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Remember when you could actually fix a carburetor with a basic tool set?
Last week, a guy brought in a '78 Ford pickup with a Holley 4150 that was flooding. I pulled out my old screwdrivers and a vacuum gauge, had it tuned and running smooth in about an hour. Last month, a 2020 sedan with a rough idle came in, and I spent three hours just hooking up the scan tool, checking for software updates, and running a dozen system tests before I found a tiny sensor fault. Three years ago at the shop in Bakersfield, I could fix half the cars on the lot with a $20 set of feeler gauges and a timing light. Now, you need a $2000 diagnostic computer just to talk to the engine. It feels like the actual wrench turning is becoming a smaller part of the job every year. Has anyone else noticed their tool investment shifting more towards electronics than mechanics?
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kim_west1mo ago
Eh, I dunno if it's really that bad. Ain't nobody forcing you to buy the latest scanners, half the time a good multimeter and some youtube videos will get you 90% of the way there. People have been complaining about cars getting too complicated since they switched from carburetors to fuel injection.
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parkerp801mo ago
My old Snap-on scanner just got a $500 software update last month. I've got more money in diagnostic subscriptions now than in my entire socket set from trade school. The days of a vacuum gauge and a timing light feel like a different job.
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