Whether you like them or not, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicles are here to stay. The automotive industry is always changing; and the transition to new engine and
drivetrain types is no different.
A grizzled old mechanic once told me, “This new fad with getting rid of distributors will go away – no one is going to trust computers to run their car. Nothing beats a mechanical part, that you can just replace.”
Today’s vehicles sometimes have upwards of 100 computer modules, and there are no mechanical distributors in sight.
This is exactly the reason that a real technician goes to constant training, learns new skills, and keeps up to date with new car technology, as well as new repair technology. Imagine working on cars in early 2001 and wondering what all the Prius owners were going to do when their $3,000-$4,000 hybrid battery went bad? Now we have mobile repair technicians who can replace/repair those batteries in your driveway for less than half that cost!
If you are a car/truck owner, technician, shop owner, service writer – basically, if you’re a person alive today who knows what a car or truck is… you need to be ready for the repair shop of tomorrow.
There will be small costs as usual, but there will be much larger diagnostic charges. This is because cars are becoming more complicated, and it is becoming harder, and taking longer, to diagnose them. However, you’ll find repair costs will be less, because instead of replacing an engine, transmission, or some other big, expensive
factory part – you’ll have a technician who spends 3-4 hours finding exactly what small $40 electronic part failed – and then they’ll replace only that part.
You’ll find shops that specialize in aftermarket programming, to squeeze that last drop of fuel mileage, or that last bit of high-performance, out of the computer programming for the car. They’ll also de-tune vehicles to remove factory programming that causes unforeseen issues. (Think late model GM trucks with ‘Displacement-On-Demand’ that ruins camshafts at high mileage)
You’ll find repair shops that charge you a ‘concierge repair’ fee- a monthly charge to access their services 24-7 – with remote monitoring of your vehicle for security, problems, and maintenance. Your vehicle will report upcoming maintenance to the repair shop, and they’ll get you in for service when it fits your busy work schedule. If a check engine light comes on – the truck will alert the repair shop, and a technician will notify you if the issue is important enough to stop driving, or if you can wait and schedule repairs later.
You’ll see the advent of remote applications that control a car and turn down the performance features when your kid is driving, and let you set traffic rules for your young driver to follow (some brands already have features similar to this) – That same app will prevent technicians and repair shops from driving your vehicle on a joyride, and let you lock down your car like a stolen iPhone when thieves get a hold of it.
These future repair shops will be staffed by electronics technicians, software engineers, and computer network engineers who understand the electronics inside the vehicles of the future.
The future is coming, whether we like it or not. It will require adaptation – but it will always require people who know how to fix the technology involved.
