Automotive Technology vs. Soul

I recently acquired a new commuter-car. It is a nothing-special Kia. I got it on the cheap because it had a few issues, but none that really scared me. The most recent (and hopefully final) preexisting issue I decided deal with was a lit Check-Engine light. The little car ran fine, so again, I had no great phobias about tearing into it to get it resolved.

The scanner produced a pretty elaborate string of codes associated with the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve. The series of codes was unusual in that it showed faults for both windings on the device and both directions of operation. A fairly rigorous diagnostic routine followed which led me to the fact the actual valve is damaged (electrically) and needed to be replaced. A trip to the salvage yard secured the part I needed and I installed it this AM. The car cooperated and it runs correctly, but I realized as I was turning wrenches that this may only lead me to another fault as the diagnostic codes can only tell you what isn’t happening, not why it isn’t happening. So in effect, on cars of this era I was repairing you either throw parts at them until all the codes go away or you use your hard-earned experience and reasoning ability to hit it right the first time.

This put me into reminiscing mode. Like several of my generation I cut my teeth on big V-8’s, 4-barrel carburetors and dual exhaust. Several came and went in my early motoring years; coupes, sedans, pickup trucks and yes, even station wagons- an automotive comfort-food that chased me into the new millennium. In the beginning,  life was simple; if your idle speed was off (high/low) you likely had one of two things happening – the timing shifted (worn points likely) or you had a vacuum leak. Today you are dealing with a computer that adjusts these settings on the fly and utilizes input from any number of sensors to do so. Any of these sensors can make the car misbehave, and if they aren’t what’s going bad the actual computer or wiring that connects all these devices is.

Cars today are more efficient, more powerful, more drivable and more user-friendly that the old ones – except when they aren’t and then they really aren’t. But more to the point, all of my old hotrods had a disposition. Each had personality, weather and conditions they liked and those they didn’t. I recall this as each car alternately endeared itself to me or angered me, depending on circumstance. It was a relationship. New cars, not so much. You stick the key in and go – or not. When you buy, you shop features, much like buying a kitchen appliance – “do you need a frother with that?” Don’t get me wrong-I am at the point in life where dependable is important and many of these new cars have proven very fun to drive; they can be fast, handle well and rake down 40 MPG.

Ultimately, cars reflect our culture. No manufacturer intentionally goes to market with a vehicle that they don’t believe the public wants, and so I conclude that we are where we are at today due to a composite of the public’s perceived needs and various regulatory demands. The result? Incredible efficiencies and design technologies, but the loss of many of the organic aspects of the art of automotive sciences. I am ambivalent as I see everything is squeaky clean, but I carry a gut feeling that the baby may have been thrown out with the bathwater.

I am interested in what some thoughts are on this topic.