Originally Posted by
JV_
My side hustle is doing auto diag work, sometimes with repairs. It's not my day job, but I do see trends with brands and equipment/technology. If I were buying a new truck, I'd order a base F150 with a 3.3 non-turbo engine. It's an underrated combination.
AFM / Cyl Deactivation and Start/Stop have been around long enough that they really should have them perfected by now. It's been here 15+ years.
The real problem I see is parts quality issues due to a severe drop in QC, which started with COVID. It's even present in OEM parts.
Overall, the explosion of electronics in cars is also making them less reliable. It's not uncommon for my scanner to find 60+ modules on the network. People really don't like finding out that their Bluetooth module is causing 250mA drain on the battery, and that's why it's dead.
What a module for your 15 year old car? Guess what, they stopped making it 8 years ago, so you better hit up a pick-and-pull. Then, hope it can be programmed.