[tersers]

There’s a subtext to this article, that cars are getting better at diagnosing themselves and the troubleshooting typical for older and ICE cars is required less and less. It’s not fair to say that an average mechanic wouldn’t be able to service new cars, but rather that new mechanics will be unable to repair anything but new cars who have their problems diagnosed with a computer.

[tonyedgecombe]

I recently read that more than 70% of the code in modern ECU's is for diagnostics.

[pvaldes]

And a big part of the remaining is for calculating the correct combustible/air mix

[tonyedgecombe]

I always imagined that was just a big table with the accelerator on one axis and revolutions on the other.

[pvaldes]

Much more complicated in fact. Your car measures constantly the air flow, the temperature of this air, the altitude over the sea level, the velocity of the car, the position in real time of the accelerator and clutch pedals, etc... and then the computer takes all and sends an order to inject in the motor exactly the amount of combustible required for this parameters. Then manages the opening or closing of the valves to allow the gasses go out and those are reintroduced in the motor to be burnt twice. The remain is send then to the anti particles filter and the good parts are allowed to go out, while the problematic ones are sealed in a box.

[kirse]

mechanics will be unable to repair anything but new cars who have their problems diagnosed with a computer.

This has been a thing for at least 10 years now, started by the luxury brands. There really wasn't much troubleshooting required for ICE (despite your mechanic's insistence on the severity of the issue) until cars starting running more LoC than a Mac. Pre-2005 ICE was very simple compared to any modern system, ICE or E.