a huge boon for the auto industryand was the beginningof what we would knowas planned obsolescence.♪ Obsolete creation ♪New models might have been coming outbut that didn't stop peoplefrom working on their carsand making them better.The ability of driversand home mechanics to workto work on theirrelatively simple machinesgave birth to the tuning sceneor as they called itback then hot rodding.(tires screeching)The whole movementdeserves its own episodebut the fact remainsthat hot rodding changedthe American car for decades.Auto exects saw what the kids were doingand decided to build theirown hot rods in the factory,giving birth to the muscle car erawhich reached its heightin the late 60s, early 70sand trenching itself in pop culturewith films like Two Lane Blacktopand American Graffitiwhere it went mainstreamand later inspired thesuper popular retro designswe see in the Mustang, Camaroand Challenger of today.All of that was because peoplehad the ability to maintainand modify their carsin their own driveways.It was kind of important.But it won't be like that forever.Until the late 70s, thereweren't a lot of ways to tellif something was wrong with your car.You just kind of knew orit was really obvious.Some of them had trouble lightsknown affectionately as idiot indicatorsthat signaled serioustrouble with the enginelike low oil pressure, overheating,or charging system problemsand an imminent breakdown.Basically, it only letyou know about problemsthat were patently obvious.I mean, if your oil islow, that's kind of on you.But in the 80s, the magicof computers had arrived.After the trouble light wasthe malfunction indicator lampwhich was a little more advanced.The MIL appeared in the early 80salong with computerized engine controls.On most cars, the IML could output codeswhen two pins on theassembly line diagnostic linkor ALDL were jumped thelights would flash codes.For instance, blink,blink, blink, I don't know.Blink, blink, blink.It was sort of like a Morse code.You would record the blinks and pauses,then cross referencethem in a service manualand find out what was wrong.These computerizedsystems gained popularitynot because peoplewanted them necessarily,but because they had to.In 1980, California said,"Hey, cars are dirty butit's hard to measure it."If you wanna sell a car here,"it's gotta have an onboarddiagnostic system by 1988."So all the manufacturers complied.But they all had their ownstyles of plugs and systemswhich didn't really makeCalifornia too happy.Furthermore, it could onlytell you about failureafter it happened and didn'tallow for real time monitoringwhich the California AirResource Board really wantedfor their new emission testing protocol.This new monitoringsystem was called OBD-Iand it was a step in the right directionbut didn't quite meet expectations."Alright," Cali said."We'll try this again."If you wanna sell a car here in 1996,you're all gonna use a standardized system"with a standardized 16 pin connector"with a standardized pinsassigned to specific functions,"also standardized,"standardized electronic protocols,"standardized trouble codes"and standardized terminology."That last part is important."Now do it!"The new connector was called OBD-IIand has been the standard since 1996.It sounds super advancedbut the reality isthat any driver can monitortheir car's functionsin real time with anOBD-II reader light fix.So now drivers basicallyhave their own kit systemtelling them everythingthat's going on in their carsand letting them know when aproblem might be on a horizon.Naturally, this madepeople even more eagerto work on their cars, right?To find out more, Iwent to Automed Car Carewhich is right near our officeand talked to Abe.He's been a mechanic for15 years and knows a lot.- People don't work on their carsas much as they used tobefore for multiple reasons.The biggest reasons, I think,is the amount of sophistication they usein building the carsnowadays with all the sensorsand computers they have.You need expensive scannersand tools to be able to operateor even do small maintenance work.So you can't just have ascrewdriver or a wrenchand start working, takingbolts off of the cars nowadays.- As onboard monitoringsystem's got more advanced,so did the systems they were monitoring.Cars are no longer the analogcarburetted machines they werealmost 40 years ago.They can be really, really complicated.Take, for example, the new Volvo S90 T8.This is the top trim level S90and it comes with a turbochargedand supercharged engine.On top of that, the T8 is also a hybridwithin an 87 horsepowerelectric motor on board.And it's also all-wheel drive.On their own, each of these featurestakes considerable knowledge to work on,but together, it sounds like a nightmare.But Abe didn't really think so.- I love the challenge and I love to learnabout how cars evolveand the new technologythat they put in the cars nowadays.It is difficult, but onceyou get the hang of it,just like any other profession,it's a pleasure to work oncars and see how they evolve.- Annoyingly, it's this complexitythat has made cars today so good.They've never been more efficientor as safe as they are today.But is that worth not beingable to do big repairson your own?Will people even want towork on their car anymore?I'm not so sure, but Abebrought up a great pointthat I hadn't considered.- Not just cars, computers, phones,it's gonna keep on advancing in technologyand I've saw the transitionof how we also look at cars,not just the normal individualand how we find problemsand how to solve them.I look at YouTube orsearch YouTube or Google,there's a lot of forums that tell usabout weird problems and how to fix them.So I do believe people are getting backto working on their cars,just because of theavailability of the informationyou find online.- People will always find a wayto work on their busted stuff,no matter how complicated it is.And with the abundanceof information out therefor you to find, theonly limit is finding it.If you like working on your own car,then you have to check our FIXD.FIXD is a Bluetooth OBD-II readerthat connects to your smartphoneand shows you everythingthat's going on in your car.That OBD-II sensor I mentioned earlier,if your car is 1996 ornewer, then it's got one!FIXD helps you diagnose anyproblem your car might have,like a check engine light.It even reminds you to takecare of regular maintenance.I've got FIXD in my car and I love it.You can monitor everythingfrom speed to mass airflow rateand even things like engine torqueand intake manifold pressure.FIXD is car care made simpleand they have a special offerfor Wheelhouse fans.Go to FIXDAPP.COM/DONUT,enter code DONUT at checkoutfor 10% off your order.Click the link in the descriptionand get your FIXD today.It's awesome and it's aproduct that I actually like,so please use that code.We look at weird stuff inthe car world every weekso hit that subscribe buttonand maybe that littlenotification bell, too.Follow me on IGN nolanjsykes,follow Donut @DonutMedia.Wear a seatbelt, see you next time.