Bus systems as an obstacle for screwdrivers and DIY enthusiasts (question of the week)
08/28/2017
In many petrol discussions, electronics are seen as an obstacle to the survival of old cars. The first electronic components were installed in vehicles as early as the 1960s, but it was not until the 1970s/80s that electronically controlled fuel injection systems were fitted on a large scale. With the increasing demands for comfort and environmental friendliness, the control electronics became more complex, more integrated and more elaborate, and from 1995/2000 the data streams were finally routed via bus systems and control/sensor data was managed centrally.
This naturally raises the question of which cars can still be repaired and maintained with reasonable effort by skilled DIY enthusiasts and mechanics without the relevant experience from that time. We naturally passed this "question of the week" on to our readers and received 421 responses.
The largest proportion (although only 37%) believe that it is primarily the first bus systems (e.g. CAN) from 1995/2000 onwards that limit the possibilities for DIY repairs and the skills of experienced mechanics with a traditional approach.
A further 22% see the use of complex motor and drive electronics from 1980/1985 onwards as an insurmountable challenge for the mechanic/home mechanic.
15% of respondents would place the problem even earlier, namely with the use of the first electronically controlled injection systems from the mid-1970s.
By contrast, 12 % assume that a little electronics does not necessarily mean the end for the mechanic/do-it-yourselfer and that only the fully integrated and sensor-controlled car, as built from around 2005 onwards, must be a real obstacle for the DIY mechanic/do-it-yourselfer, while 8 % even believe that a skilled mechanic/do-it-yourselfer should be able to cope with practically any car to this day. 3 % did not find any of the answers applicable.
In summary, the Zwischengas readership is optimistic that it should at least be possible to repair cars without bus systems, while the real problems begin with those without.
For the sake of completeness, here is the graphical analysis of the answers:
The next question of the week is already underway, in which we want to find out whether you can actually learn the classic car trade as a self-taught mechanic using the internet, YouTube, Google and co.
And of course you can still read all the previous results of the "Questions of the Week" in the corresponding topic channel.
