More and more this past year or two, I have seen a larger number of posts that have been closed with no repair or customer could not afford repairs.

Now vehicles are being financed up to 96 months and still with very high payments. There are some out there who pay more for a vehicle than their house?

Has more technology is added to these vehicles, comes the increased probability they are going to break. Trying to diagnose more than one make requires an arsenal of equipment. Even if a shop specializes in one product line, they still need multiple testers and programmers... and lets not forget the subscription fees for repair a programming data.

I work on a large variety of older vehicles and equipment and it troubles me to hear and watch the struggles a lot of shops are going through. Even the dealer techs are struggling to work on their dedicated product lines.

Basic vehicle chassis cost... I estimate 15K, Electronics and gadgets 35K+. Trucks are much higher numbers. Why? Because vehicle are no longer utilitarian. They are status symbols and bragging rights toys.

Independent shops are closing faster than ever and even the smaller dealerships are throwing in the towel.

What I have seen transition in 40+ years of working in this industry has been impressive, but also very disturbing. CAN networks now have the ability to leave a car stranded, or derate a vehicle in 75 MPH traffic. Self driving technology and ADAS. Electronic steering, auto parking, electronic parking brake systems, hot and cold seat controls. The list goes on and on.

I am looking forward to retiring the way things are going. Soon nothing will be repairable.

Glenn A. Hunt
Consultant/Owner
Automotive Doc's
Devine, Texas, USA