Why are cars so hard to understand?

Originally Answered: Why are car engines so hard to understand and repair? They are complex mechanical systems with many precision parts that all have to function within narrow limits in order to balance many conflicting needs, such as power generation vs. low pollution output, etc.

What is the most complicated part of a car?

As a vehicle is treated as a unit, the computer system by far is the most complicated part of a vehicle. The software and hardware make every system from the engine, radio, brakes, steering, lighting, all accessories, transmission to and including the valve system work as designed.

Why are cars getting harder to work on?

Cars aren’t being designed to make it hard to affect repairs. Modern engines are designed for better milage and emissions control and easier manufacture. The trend is towards smaller cars, which have a smaller engine bay and thus restricted access to the engine.

What is the most complex engine?

The stats are the stuff of legend: The Bug’s 8.0-liter, 1000-plus-hp W-16 is the most powerful and complex production engine in history. It has 64 valves, four turbochargers, and enough pavement-shredding grunt—922 lb-ft at 2200 rpm—to wrinkle God’s underwear.

Why are older cars easier to work on?

Older cars have much fewer parts than modern cars, which means there’s a lot less that can go wrong. They don’t have a million sensors and little computers. That makes our lives easier when it comes to working on an older car.

Why are today’s cars so difficult to repair?

And with 30 per cent of all faults down to electrical problems rather than old fashioned mechanical ones, it suggests the complex computerised nature of today’s engines are baffling the repairmen.

Are modern cars becoming too complicated to service?

MODERN cars are becoming so complicated even the mechanics do not know what is wrong with a car when it is brought in to be fixed, worrying new figures reveal. For more than a third of complaints about servicing and repairs from drivers is that the ‘experts’ cannot find the fault, according to a survey of 50,000 motorists.

Is Volvo adding too much complexity to the modern car?

Of course, Volvo isn’t the only automaker who’s adding complexity to the modern car. Consider, for a minute, modern infotainment systems. Oh, sure, it’s cool to have Pandora and I Heart Radio, and Stitcher, and all sorts of other new technology that no one seems to really use, but everyone wants in their car.

What is automotive complexity?

In the past, “automotive complexity” meant your car had a set of power mirrors that tilted down when you shifted into reverse, and — if you were lucky — tilted back up sometime later. But in today’s automotive universe, “complex” is taking on a whole new meaning.