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There probably aren't publicly-available studies on the subject, but, in general it is true. 1. Material science has improved dramatically, even since the 90s. We now have oils that don't break down for years, even under extreme temperatures, and tolerances within engines are tight enough that oil can go 10,000 miles without meaninful gasoline contamination. Also, rust-proofing, rubbers, and plastics (!) are much, much better. 2. Solid state electronics have replaced mechanical systems. This is a big one: vacuum lines were a nightmare, carburetors were fickle, distributors wore out, etc. All of these systems have been replaced by maintenance-free electronic versions. 3. Better computer-aid modeling. This is kind of a good and bad, since now components aren't overbuilt like in the 90s, but they are also less likely to be underbuilt. There are absolutely manufactures who still make unreliable heaps, but generally, reliability has improved. Most of that reliability comes in the form of less maintenance: no car needs the valves adjusted every 30k miles anymore (except maaaybe exotics). Jay Leno likes to joke about how cars used to come with 90 day warranties in the 70s. 90 days! |