Shawneels Automotive

Gone are the days when a production road car could be fixed at the roadside with little more than some basic automotive knowledge and a simple collection of tools. Today’s production road cars are highly complex and make extensive use of computer management which cannot be easily modified.
The majority of modern cars require the use of specially equipped workshops before any repairs or modifications can even be attempted. For this reason, even those with a good level of automotive knowledge would be struggling to repair a modern production car and keep it on the road.
The use of computer control
Over the years computers have come to play increasingly greater roles in the automotive industry. Today, many aspects of modern cars are controlled or managed by a computer. Engine management systems have largely replaced more traditional control methods, resulting in engine tunings being all but impossible without the appropriate computer equipment.
Moreover, critical elements such as the car’s handling and braking may even be controlled by a computer system in a modern vehicle. While computer control has the potential to increase the efficiency and the performance of the vehicle, problems arise when things go wrong.
When repairs are needed
Twenty years ago a broken down car could be repaired by the owner at the roadside and be back on the road in no time at all. However, in a modern car a basic tool box is of little use. With the majority of functions of a modern car controlled by a computer processor, repairs are well beyond the scope of the average driver and certainly beyond what equipment he will have available to him. Today, any breakdown will result in having to call for roadside assistance and even then a specialist workshop may be required to rectify the problem.
The solution?
The trend of turning over more and more automotive functions to computer control does not look set to change any time soon. With new technologies being developed almost on a daily basis the level of computer management within production cars will only increase.
However, all hope is not entirely lost for those who rather keep a vehicle that they can repair themselves rather than depend entirely on others. A number of modern specialist car manufacturers have resisted the trend of turning over critical systems to computer control and produce cars of a traditional design. Moreover, there are many cars available today of an older generation which still serve faithfully due to their simplicity and survivability.
For many drivers today the answer to the question stated at the outset is quite simply no. In order to carry out repairs on a modern vehicle the driver would require extensive training from the manufacturer, not to mention considerable computer diagnostic equipment specialist to the particular make and model of the vehicle. Gone are the days when any car could be repaired using the knowledge and experience of the owner along with the most basic of tool boxes.
This post was written on behalf of Tool Orders who supply the full range of Teng Tools.