They Really Are Out To Get You- How The Automakers Have Made Life Miserable For The Average Mechanic
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- čas přidán 22. 09. 2023
- Modern automotive technology has completely run amok,and the result is a generation of cars that have become truly disposable.
It didn't start that way though. Here's an overview of how it all began, where the deliberate efforts to limit serviceability started to push independent mechanics out of the picture, and what lies ahead for gearheads like us, along with a few things they never (but should have) taught you in school.
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Another thing they did around here was "cash for clunkers." What that did was eliminate almost all the easy to work on cars, leaving only specific desirable cars to survive the crusher.
A cryin shame
The worst travesty in automotive history, as far as I'm concerned.
It took a ton of vehicles directly out of the used market stream. Had to destroy all power trains, eng, trans, diffs etc. They are all now proudly displayed as recycled steel in an abandoned Olympic city.
💯 percent truth!! The whole point was to force all of the non-computerized vehicles off the road AND destroy all of the used parts availability! Curious thing is, it hurt the poorer amongst us the worst, the very people these scoundrels claim to represent! Evil madness!
In California, liquid glass went down the throat of engine. lastly the yard manager put red X on parts that couldn't be sold no matter what.
The one I hate, is the elimination of the transmission dip stick. Insane greed.
Absolutely insane greed.
Is there anyway to drill into the tranny case and install a dipstick and sleeve?
sealed Trans too
@@douglashewitt5064I think you can, yes
@@douglashewitt5064probably depends on the transmission but in theory sure
My sons girlfriend was an engineer for one of the big 3. She quit a 6 figure job because she could design things that would be accessible and last for hundreds of thousands of miles but was told to design things to make it through warranty period only! And be inaccessible to the general mechanic.
There's also a reason why it's your son's girlfriend and not your son who worked for said company and it's not just because he is or isn't and engineer. They go out of their way not to hire male engineers even less so white engineers. Talent, ability? Those play second or third fiddle to what genitals you have and what your skin color is in today's cooperate America, doubly so for STEM jobs...
Good for her!!!
I wish all automotive engineers would quit or go on strike about this issue!!!
General Motors I assume!!???
@letthereberight I don't know which one. I think my son said he either wasn't told or didn't remember.
I’m 67 years old, and live in a state where an auto over 15 years old only needs to pass a safety inspection. No emissions testing needed. I own a 1965 Chevy Nova with an inline 230 six cylinder, three on the tree. It’s my personal FU to the car industry, the parts industry, and government regulators. Being a three on the tree, that makes it an effective anti theft device for about 50 percent of the population as well. I love the car. And get more thumbs up than ire from the community.
Love it!!
Here in North Carolina, they got rid of Emissions testing. They do safety only now. If your vehicle is over 30 years old, it don't need an inspection at all.
novas are interstin cars..
@@anteneupitra When they first appeared in ‘62 there were several engine options. Four, six, and eight cylinder models ranging from coupes to sedans to hardtops to wagons and even Super Sports. Cool cars in their day.
The 50% number would be too low with just a regular standard transmission..... 3 speed on the column? Definitely less than 20% and probably less than 10% can drive one.
I worked 30 years in a bus garage. When I started we overhauled literally every single part of the bus. We rebuilt 30 amp relays, every part of the engine, brakes, radiator. nothing left our shop to be overhauled. by the time I retired 90% of the benches were empty and all the parts were scrap and replace or send back as cores.All the parts became sealed units with no way to repair or parts available.
To be fair...... An alternator that isn't working usually needs new bearings, and a voltage regulator, and maybe the pulley is worn..... So if four parts have to be replaced.... Just get a new alternator and send in the core.
And because it was rebuildable, it's life span was forever short of maybe rust or frame fatigue. But again, if maintained then back to point 1.
@@sasquatchrosefartsthe alternator you get is rebuilt from parts stores! Just rebuilt chevy alternator cost me 15 dollars, rebuilt alternator on my dump truck for 22 dollars.
@@sasquatchrosefartsan alternator failure isn’t really what he is talking about. Yes, a wasted 100,000 mile alternator NEEDS to just be changed out. But the overwhelming culmination of down-chain electrical failures related to interlinked systems is unreasonable.
sealed for life components should come with the disclaimer, for the life of the auto loan.
I’m only 25 and the cars from the 90’s and early 2000s barely even resemble cars these days. I can’t even imagine how much worse it feels growing up in your generation. You guys REALLY had the best cars for the working class. I wish we could go back.
Same here
move to Cuba
@@johncarcamo6772 Castro kept the best of USA, and sent the worst Cubans to USA. LOL..
Meh. Outside of Toyotas, Hondas, and the compact trucks which no longer exist, there weren’t any really great cars until the late 90s.
@@brianm5637 dude there’s been great cars since the model T lol
I worked in appliance repair in 1976 and the guy I was learning from tried to explain to me how the industry was moving toward planned obsolescence. The idea was to create an endless market for products that weren’t serviceable, thus allowing for more profits for established manufacturers.
wow they were way ahead of the curve. I actually use appliances as an example for where the auto industry is going
I can (barely) remember when my mothers' refrigerator was converted to 60 cycles, from 25 Hz. That thing was still working when she passed away. A neighbours' fridge needed a door seal. The part was $85. She bought a new fridge. (it was old ). I worked in electronics. I can remember about 50 different tube types stored on the wall. And an appliance guy up the street, with burners of 2 sizes, 1 type of control for all burners, a few different oven elements. I marvelled at the simplicity. Now, the digital display on my stove is getting very dim, but I will likely wait and buy a new stove...
I was shown by a body shop owner back in the 80s how cars were purposely designed to collect and hold moisture/salt/debris so that they would rust out and gave to be replaced sooner. I think Japan has killed a lot of the planned obsolescence movement as Americans started noting in the 80s that a Toyota or Honda wasn’t the complete piece of shit death trap tgat American cars were designed to be.
American nanufacturers took 25 years to catch up, but have already started going the other way in trying to profit off higher priced vehicles designed to shit the bed after the warranty expires again.
Appliances are pure overpriced junk today. I own a still working 1936 Frigidaire by GM refrigerator. Nothing built in the last 20 years will still be working every day.
@@drewthompson7457 A capacitor on the control board for the digital display is going bad... Unfortunately, the components on the control board are probably sealed inside a potting material, making sub component replacement impossible.
Tony - just to let you know, not all automotive manufacturers did things intentionally to make things harder to service. I worked as an engineer at GM Saturn in the 80's. ALL of our product development meetings included someone from both the service side, as well as UAW rep from the assembly side. We specifically worked to make things easier to service, even for a novice. I especially remember how we as engineers HATED to do auto trans fluid changes, and wondered why we just couldn't have a spin-on filter same as for the oil, as well as a drain plug, so you didn't have to do 30 bolts and drop the pan making a huge mess and requiring a pan gasket to boot. Auto writer idiots panned the motor as to having inadequate power and making too much noise. What they didn't know was that those motors were understressed on purpose, as well as having a mean time between failure of well over 500,000 miles. Yes...timing chains can be noisier than belts that have to be replaced at 60k miles, but they are bullet proof, and weren't as quiet and sewing-machine like as the Japanese motors. Same thing with the space frame construction, the same as race cars, as well as having totally rust-free polymer body panels. But once again, idiot auto "writers" panning them because of the large body panel gaps (as if that mattered) that were required to allow for expansion clearance due to temperature. I could go on and on. Rant over.
no more Saturn's😆
My bro worked for GM as a junior engineer and said the same thing. I believe he worked on interior panels for the uplander van.
I believe that
Imagine buying a GM today... I'd literally sooner buy a Chinese car.
Back in the 1990's, I really appreciated GM products. Generally, there was good clearance around whatever you needed to service. The non-Saturn products had fat bolts on the transmission pans, where bolt heads on Ford and Chrysler products would snap off. Except for changing something simple, like an air-filter, Toyota's were a complete nightmare.
Tony as a retired new car dealer, this was always the manufacture plan. Don’t forget “special tools” we had to buy from the car maker. This made it even harder to work on a car without these tools.
I remember when this was done even on the Allen plug for the Renault 4 oil sump. Of course all us car Diyers ground down something to fit, but it left a sour taste.
Like the Cadillacs.
Oh fk specialty tools .
I’m an independent Harley mechanic and there are specialty electrical diagnostic tools (breakout boxes) that make an electrical diagnosis much quicker and easier. The Harley manuals even give you the breakout box part numbers but then the dealers won’t sell those tools to anyone because they don’t want the average person to be able to fix their own bikes. Gone are the days of simplicity.
I have been telling buddys to keep these older cars around. iam a master mechanic of 35 years. run my own shop late model parts are horrible and hard to get. And now with the layoffs hard to get factory parts. you better know how to keep this old stuff going or your walking
"Things are weird now and they're going to get weirder." This man does not lie! This is the first one of his videos I've seen, and he is 100% correct on both the mechanical front and how we're getting screwed by the corporate/global government.
But how things come out on the other side, he is DEAD WRONG.
@@trickyrick8621 just read ur immoral evil leaders that worship money, the end goal is most people gone and robots and brave new world and gataca as the future
@@trickyrick8621it depends on how you are now and what you expect ..yes some won’t like it but most will be fine after it’s all done
It will get way worse when EVs become more common, those cars are literally unrepairable and are junk instantly.
Love his videos as well. As a collapse theorist (and practicing Survivalist), he's right: We are collapsing, heading towards a brick wall at 1000 miles an hour. However, on the other side of the die-off, we'll probably go back to the future: The 1870's future.
Already operating in the mode Uncle Tony describes: I have two pickups, a 1995 Nissan, and a 1990 Dodge Cummins Diesel. I know every nut and bolt of these vehicles, and don't plan on buying anything newer.
As a mechanic of 34 years I completely agree. We have been getting screwed for years with cars e.g. no drain plugs on trans and diffs, fuel tanks scaring you , no access, special tools, restricted technical data I could go on and on. The technology is over complicated and less reliable now. In addition mechanics have poor pay, poor benefits, poor conditions and have to buy expensive tools, that's why there's a shortage of good mechanics.
When I was locksmithing about 7 years ago our boss had to pay for a service so we could call in the vin on a car so they could give us a password to be able to talk to the car via a plug in diagnostics tool just to be able to program a new fob to a vehicle. It was absolutely insane. Oh and if the customers car battery was at 11.5 to 11.9 volts the computer wouldn’t let the new fob be programmed. It was always fun telling the customer that we couldn’t program their fob because their car battery was too low. At the end of it the customer would be out anywhere between $200 - $400. The older vehicles all you had to do was hit and hold buttons in the vehicle to program a new fob or jam a paper clip in the obd and be good to go and it only cost you like $20 - $40. They have definitely screwed us over in every way, Tony is spot on!
Seems pointless til you buy a mid-2010s KIA and your car thief can easily program a new fob for himself
Auto makers have made it crystal clear, they don't want us working on our own cars, mechanics or otherwise. They want you to just buy a new car once yours is broken. Or take it to them so they can charge you a premium to "fix" it.
I think the end goal is for people to just lease a new car every 5 years. I know people who do that and it's nuts the money they spend. Monthly lease payments forever and ever, increasing every 5 years without end.
I wonder if we could realisticly afford something like that?
@@soliniv1411 We can't, especially if that new car is not locally produced.
@@Bloodbain88The end goal is for you not to drive anywhere
Its not the automakers its the European auto alliance thinking its a top notch idea to deliver all these top down approach for every country who needs to achieve netzero. Though netzero is a sales pitch. The issue were facing is not pollution from our scantly dense compared to bigger populations carbon footprint. The ICE vehicles we have now are at the most carbon and pollution free vehicles but they as in EV European lobbyists brainwashing our legislators with "safe sales pitches" while our countrymen will never hear the likes of being able to teach their kids about automotive unless they risk killing they offspring or going bankrupt changing a part. This is what the Europeans wanted though. To have a logistics plan to completely defunc Ford and GM from the US to Australia auto market. Not because its going to scale global emissions but because its going to give more certaintly that the consumers will collectively be dumbed out of choice to never want to work on a car again. Look at these listless social media entrepreneurs all flashing the same electric cars yet the reality of that is any normal person buys one of them realizes the only saving money if something breaks out of warranty or it burns your house down at least the energy you saved in oil an gas can offset the savings you made right? Or the who infrastructure shortfalls of EV charging stations an having all these roman candles all in working ordee hopefully not just in the affluent rich suburbs. Its a nice idea on paper giving these people so much control but ultimately its at the consumers detriment and expense. It means nothing for global netzero emissions esp if the foundation we working with here is so that instead of securing a diverse energy future its basically push all our coal gas an oil to be exported for other countries by destroying our economies an minimizing the publics equity etc. The parts industry for sure are a nail in the coffin what do you ecpect when we let Europeans manage our countries though
Something you reminded me of that happened to me several years ago. I hurt the engine in my truck, and I was across town at a friends house. He had a coworker of his over that day that I was there. Those two worked at the Mercedes dealer in town; the coworker being a service tech. I proceeded to remove the engine from my truck in his driveway with hand tools. This tech, was completely blown away that I was able to take the engine out of a vehicle, fix it, and put it back in using just hand tools (and a hoist) in a driveway over a weekend. He had never seen or heard of such a thing because it's not possible on newer cars.
That doesn't make any sense. He must have been inexperienced, a lube Tech or a liar. Dealers pull engines and transmissions with hand tools everyday.
@@2DclanSnipingTeam some people these days are THAT oblivious of how things used to be. it's truly sad. tough times are coming.
@@2DclanSnipingTeam Pull it and fix yourself or let the dealer rape you hard for that service should be a point that you should have made after that statement and without the first part.
You kidding? You damn near HAVE to remove the engine, just to get to anything that needs changing/replacing.
@@painkillerjones6232do they take the engine out of the top with the car on the ground, using just an engine hoist?
I thought new vehicles had the engines removed out of the bottom with the subframe and everything attached?
I had an Explorer years ago that would kill the cruise control every time you turned on the headlights. Turned out to be a tail light bulb where the brake filament fell to the tail lamp filament, so when you turned on the headlights the cruise module would think you were stepping on the brakes. That was a head scratcher for a little bit
Reminds me of a guy that had a 1970s ford with the ignition box on the fender. He couldn't ever figure out why it would randomly die it was only about 10 years old or less. After changing numerous ignition peices they realized that whenever he was driving beside a big rig with a powerful CB it was enough that when they would tone in on the mic near him that it would interfere with the ignition box and cause it to shut off. Really bizarre but true😂
@ReidHenderson Someone fooled w/ the electrical system or it had another owner induced issue. That was the 70s. No vehicles were great then anyhow. Ford was better than 90% of em then ..& now!
At least you don't have a newer Camry that burns 1qt of oil every 1000mis! It's maddening. Total garbage.
@@Davido50
A lot of cars use low tension piston rings and burn oil. Not just Toyota.
Before I hear you out Tony my thoughts were the first deliberate attempt to fowl up home maintenance guys was GM’s introduction of the Vega. None replaceable air filters and none rebuildable engines. To me that was the first mass introduction of malware.
Planned Obsolescence - You can thank Edward Bernays who came up with this practice and sold it to the big 3 auto makers. This business model is now the standard among most major manufacturers of virtually any type of appliance or machinery.
And people are still gonna buy them junks. We consumers are incentivizing it sadly whether intentionally or not. And the government don'r care too so good luck to all of tou folks there in US
Totally agree I have worked at the same Ford Dealer for 33 years and I say it everyday, they have a team of engineers finding ways to make these cars beyond hard to service. From simple oil changes to overhauling engines or transmissions. This profession has become a joke and I don’t advise anyone getting into this field.
Really when you think about it,today's ceos and auto stock portfolio is becoming more like a bunch of thugs that have a short life and nothing to offer in brains.
IF we quit buying their crap they'd change their ways or go out of business. Which is exactly what they deserve.
Hey loses go electric end of problem 😅
Engineers are the worst these days - not all of them but when you make a structurally sound product with a tiny plastic part or specific tooling that keeps it from working correctly drives me nuts as a mechanic - I’ve had to tool and shave down points of contact to make parts fit or salvage a bike - rebuilding the bearings without a full disassembly so the bb cups don’t snap from rust - it’s annoying when a customer brings a basic repair and I tel them you need to buy a new bike there’s no fixing it
preach it brother . turned 60 recently been in the profession tooooo long . some of the bs you have to do to repair the simplist problem bogged down by the whos paying inigma our dealership seams to struggle with getting that info up front. if it was my bussiness id wanna know how this project is getting funded. oem parts with a 300% mark up and now you wait weeks to even get the part.. hows your productivity?
This all started when Gi;lette said "Give away the razor and sell the blades."
And it is happening in all industries: Apple and John Deere both recently lost cases prohibiting the right to repair.
Also printer ink cartridges.
@@iamthemossEpson Eco tank has solved this problem. Check them out
Light bulbs too. #plannedobsolescence Strength! GODspeed!
Yeah. I wanna rebuild my own light bulbs
@@gmw3083 Damn right, I used to be able to buy a case of filaments that would last me for years.😁
I worked at a shop in high school, the one that I always remember was when a Lumina Z34 rolled in and my boss chuckling and saying, "hope it doesn't need an alternator."
It did. and I learned about what you are talking about.
Exactly correct. Did 2 of those things. My boss's wife had an Old's with that same engine. Alternator went. No fun!!
.
You should do a show with Louis Rossman who covers similar issues with computer equipment. No need for too much depth into either world, but just to widen the horizon and show people this is not an isolated problem. It’s intentional, and needs to be fixed. Into the future we need more long lasting products that can be maintained and repaired by the owner.
The same thing happened to hearing aids and other electronic devices. I repaired them for 25 years and watched them get more expensive and less repairable. (1990 to 2015)
I am one of your customers. I simply cant afford them, but need them.
same thing happened to cameras, it got to the point we had to send the camera to manufacturer for repair. and it took like 6 months to get t back.
I'm a little conflicted about this whole topic. I mean, yes, many things are less serviceable but aren't they also more advanced?
Same thing is happening to computers which I fix for a living. Parts that are coded by the manufacturer for instance. Stupid amounts of glue when little screws would do. Now we have systems-on-chip which is the end basically.
@@blissfuljoy6049They don’t have to be less serviceable to be more advanced.
Apple, for example, puts it in their contracts with their part suppliers that they aren’t allowed to sell OEM parts to anyone but Apple. (Third party repair shops can’t buy replacements easily) They intentionally make things hard to repair, and that’s just one example.
My father had an auto repair shop for 40 years, from 1946 to 1986. He got out of the business when he saw this trend escalating. He retired and worked part time outside of the auto repair field. He had no regrets getting away from the business as he saw things continue to get worse.
the golden age of mechanics...everything is absolute ass to work on now
you make it sound like he wasn't going to retire anyways...that's 40 years
He should have stayed in the industry and fought this sh8t show and not ran away with his tail betwen his l egs. Things would have been quite different if people did this in the past!
My grandfather did the same thing.
@@JeriDroyou sound ignorant saying that, like you missed the message
I am a 46 year old woman who knows nothing about cars and yet it suggested one of your videos to me, and this is the 2nd one I have watched. Love hearing the truth and I wish I had even a sliver of your skills and knowledge. I did not use my life and time wisely for what is coming....
You've taken the first and most important step by becoming aware. Now learn as much as you can and try to find like minded people in your social circle...or create one if need be.
Be confident, avoid the fear mongering and don't question that inner voice when it tells you something ain't right.
Odds are, you'll do just fine. Good luck to you.
@@UncleTonysGarage Thank you so much for responding to my comment (totally unexpected). I appreciate that advice and it honestly makes me feel better. 🙏
I bought a 1978 Chevy truck 2 years ago, because I wanted a simple replacement for worn out parts.
Well it’s not simple when you can’t get parts for a rear full floating axle brake kit. My fix was to go Aftermarket and replace the drums with disc kit. Works great now.
These are the kind of choices we will have to make and we all might start looking like Mad Max.
See you in Thunder Dome!
The last big truck (Peterbilt) had something like $17,000 worth of emissions equipment on it. The salesmen told me that the dealers loved it. He said "In the old days we had to up sell a $170.00 stereo and now you're forced to take a $17,000 up sell by EPA".
We hated it at the manufacturers. A bunch of garbage to package on the frames (while trying to keep it out of the way of the up-fitters), even more extra coolers, even more wiring and plumbing, FAR more warranty, way more weight, lower fuel economy, etc. It's all a nightmare scenario of basically doing everything wrong to your product that you possibly could. I don't think we harvested much in the way of money out of it either. Like you said, it has to go on _all_ of the trucks, and believe me, there is no cartel or friendship in the heavy truck game. If someone else could cut the price of their EPA garbage versus your Pete, they would have. Especially when you're talking about fleet sales... If brand X was $100/truck cheaper than brand Y, that would be a huge competitive advantage. Nobody was getting rich off of it. In fact, we were sweating it pretty hard.
Maybe the actual salesmen like it because they're on a percentage commission so any cost increase to the truck was good news for them?
Go
Goobermint 🥵😩💯🤷🏿♂️
All pushed by the democrat MARXIST party and there ilk for CONTROL!@@TheBrokenLife
bastards
What a racket. I work for Volkswagen and when customers come in with fully deleted and tuned diesels I get excited
Not too many people realize or will admit that there's a corporate US and a constitutional/common law US. You are spot on and correct. 👍
Yep, one wants to hurt and enslave people (u.s.), the other one is just the earth (usa)
I want to know more.
Two national governments exist, one to be maintained under the constitution with all its restrictions. The other to maintained by congress outside and independently of that instrument. Justice Marshall Harlan
Look up judge Anna vaughn
@@roberthamilton1152the United States of America went bankrupt in the 1870s.
Since the English bailout our country is a COMPANY and your birth certificate is collateral on loans to the company.
Go to court. Notice how much it resembles the deck on a ship?
Maritime Law
My brother was dropping a tank on a car to replace the fuel pump, and the gas shot out like a fire hose he said, burnt the shop to the ground, he had 3'rd degree burns on his right arm, but the gas hit the drop light, the bulb exploded, and ignited the gas. Hats off to you guys, he had said for years they are intentionally screwing the 'shade tree mechanics', I believe it.
Last of the Old School Master car genius.Tony, is remarkable. God bless you.
An old timer in manufacturing explained to me long ago that during the onset of the industrial revolution, most machinery was made "in the old country". There were no parts for it. What you did get with the machine was a set of blueprints & specifications. When something broke or wore out, you made the part as you had in your possession all the information to do so.
It also reminds me of naval ships, they had on board stock of common parts, i.e. steel stock, pipe, fittings, dresser couplings, etc., you had a machine shop on board. If you didn't have what was needed, you made it. It may not be perfect but it got you back under way one way or another.
If that's what we're headed back to it's fine with me.
But it's not where we're headed. They don't teach that sort of stuff anymore, since a long time now. It would be great, but finding someone young and willing to do that... Even me, I fully realize what's happening, but I clearly know I can't do stuff like that. I can get by with tools and repair stuff the best I can, that's about it
@@adamdion7574 There are machine shops open all over the place. I'm no machinist by any means, but I can cobble enough together to have a professional finish it up if I have to. You probably have more resources available than you think you do. I'd bet if you went to a car show and asked around you'd find a half dozen guys with at least a lathe.
With a mill and lathe ,oxy/accet & welder even a novice can make just about any thing . @@adamdion7574
I have a 12x36 “gunsmith “ lathe and a full sized milling machine in my 20x20 garage 😎
Who is they? And why do you need them? I don't need anything from "them" . I am a Man and have a brain that thinks without being told what to think, or how to think. And yes, we will eventually end up back to what was as this current system is designed to implode.
Enjoy your conversations. As a mechanic in a shop since 1984 couldn't agree more. Still a old school car guy, love old AMC Jeep products. In 1990 started in the Heavy Duty Diesel truck and equipment field. What's going on with cars is also going on in Heavy Duty field. I laugh at how much plastic, computers, and finicky everything is.
The old straight forward all steel, non computer equipment was so robust and non stop able! Keep fluids in them and keep going. Now everytime I turn around a big new piece of new equipment is shut down over computers, sensors, emmisons etc.
Sad day America can't even continue a day of building in construction without shut downs over sensors, computer updates etc. Telling crew can't work today till dealer comes out with laptop and diagnostic equipment. We are not building things better! Bottom line is throw away world and being controlled.
Letting women make laws results in impractical environmental restrictions
That why the only vehicles I own living in Comiefornia are all smog exempt, 3 Cummins 6bt trucks, and a 58 ranchero 406 FE 2x4, 4sp!! All smog exempt. This state sure hates them.
What's funny is that people don't understand that all this is happening as a result of capitalism and it's many intrinsic conflicts. Welcome to the future of capitalism. America, land of the fee, home of the slave.
The irony is that the pretext for these overcomplicated, throw-away vehicles (along with other throw-away goods like dishwashers, etc), is to "save the environment ".
So true.
When the $5 circuit board cost $ 1,000 to be replaced, and the shop need $ 10,000 in computers to do the repair !
CAR VS COMPUTERS WITH WHEELS !
Only thing I got out of this video was:
Thanks. Good to know someone with a following knows what I know, and is helping educate others on it.
I noticed it starting with non greaseable steering and suspension components. I remember asking my dad why.
Non greaseable works if designed correctly. My parents have a 2001 Toyota Camry with over 300K miles. Zero grease fitting, zero play in any of the suspension components. Back in the day, one could grease all suspension components at every oil change and still have a suspension that was totally shot at 120K miles. I do still buy greaseable u-joints for my older junk and grease them at every oil change. Kind of a pain but it keeps me busy and out of trouble.
When I first saw non greaseable fittings, I thought, well oil changes and lubes are easier, but, the customer will be paying for suspension parts instead, one day.
My 65 Ford had non-greasable tie rods. They advertised at the time that the components had a lifetime lubricant that did not need greasing. After 45 years they were worn out but they did make it that long. Car was a Falcon so it was considered disposable even then.
As an independent shop worker, my gripe is "special tools". Need a special socket for this and a special tool for that doodad. Never ending spending spree.
Yes your so right on the specialty tools ,ughh I hate that ..
Agreed, so many engines from different manufacturers need their own set of timing locking tools for example
Yep , allen key, torx , tamperproof torx, double hex, double square, double triangle, keeping mechanics poor and the mobile spanner man wealthier
Also gm lt1 distributor cap socket, Cadillac water pump socket, Ford spindle hub sockets, and don't get me started on the euro special socket scene 😳
I was gonna help my neighbor chsnge the spark plugs on his 2017 Silverado but i wasn't about to buy that spark plug remover.
Thank you Tony. I felt like you and I were having a chat. No screaming or yelling.
What a pleasant surprise with this content. First time viewing your channel...I'll be back for more. A guy that works on cars with a heck of a good head on his shoulders . You have a new fan. Thank you.
You speak the truth Tony. Back in the day we bought and fixed everything with the money we earned and saved for the next thing we needed. Now the world is strung out on credit for things we want but don’t need. The manufacturers build everything so we can’t fix them. The whole thing’s a train heading for a cliff. Not a matter of if but when.
In the end, the regular people with the knowledge and “know how” will be the most valuable people in the world.
But they will all be dead by then. Then you have all these weak men not understanding lefty loosy, righty tighty, screaming what does Google say???
And a target at the same time. Look at those peeps who found a way to run engines on a bunch of alternative fuels. Where are they now?
@@adamdion7574 yep.. very true!
Yep... deleted by some form of government entity!! Aka a lowly foot solider that works for them
Once the regular people stop keeping this world turning, the shi is going to hit the fan.
Here in Florida it is easy to do, no state inspections. I bought a 2004 Ford F150 with a blown engine. I put new motor mounts, an old 302, mechanical fuel pump, new fuel tank and lines. It is now my daily driver. I’m also working on an old 1953 Dodge army truck. No computers or EFI for me.
Florida here too !! Same brother . Got my 71 Grand Prix and lmfao overhead cam ranger that got plucked and sbc swapped . All mechanical. When they shut down vehicles with whatever crazy magnetic BS . It will be guys like us rebuilding and teaching how america was really suppose to be
That's the way.
That is one single election away from changing entirely. Florida is NOT a "free state" by ANY stretch of the imagination. The difference in Florida is those who own the government here are not quite in the same club as those who are part of the DC/London/Brussels Empire....but they engage in the EXACT same behaviors. Eventually they'll die off, get bought out, or simply decide the headache isn't worth it and capitulate, then we will get the rest of the oppression here too.
My 86 Camaro needed a fuel pump. I have the factory service manuals, and the procedure included dropping the entire rear end to remove the fuel tank. Instead of following that procedure, i cut a hole over the tank to access the top of the tank, cut the steel fuel lines, removed the assembly, changed the pump, put it back together, used neoprene fuel hose and clamps to hook the lines back together. Created a fiberglass cover and attached it using nut-serts and bolts. Later i did the same thing to my 2002 Yukon. I expect that with the convenient hatch, the pump will never fail again.🙂
your observations are very insightful
I know a mechanic (a good mechanic) who was changing an in tank pump….. he accidentally set the car (and his garage) on fire
Something I’ve noticed multiple times recently is that unless they can plug a modern computer into it for diagnostics they won’t work on it. Had this happen recently with a vehicle from 2002 and 1976. Modern techs are not given the skills to properly diagnose without the use of a computer or scan tool. That blows my mind!
So true! I had a 1998 GMC Safari van that had a broken vacuum hose to the cab heater. They kept my van for three days and never called me. When I went to check why the repair delay, the mechanic said it had no place to plug in a scan tool to find what was wrong so he said he hated my van and didn’t want to work on it, ( I had told him what the problem was when I brought it in). I asked for my keys back, went to another garage down the street known to work on my type and age of vehicle. Within two hours my vehicle was fixed and after three years is still working perfectly.
Air -gas-spark......look at me I'm a mechanic!
Experience has taught that guy he wants the easy work. He knows how bad a job can snowball digging around looking for problems. He wants the
plug-N-pay work.
Dumbed down MF's. Exactly what "Smart" phones have done to people. "Smart" anything, really.
They also want to pay the least for labor, exasperating the problem! They want advanced diag on a lube tech pay.
@@lannyhoward9208Either is wasn’t a 1998 or someone is lying because EVERY VEHICLE from 1996 up has a DLC (the place to plug in a scanner)
I’m 27 and been working as a tech at a toyota dealer now for about 6 years. I’m used to all the stuff you talked about and it’s “normal” for me and is “normal” for all the people who don’t know any better. I agree, we should go back to the old days. There’s a reason both my vehicles are early 2000’s vehicles because they are extremely easy to work on compared to these new 2023 vehicles coming out.
Yes, even Toyota and Honda, which are probably the best have way to much gadgetry now. Recently rented a new Corolla. It was actually very luxurious for an entry-level car. But the electronics were mind spinning. I can see why any new car that becomes flooded, it is instantly written off.
One thing that made me realize that was the tap to my radiator core. Wanted to buy a new one because old one was leaking (1961 plymouth) couldn't Dinsmore anything decent. Then found out I could just wrench it open..put 2 new o-rubbers in there and been fine for the last 4 years. I'm 29 was also a shock for me how easy it could be
I constantly tell my wife I don't want a vehicle newer than 2010
Post 9/11 to pre-Great Recession. That's the sweet spot. I'd go back to '96-ish for imports. Now stop telling people. I want more NOHC Buick V6s
@@lukek1949I have a 2016 Corolla and it's a great car. My 2004 Toyota tundra is also a great truck with the 2uz 4.7 V8. If it needs a starter I have to remove the entire intake and injector rail. An $800 job at the shop, for a starter. The timing belt and water pump was $1000 but that's every 100,000 miles. Hopefully I won't be having to change that starter anytime soon.
Further, some manufactures require special tools to instal parts, and these tools are only available to dealer workshops.
My mother's Ford Mondeo was taken to an independent shop to have the transmission replaced.
The rear main oil seal showed signs of leaking.
Got the car back, and it was pissing engine oil after 100km, (60 miles), of use.
Sent it back to the shop, and the poor bastards had to do the major strip-down, but called to say they couldn't obtain the installation tool from Ford.
Fortunately, they spoke with an engine reconditioner, and found a work-around.
Car is back, not leaking.
So they did the entire job again, but stood by their work - no charge.
Poor bastards.
Excellent service.
I remember when that garage blew up. My late mother used to go there for service once in a while. It was a terrible tragedy. Always be extremely careful around gasoline.
My dad worked from sun up to sun down from his garage for over thirty years. Than came the "modern" fuel injection and front wheel drive. Customers did not want to compensate him for the cost of replacement parts that could not be rebuilt and his labor to install theses parts. He retired and enjoyed a long and happy retirement, no more drama to put up with.
I drive a 1974 LTD. Greasable everything, a big 9" rear end with bearings and seals that maybe cost $20. Rear wheel drive is the way to go. Hand and leg room for days, everywhere. Even under the hood.
We have seen what John Deer and International Harvester have done to farmers
The right to repair act with the John Deere stuff has been overturned recently. They lost in court. But even at that I get why they did it. Protects themselves. Any idiot could “fix” or “tune” a tractor and bugger it up, remove it and go blame Deere for it and they foot the bill for some idiots hack work. Im a farmer myself and it sucked for sure but I get there side if it. Good to see it’s over turned now tho.
We run strictly all Deere stuff too. And currently having computer issues on a 8320r and the transmission module. Private mechanic having hard time fixing it but is what it is. Bloody tractor has 38 computer modules on it. People think cars are complicated electronic wise ? Lmao.
Not international harvester but case ih and Navistar. International harvester has been gone since 1987.
@DanWoelders-fd5zd you're not a farmer. They're the farmers and you're the crop.
@@DanWoelders-fd5zdyou think they would have any qualms about telling someone who screwed up to kick rocks? They don’t even pay for their own fuckups
Mate, I've always loved your channel, and I suspected you knew all of the stuff you've mentioned. I'm very glad you've confirmed it all. This should be common knowledge.
Absolutely brilliant! Thankyou.
Thank you for the rant, Tony. It’s refreshing to find others who are aware of the situation. I’ve been a fan for a few years now.
This is one of your best videos Tony, and I agree 100% that people need to do their research.
Back some years ago I stopped by a family operated garage where I live that's been on business for 35 years now, and one of the brothers was replacing the spark plugs in a car that he had been working on for like 3 hours, and in order to replace a couple of the back plugs he had to actually jack up the engine in order to get to them, and I remember saying something like "the people that design this stuff don't think about the poor mechanic that has to work on it", and he said no, they were thinking of me specifically when they designed this because they want to put people like me out of business.
I've learned things over the last few years thru my own research that have opened my eyes to so much.
I've said it a million times, it has never been more apparent that the people have lost control of their government.
A lot of the reasons why are obvious, but a lot of the reasons aren't, and that's why it's so important to do your research.
It was never intended for the people to fear their own government, but for the government to have a healthy fear of the people, but that horse left the barn a long time ago and I'll leave it at that.
OH , They ARE Thinking about You !!! And ME & Anybody else that has the Ability to FIX vehicles !!! I'm NOT a mechanic , however , I am pretty good at diagnosing my problems with automobiles & decent at doing the work myself !! However my ability ENDS with cars built IN 2000 !!!! The computers & computerized systems in the MODERN car have made it IMPOSSIBLE for any SHADETREE mechanic to do ANYTHING !!! LUCKILY for me , I drive a 1990 Chevy truck with a 350 CID engine , which I am still able to do some work on !!! AS an example : I had some problems with the Antilock brake system & was able to remove it !!!!!! WONDERFUL - - - - - THEY have FIGURED OUT how to FORCE consumers to return to the DEALERS for ANY work with their PROPRIETARY KNOWLEDGE of their systems ........
We all need to ride horses again. Fuck it. Go horseback!!! See how auto's like that! But than again. They already have rules for horses in cities. 😂.
Short answer… we the people became complacent and failed to hold our government accountable when we had the chance. Now it’s grown too large and is too entrenched to be reformed peacefully. And nobody wants to do the unthinkable until they’re pushed to their absolute breaking point. And when that eventually happens, things will get VERY ugly.
AMEN, Uncle Tony! I redid my 89 Firebird as a computerless road monster because I could and I wanted to! Since I tore out the EFI and put in a carb, I cut a door above the tank to get at the pump AND put in a drain on the bottom of the tank. BITE ME, designers!
I said, more or less, this in another comment, but I'll repeat it here: The average public gives _way_ to much credit to "the designers". It's not the designers that cost reduced your car into not having a a fuel pump access door or who set US global politics during the 1970s that made gasoline theft extremely common (thus eliminating drain plugs forever and making anti-siphon features the norm).
I'll also add that the lack of fuel pump access doors is almost _always_ on American cars. Import cars of the era nearly always had them.
@@TheBrokenLife , well said and yes, I was being lazy in shaking my fist at the "designers". I am reminded of the old joke that it all began when an engineer caught his wife in bed with a mechanic and ever since, retribution.
I will add that I have come to loathe new cars and motorcycles. Not only are they overly complicated (for an old wrench monkey like me) but lack the style and soul of the older vehicles. Yes, I hear my grandfather now saying the same of the machines I enjoy. Such is life, I suppose, but I honestly doubt that in 20-30 years many of ANY new cars of today will be kicking around.
@@morgangallowglass8668 No engineer would actually be mad about that. He simply had a defective wife and will remove her. Most engineers I've known don't recommend replacement in this circumstance. 😆
I can find something to like about just about any car and plenty of mine have had a little too much "soul". Most days just having an appliance to go A-to-B is good enough. That said, I've been hearing the doom and gloom on the horizon about future classics for decades. The truth is that there will always be examples of the car grandma never drove that suddenly emerge on the market (my daily driver being one of them... it's 28 years old and has MPFI, SRS, all of that jazz, and it's still going) as well as the stuff that was limited, desirable, or highly relatable in its time. In 1990 I would have _never_ predicted the rise of *serious* Honda collecting, but it's here. My Dad never thought the day would come that the tri-5 Chevys they were abandoning in the woods would be worth anything either. As you said, such is life. What is new and mundane to us will some day be cool and nostalgic to someone else and they'll do whatever they must to keep it going. I'd bet money there will be Tesla collectors for decades to come. How much of the cars will be original by then will be a question, but that's always been true in the hobby car world.
In other words, as things get worse and worse, the cars we take for granted now will seem special and better. Like the square body trucks, they used to just be "trucks" that I saw everywhere, but now they have a mystique that people love. I can see the GMT 800 trucks in that position in 20 years, many people say they are the best trucks ever made. But right now they are just twenty year old trucks. (Like my '57 Suburban was just an old truck when I bought it in '81, or my '69 pickup was just an old truck when I bought it in '92.
But one big difference is the computer. Will we be able to get a computer for a 2003 Suburban, in the year 2053?
@@chriswhite2151 I can get a computer that I can run an '80s feedback carburetor with in 2023 (not that I would), so... probably.
I really appreciate your honesty and down to earth videos. All the Best to you and your shop😊
I remember replacing the fuel pump on a 78 Impala I had in college. It was the driver side of engine and only a couple of bolts to remove and replace.
Yeah, I had a 68 Mustang with a 6 cylinder and I replaced the starter motor from the top!
Sure a 8 cylinder you'd come from below but it's still just bolts and electrical connections.
Most of the problems back then came from squeezing big motors into small spaces and you had to accept that compromise which had reasons for it you could readily understand for example, vans are harder to work on as a function of their design ...the problem was space, that alone, not some other agenda...
That said they used to make vans/delivery trucks with long noses...
Funny thing is I cut myself an access panel in the bed of my 00 Chevy Silverado to replace the fuel pump rather than dropping the tank, cut it on 3 sides and folded it up, replaced the pump folded it back down and fastened it back with truss head screws. It worked like a champ, such an easy solution the engineers should have built an access panel into the bed.
I unbolted the bed. Had 4 people to lift it off.
Lol, I did the same on my Cadillac CTS...by the book says u have to lower the (dual) exhaust from the headers back, so u can then disconnect the driveshaft in order to lower the whole rear subframe assembly rear diff. & all just to get to a few bolts that are otherwise inaccessible in order to lower the tank🤦♂️
The freaking thing was still running fine too; it had just developed a small leak @ the very top where the lines connect to tha pump I couldn't figure out for the longest why my garage always smelled like gas fumes after driving this car...It wasn't until I really got down underneath it one day & looked @ it closely that I found where gas had been leaking down the side of the tank and I checked a few GM forums & read where it was a fairly common issue for this model...
@@riders.oregon4474most of us dont have 4 people to help. Last fuel pump i had to change was in a truck stop parking lot 150 miles from home fortunatelyi had a flatbed, and there was enoughroom to get the pump out withoutdropping the tank..
As a tech training with Ford I can tell you the electronics and the pricing of these new vehicles is WAY out of hand. You can't even replace a battery in a new Ford yourself. They have a battery monitor sensor that requires to be reset by having a laptop plugged in with Fords software. People look at me funny when I tell them I'm rebuilding a 25 year truck to drive everyday. I like being able to save money on being able to maintain my own vehicle, after all that's what led me down the path of mechanic work. Really a shame what things have come to.
I trained as a mechanic from '89 for much the same reason plus I enjoyed the hands-on work and just fixing things. Then I went into mechanical engineering design. But the only thing my vehicles have ever gone into a shop for is those jobs where I simply don't have the equipment or it's not worth my time. It was the best decision I ever made - vehicles are the second most expensive thing most people will ever own - it's madness not to mitigate that cost by doing maintenance yourself. I honestly pity people that can't maintain their vehicles themselves - it costs a small fortune to pay someone else to do it!
I'm driving a mid-nineties car that I've had for 15 years and I really don't want anything newer - there's nothing that newer vehicles have that I want enough to put up with the headaches that come with it.
@@TonyRuleMy 2017 Honda was sold as the simplest car in many ways and I do all the work on it but just because a wheel turns when the ignition is on, and I am rolling the car by hand, the computer throws a permanent error for wheelspeed sensors and I have to pay 150 or more dollars to the dealer to reset it taking 5 minutes. Similar with airbag seat calibration when changing one of the seats. And then the car stereo has no media playback (no CD, no cassette) and is nearly impossible to upgrade. Yes its been frustrating but some things have been advanced and worked well.
Its scummy and evidence government cares zero for us because these cars and trucks should make servicing the battery easy not impossible
I’m with you on just buying and rebuilding an older vehicle, seriously considering a 7.3 idi truck myself.
I’m also a Ford Tech. Right now I’m trying to inspect the camshafts on a 2023 Aviator. Getting the valve covers off is a nightmare.
This is why I still have a 1978 F250
One of my favorite videos I've ever watched. Found a new home in this channel.
I was seeing this starting to happen a couple decades ago myself. At one time I owned a 1984 S10 Blazer that had a 5 speed manual that used a hydraulic clutch. The slave cylinder for the clutch release was bolted to the outside of the bell housing on the drivers side, accessible for repair or replacement with the air bleeding procedure outlined in the Haynes manual. Years later, I had a 1998 Chevy K1500 truck, also with a 5 speed and hydraulic clutch. The slave cylinder went out on it and I found out that now it is mounted within the bell housing. Of course when it fails, it leaks, it leaks fluid on the clutch disk. So now, its a total clutch job to the tune of $1200 (prices then). Again, NO reason for GM to redesign this system unless it was to promote more customer pay jobs for repair centers. This was back in 2000 or so, so yes, this has been brewing for quite a while now.
I have a 2004 saturn vue with the GM 4 cylinder and 5 speed manual. It's been sitting in my driveway for a long time because the slave cylinder went out, and just like you described, it's inside the bell housing and has doused the clutch in fluid. It's such a pain in the ass to fix for such a cheap car I haven't even considered doing it yet. I also have a 4 cylinder 5 speed manual 1993 mazda b2600i (the last year they were made in Japan), and when the slave cylinder went out on that it was a 15-20 minute job to fix since it is mounted outside the bell housing, easily accessible. Sometimes the future just sucks.
That’s just an example of more labor needed. Not the same as dealing with proprietary systems. Not even close to the same thing.
@@seanneal552 the whole point of this video was how manufacturers/engineers make things harder on purpose to the detriment of the professional/DIY mechanics later on. I would say replacing a critical single small part in 15 minutes on an older car is a lot different than having to drop the entire sub-frame and engine/transmission to replace the exact same part on a more modern car. Also the design of the inside bell housing slave cylinder inherently means it will roast your clutch as soon as it starts leaking.
IKR, it takes like 20 minutes to pull a tranny by hand out of a Japanese car..🙄
This is becoming true with heavy construction equipment too. Mechanics need access to the manufacturer’s database to reset engine trouble codes that the average mechanic does not have access to.
I work on boom lifts all the time as a commercial painter and several times in the last few years I've either been stuck up in the air against a building or in a bad spot and had to be rescued by another lift because some safety code had been tripped and it will not allow you to lower it or even be operated from the ground control. The technician comes out and spends half a day working and pushing buttons and making phone calls just to reset it.
young engineers trying to make a name for themselves, most annoying species on the planet
We had a heck of a time finding a mechanic that could/would work on the carburetor in our 1980 Ford F100.
My 84 dodge rampage was almost stolen 3 times. Couldn't start it. Apparently I'm one of the few who know how to set a manual choke. 😜🤣
the OG is 100% right! PROTECT THIS MAN AT ALL COSTS!
As a guy who grew up in the 90s and early 00s, I loved working on my mid-80s truck. I could practically rebuild the thing with the tools inside the toolbox in the bed. When I finally bought a newer vehicle, I quickly discovered how much money I would have to spend on "special tools" to work on my own vehicle. I've always wished they would make cars simple again and enjoyable to work on.
The only simple cars left are go-karts, and even those it's a matter of time before they get stuffed full of computers.
@@noseboop4354 Imagine a go-kart engine with EGR valves, catalytic converters, 02 sensors and evap systems. Ugghh. They already have small diesel lawn tractors with full emissions systems in place. Imagine not being able to mow your lawn because it's derated due to an emissions system malfunction...
And I love working on 80's and older trucks. So simple and so much space. I Cummins swapped my '83 Chevy, it was surprisingly easy and I used basic tools. Well, I DID have to use a welder at one point to weld some braces for the radiator core support, after I cut a lot of it out for the intercooler. But to put a modern diesel engine and drivetrain into a 1983 truck that never had that option, that ain't bad.
I can't imagine the nightmare to do that on a new truck.
I wish they would make life simple and enjoyable again...they've removed it all.
@@racekrasser7869 And none of it to benefit the customer or improve the quality of life for anyone.
My GM/Delco teachers and engineers told me 40 years ago about the changes that were coming and the mandates put on them by the federal government. Now it's all coming true.
Anyone with some common sense could see it coming. Anything can be good for the people but it will be massively abused in short order to pocket money.
Hell I was 15 and knew it was stupid and look at us now! Smmh
The mandates are making vehicles impossible to service? 😂
They make it impossible for competition to enter the market and offer simpler, more effective, less expensive alternatives. The mandates are not there for anyone's benefit but those companies already in the marketplace, and typically they exist to flush out the lesser players, force them to merge (aka centralization), and ultimately submit to total government control....you know like when GM and Chrysler fell into bankrptcy because gas prices were at 4.50 for a few months. @@rolandthethompsongunner64
I appreciate your stories and anecdotal experiences thank you!
Thank you.
You were just presented to me and I'm happy I opted in.
Honestly, these are my favorite Uncle Tony videos. I could just listen to him talk for hours.
There's a guy who's been trying to wake up the American brain-dead forever and he says it like this.
"You're failure to understand evil doesn't make those who do, wrong"
I remember as a kid, there were all kinds of mom and pop mechanics. Older cars were much simpler, but they did need more frequent maintenance. And the kicker was, no special tools were generally required! Then, as the years rolled on, the mom-and-pops started disappearing. Now it’s the dealer and large chains mostly. Really sad, actually.
Big corp will continue to eat all the guppies and leave us with a few big fat fish that will be inconvenient to get to, have worthless service and are absolutely good for nothing but taking your money.
I still work on mine. 98 Z71 Silverado and 2008 Cobalt. Lots more complicated than when I started in the family gas station in the 70s. Nice that spark plugs last 100k miles and cars last 200k miles or more if you do a reasonable amount of maintenance.
Did several fuel pumps. That can be a challenge the first time. Google and CZcams make it so much easier to get a heads up on new unfamiliar repairs.
Helps a lot if you already know the basics.
I sat at my favorite watering hole a few months ago with a guy who helped design the 6.0 diesel ford. When I asked him why they had to put filters in because the sand from the casting was getting into the engine he said that's the only way we could get it to work. I lost my Faith in the engineers that day
One more thing Tony, i heard a couple days ago Steve Magnante was showing some improvement, really hope to see him back doing what he loves 🙏
Hey Tony, we think alike on the out to get you message. I first encountered this about 1973 when I was going to college at Ferris State college in Michigan. The industry had previously replaced the road draft tube with the PCV valve. Then about that time they added EGR and air pumps, which a lot of people just disabled. Anyway, in one of the School labs, we hooked up one of the students 63 Chevy on the dyno and tested the output at the tailpipe. Then after just adjusting timing, fuel mixture, etc. we met the current emission requirements. So I thought if a bunch of students can do this, this is just a way for them to make more money and capture the service work at the same time. I worked at GM dealership for a while after school and started seeing what you saw. I’m sure a lot of guys are nodding their heads in agreement when listening to you.
My 1969 Grand Prix with a 428 4bbl and dual exhausts made emissions too. It was just slightly cleaner with far less CO than my folks' brand new 1988 Bonneville that was labeled "Borderline-needs inspection" and they had to pay over $100 for a garage to hook up a computer and do the timing and everything, and then it barely passed.
I remember a 72 Pontiac Lemans with a Pontiac 350 2 barrel I used to drive pass emissions extremely well and the readouts were surprising against a vehicle with pollution equipment like a TCS switch, catalytic converter, slower mechanical timing, too lean of carburetor settings. The car from the previous owners disabled the TCS switch and redone the timing a little more advanced. Not to mention it actually got good gas mileage city and highway with a decent amount of torque. Knew a guy who put a "dummy" EGR valve on an intake not designed for one on his 76 390 powered Ford Truck to get around emissions. It worked great.
Well said Tony, i like how you danced around these issues and were able to send a message without being targeted or labeled. I’ve been trying to wake people up - including my family for a decade now and it’s like talking a brick wall. Nobody wants to hear it while these times are good. You gotta plant the seed, see if it roots and then come back and add a till water i guess. -love you man, I’ve learned a lot from you.
Here is an example of some of the rotten crap they have done to us regular people. It used to be many years ago when your oil sensor went out that you would crawl underneath the car, the sensor with a pair of channel locks, and twisted out of the engine block. Then you're screwed a new one in and you were done. 20 minutes tops.
On my 2010 Escalade they put the oil sensor all the way at the top all the way at the back of the engine block, hard against the firewall. Two small access holes to get through. I'm not a bad mechanic and it took me 3 hours to change the stupid thing. There's no excuse for this other than they want the average mechanic to look at this job and say, "Screw it, I'm taking it to the dealer."
Another example of craziness: on a 2021 volvo you cant replace a damn speaker with one from the same model parts car. Only the dealership has the tools to "register" it on the computer system. Its supposed to be two freaking wires, now its like an internet cable!
Insanity
damn bro i never even thought of that
they might be lying tho i mean speakers are speakers maybe you’re not doing it right. did you strip it to see if it’s just two wires? bc you can’t usually always change speakers to aftermarket
There're more than two wires, its no longer simple plug n play
Not a truck but my old polaris quad had a single bushing missing from the front diff. I went to multiple dealerships from multiple cities to try and buy just the one bushing because they insisted that I "had no option" but to buy the entire 1,300 dollar kit instead of just selling me the one part. I paid a local shop 25 dollars to buy stock material and cut two of them. Had it fixed in half an hour.
Yup, I went to the junkyard the other day and they had so many cars that had absolutely nothing wrong with them
They all have electronic issues nobody can figure out, or pcm that is unavailable.
My late dad had an 2002 Ford Ranger 2 wd with the 4.0L SOHC. When he passed away it had 38,000 Km it now has 65,000 Km at this time. I am dreading the day that the tensioners let go. I have watched several videos of the repair procedure....I just shook my head watching it. Ford tech Makuloco goes into great detail with dissassembly, reassembly and special tools required. Ya if it goes I will try to shove a old school 302 into and call it a day. Platinum Productions is another great video to watch.
Tony, this recent crop of "off topic" videos are just fantastic. It's really great to know there are so many like-minded people out there. Being almost 20 years old it's daunting thinking what could lie ahead for my generation with the state of the world lying where it is. These videos provide a sort of solace for me. Looking forward to more of your content!
What state of the world? Engineering and innovation? You know what they say, lead, follow, or get out of the way. Or sit in a rocking chair and complain.
He's got survivor bias before the disaster has even happened lol. @@PhpGtr
You guys will be running Alcohol and upgrading electric car, wires, batteries for more range and acceleration. It'll just change.
@@PhpGtr Which are you doing?
I don't think internal combustion engines are going anywhere, people will start modifying fuel injectors and fuel systems to run ethanol and the kids will get to keep playing with old cars.
Preach Tony, we are a couple years apart in age, I lived it and I fully understand you. Whenever I start talking like this, family, friends and acquaintances look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. I have worked on cars since I was 10 on my neighbor's 57 Chevy BelAir street/strip car
. The guy who owned it kind of reminds me of you. Thanksgiving almost always turns into this with my automotive engineer brother in law. You are awesome and much appreciated. Never stop, never surrender
Love this video Tony! Amazing info! Keep it up!👍🏽
AMEN brother. Agree 100% with everything you said. It is DEFINITELY deliberate! I actually closed up shop after 14 years due to this, & the bad “new” parts problem, along with supply chain issues. I’m just sick and tired of ALL of it. My fire for this stuff has long since burned out. So bad that I don’t even enjoy wrenching on my old stuff as much as I used to. I did sell my over-complicated ‘07 Silverado 1500 for a nice, Southwestern ‘93 W250 with a Cummins 12v & a 5-speed. At least I can fix this one without having a mental break, or experiencing financial bankruptcy. Parts are still REASONABLE for this one. Dana 60 front, Dana 70 rear, 205 transfer case. Should last the rest of my life as long as I keep it out of road salt. 👍
this is why after 28 years as a mercedes mechanic i am planning my escape. I have a nice 2001 Miata that I will keep. I also plan to get a couple 80's cars that are simple
As a mechanic, you are singing my song brother. My first realization of this was my '88 Taurus, the heater core went bad (imagine that) and the manual I had said in the opening salvo of how to replace it was " remove dash" . I have very much seen the light since then, these thing's are intentional to discourage the DIY-er.
They made the heater core thin so they leaked just a couple of years beyond warranty.
Years ago, I had a 78 LTD. The heater core went in it. It was bolted to the firewall. It was a pain to lean over the engine with a cold wind blowing on me to change it out. But I preferred that by far to removing the dash. About 10 years ago, I sold it as the transmission went out. (I'm not that serious of a mechanic.) But it gave me 10 years of sturdy use and I did not fear an accident with an idiot in an SUV.
Mechanical injection diesel is the way to go. They last forever, they are easy to service, and they can run on various different fuels. My friend has an 82 Toronado with the 350 Oldsmobile diesel. It has 542,000 miles on it. Recently we changed the head gaskets and put ARP studs. The cylinders are in perfect shape, they are standard size, the pistons are the factory ones, and the crosshatching looks excellent. It gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway and has a 23 gallon fuel tank. Everything is rebuildable. You can recondition both types of injectors on these at home. The Stanadyne injectors just require a tool for turning the pintle and a fine lapping compound. The CAV injectors get lapped just like a valve, they have a poppet and a seat. The pump is a Stanadyne DB2, used on a million different types of diesel engines. It can be rebuilt at any diesel shop or even by yourself if in decent shape. There are other old diesels in cars as well that are similarly easy to maintain. Oldsmobile made a 4.3 V6 version that didn't have the head bolt issue of the V8, it has 6 head bolts per cylinder. The diesel Chevette and Isuzu I-mark are also great. The old, pre-1990 VW diesels. There was a diesel Corolla and Camry. There was a diesel Maxima. There was a diesel Ford Tempo. Not to mention all of the Opel, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, European Ford, and other diesels that are extremely cheap in Europe and wouldn't cost that much to import. Many of these cars are $2000 or less, with importing costing around $3000, you're at 5000 max. Many of them are under $1000 even. Diesel is where we all need to be going, not gasoline. Diesels will still be able to be fueled long after the new cars are all electric. And perhaps, biodiesel will be common because construction equipment, heavy trucks, and boats will not work as EVs.
But diesel fuel is now outrageously expensive. I am old enough to remember when it was much cheaper than refined gasoline. Another scam!
Agreed with the concept. I had a 1982 bmw 320i gasoline auto with the M10 4-cyl engine. They had mechanical fuel injection and 'no points' ignition. Very easy to work on and reliable. Biggest issue would be the mechanical proportioning valve which was sensitive to vacuum leaks, but easy to diagnose.
Also, power brakes and manual rack and pinion steering.
100%with you! Just bought another old dodge cummins
Used to love running the IDIs, but they're getting old now - parts are hard to find or are junk, fewer and fewer shops have guys who know how to tune, bench test (or even work on!) the mechanical injection pumps. Since you mentioned the GM 350 IDI: ask a modern diesel tech who Roosa Master is and their eyes will glaze over. The days of "old" diesel (in the US) have passed unless you're real good, have a full shop, and a parts stockpile. The cost of the garbage no. 2 they sell now sealed it for me years ago.
@@silasakron4692In my situation between me and my friend, we have 2 shops, injector and pump flow bench, Stanadyne and Bosch calibration and rebuild tools, pop testers, 4 axis CNC milling machine and lathe, manual milling machine and lathe, access to a waterjet, 3D printer, all types of hand and power tools, boring bar, block and head O-ring cutter, valve grinding machine, boring bar, electroplating setup, EDM cutter, X-Ray machine, magnaflux, cam grinder, and much more. We could likely build an entire engine from scratch pooling both of our resources and have in the past made entire sets of billet pistons, multiple sets of connecting rods, bearing spacers, timing sprockets, camshafts, and even a set of solid lifters in an unusual size. So while I would say I'm in the "full shop" situation I wouldn't say it's impossible to do at home. I rebuilt multiple Stanadyne pumps in my kitchen before I ever had access to the tools. Stanadyne will sell you replacement heads and rotors. The dimensions that need to be adjusted can be measured with regular micrometers, and the assembly usually doesn't require any special tools. Diesel fuel today really doesn't do any damage to the newer design head and rotors, which can be ordered from Stanadyne with DLC coated internals. In many areas , there are biodiesel suppliers that sell better quality fuel for a fraction of the diesel price. Here it is $1.75 cheaper a gallon for B100 than D2. Parts that are no longer available can be substituted. For example a rare 5.7 head and rotor and camring can be substituted for a common 6.2 head and rotor and camring. A 4.3 head and rotor can be substituted for a multitude of other 6 cylinder head and rotors. Just requires looking at pictures or in a catalog for a while. Things like head gaskets, Cometic will make a set of custom MLS head gaskets for $89/each. Chances are, they have already made them in the past too, so no old gaskets needed. They have made gaskets for my 79 Subaru, a Cosworth Vega engine, and my friend's 350 Diesel. Timing chains can often be made from lengths of off the shelf chain, often stronger than the originals. And so on. I've been keeping rare and obscure engines on the road since I was a teenager, and still daily drive one of my first cars, a 79 Subaru DL. It has parts off of nearly every brand and type of car, from GM to Ford to Suzuki to Daewoo to Lancia, and is nearly as reliable as a modern car. Once all of the rare and unreliable parts were replaced with more common and easily available ones, the problems and getting stuck on the side of the road stopped. Now I can get in, on a cold day, turn the key, and it starts and runs just like a modern car, with no ECU, no fuel injection, a dog gear manual transmission, and not even a radio. It just keeps going and going, and gets 45-50 mpg on the highway. A diesel would be more ideal, but a carbureted small engine can work nearly as well, and is achievable with considerably less tools and skills. A more modern engine can even be converted to carburetion and installed in an older car. One such one I built was a Nissan KA24DE with carburetors off a Yamaha R1, on a custom intake manifold, and a modified distributor from an Isuzu. The same is possible with some diesels. VW TDIs for example can be converted to mechanical injection. It's possible to do, just requires a lot of thought put into what parts will work, and sometimes looking into what parts were available on engines overseas. Diesel engine injector testing and rebuilding doesn't usually require anything more expensive than a $60 pop tester. I do think it's still possible for someone with a reasonable grasp on how engines work to drive a non computerized car, reliably, and do their own work at home.
Just recently discovered your channel and have been binging it and loving it. Loving it even more now that i see you know history as well which im a huge huge fan of. When you said 1871 immediately i thought "wow, thats a very close date to 1865 which just so happened to be the end of a certain massive economic dispute that nearly tore our country apart"
Following that history is so fascinating as the economics move from one place to another and the politics shift from one place to another. Its one of those things where it goes unspoken but every instinct you have tells you theres a bread crumb trail of people with their hands on the economic scale and the rest of the country being dragged by the tail
Thanks for this video. I'm 72 now and worked largely in the motorcycle industry...in Canada. I very much enjoyed your explanation of the corporate vs private. I know what you are saying, just seldom hear it articulated so well, thanks :) I live in the Caribbean now and can relate to the Cuban car thing. I just found your content so I subscribed and look forward to cruising through your videos. Stay well :)
I’ve been a tech mostly In dealerships for 35 years. Your are spot on man!!! I’m so glad I’m on the downswing of my career because it just keeps getting worse with cars every single year !!!!
same here. I am a Mercedes tech and I am getting real tired of this crp
So if buying a new car today, how long would you expect it to last before it's not worth fixing?
@@blissfuljoy6049 it is better to find something from a much older generation like 80's
@@blissfuljoy6049 well depending on how well you keep up with maintenance. Obviously the better you take care of something the longer it will last. You need to keep up with the oil changes religiously these days . Honestly your best bet is to lease a vehicle instead of buying it. Pay the extra money for the extra miles. Usually by the end of the lease you’ll start having issues. We just got a 2024 honda in with 168 miles on it and has issues showing 🤷♂️ but usually 30 thousand miles is when you will start to see issues start .
@@willynelson3410 What issues is your Honda having if you don't mind me asking?
I once read a Newsweek article on vehicle manufacturers doing things like making the muffler system route up into the frame and around just so it's harder to replace yourself. This has been going on for 30 years already.
Fairly certain that was Corvette doing that to save space.
buy nothing made after 2000. problem solved 👍🏻
@@myprivatewarmost of the good stuff is likely been scrapped and melted down to become some liberal monument in a blue city, no thanks to the _"cash for clunkers"_ program.
Anything else will likely be bidded way above the price range of the average classic car enthusiast, due to supposed scarcity/rarity of the item.
Which is unfortunate.😑
I was a weekend racer/gearhead turned dealership technician in an attempt to be a better mechanic. I gave it over a decade and every year the cars would be more complicated and every quarter, *the flat rate times would be amended down.*
I walked away when the dealer I was at started asking me "so how do you want to pay for this?" when things would inevitably break during repairs. I ended up getting handed a divorce, lost my son (nearly lost my mind) and was barely making ot paycheck to paycheck, so I just figured I wasn't good enough to do it anymore.
I built a dang race car out of my old daily driver, but the everyday struggle beat the passion for cars out of me. I went to Tesla as a last-ditch ahot at stayimg around the automotive industry and the mgmt was so wome, more than half the damg job became office politics and other techs back-stabbing.
Great discussion and I really enjoyed your outlook on this topic bravo!
As a mechanical engineer and personal mechanic it’s called “planned obsolescence “. I’m keeping my 20 year old cars n truck by my own design since I can work on them
It's crazy to me working in Industrial maintenance. We have machines that have entire manuals full of prints and how to fix things. You can literally find a whole book of electrical prints to trouble shoot. You can call and they have people to provide technical documents and assistance. Then you go to work on a car and good luck to find any information or documentation. You just have to guess in the dark. They don't want you to fix it and it's getting where true mechanics are hard to find. Around here some days it feels like you either figure it out yourself or throw it away.
With cars exactly the opposite way .. they made the cars miserable too service, so you don't do it, and design it to fail after warranty.... in some years if countries don't do something,cars will be in the fields because there will be no people who repair them, or can't repair them..
what? this is not true. there’s service info on every part. lol
@@LeavingCaladan you have a part number, it's not documentation, it's not the same.
I’m in maintenance also but even that is getting harder and harder to get info on. Many companies will provide a disc or drive with prints and a manual but where I work we don’t have access to a computer because the fears of them being hacked
@@UmbraWeiss huh? there are still entire engine tear down instructions for everything. mazda, hyundai and chrysler tech here
Very insightful, thanks for sharing!
Just discovered your channels recently, great video and subject manner, the situation with the gas tanks I recall an incident I remember hearing about when younger that occurred at a shop. An car accident occurred near the shop, where gasoline had spilled out lead a trail from shop to the street (the scene of the accident) and it caused horrible fire to start
Uncle Tony is 100% correct on Governments. They’re really are NO GOVERNMENTS only CORPORATIONS masquerading as such.
I too am a Professional Technician, over 30 years now. I started doing my own research into what Uncle Tony brought up about 10 years ago and discovered the exact same things.
Under English Common law, the man (or woman) is sovereign. Your constitution is an adaptation of magna carta. The revolution you should celebrate isn't 1776 (which was a part of the freemasonic French revolution) but 1640 until the glorious revolution of 1688. We freed the slaves but not like you're told.
@@monikacognomen1096Get this communist garbage out of here.
You are completely misrepresenting the ties between multiple nations revolutions in a bs attempt to link them to Marxist rhetoric. When these garbage theories put forward by the Soviets have been completely and totally debunked countless times.
You even made the ridiculous claim that the American Revolution was borne of the French Revolution. When the exact opposite is the truth. Which is what completely puts your claims as old Soviet garbage because the Communists refused to ever acknowledge anything good about the US was its own work. The same bs you see online constantly these days. Go spread that garbage on another channel where you will have tankies eating it up. This channel contains American patriots proud of their country who won’t stand for that BS.
no the Fed isnt a corporation. its the largest organized crime syndicate
Have you ever stopped and thought, Governments ARE Corporations?
That's what happens when we let rich asswipes lobby the people who are supposed to be working for us
You are correct about the “you wrestle with this stuff” part. Nowadays you need a scan tool to check and set the transmission oil level, or to even change your rear brakes. There are plastic oil pan drain plugs that are meant to be used once, and because everything is controlled by a computer, everything requires some calibration or coding if replaced. It is all in the name of keeping the profits in the dealership as much as possible. Eventually the after-market catches up and they offer the special tools (or a version of them) and after-market scan tools can do some of the coding needed. I should know, I work at a dealership.
Even the dealership don't know how to fix it
I like older cars as more information is readily available online for diy repair. No top secret denial of information.
Before I was born in 1989, my Dad always repaired his own cars. He could do welding and spraying, he could strip an engine and gearbox. He even did a rebuild on a 1958 Austin Cambridge. Now he has a 2011 ford Mondeo, and he says he's sick of it, and is selling it, because every little job seems to cost a shed load of money.
Uncle Tony, you are correct on all you said“Planned obsolescence” is what manufacturers build into their cars, even household appliances. And yes, the BEST is YET to COME!!!! I’m awake, and the anxiety is killing me, all I keep asking myself is WHEN? HOW LONG? Hang in there, its gonna be a bumpy ride, but the Jubilee is coming. God Bless You Uncle Tony, my like minded friend!!!!
We think exactly alike on all of this. But living under a government drowning in debt is like swimming in a river full of drowning men. They won’t let themselves drown until they have dragged you under first. A desperate government will take anything they can get to keep themselves solvent. That might even include the shirt of your back if you don’t bury it deep.
Fact
Take a look at the “30 by 30 agenda”
So glad I have kept my 70 Challenger and 70 GTX. I have touched almost every nut and bolt on them. The Challenger is a 340 and driven weekly. The GTX is a 440 and being restored. I have owned them since the 70’s. I rebuilt the engines and assembled them myself. Just recently took the rear end apart on the Challenger and put new bearings in it. Easy to do. But most people thought the required a Technition to rebuild. It all seems so easy to me. Both my sons own several cars and wrench on the cars themselves. My grand kids have their toy cars and bikes they ride. They too will wrench their own stuff. None of us have ever spent a day in mechanical school or a job as a mechanic. It is in our blood. That’s why I don’t watch much TV. I prefer to learn from guys like you Uncle Tony. It’s real information that I really enjoy watching. Thank you. Looking forward to every next video.
One of my biggest regrets is that I sold my '67 Chevelle. It was the 300 Deluxe, not a Super Sport, and it had a straight-6 and a Powerglide. It belonged to my brother and his wife, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. After I'd had it about 8 years, I had some hard times, and had to sell it. Looking back, maybe I wasn't so short of cash after all. I should have kept it.
You are bang on, happening everywhere!
I'm of that age where I really don't have to worry about much past the immediate future. But this was a great video. I know of some of the things mentioned, I'll have to look up the others.
Thank you.
When I was a kid I knew a old ford master mechanic and he told me that ford design there products intentionally to be difficult on purpose. They had unusual ways to design and build their products to make line hard on all of us.
there products intentionally to be difficult on purpose
as someone who has mostly worked on GM vehicles all my life, I always wondered why Ford chose to have so many bolt patterns on their engines/transmissions...Chrysler also, to some extent. Looks like the way Chevy did it would have been simpler/more economical to manufacture and better for the bottom line, as well as making life easier later on for mechanics and hot rodders...
Old Fords are really easy to work on.
@@SCHMALLZZZthat may be the case but good luck getting one