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How often is IC & circuit board failure a thing in cars although? I've had 20 year old cars, and the only components that failed in that category were micro sw

How often is IC & circuit board failure a thing in cars although? I've had 20 year old cars, and the only components that failed in that category were micro switches on boards for windows and the ignition, and I was able to buy new replacement parts for them. Another common failure point in car electronics are connectors & cables, another thing that doesn't seem that hard to replace or have clones made by chinese manufactures.

ryanmercer 8y ago
>How often is IC & circuit board failure a thing in cars although? I've had 20 year old cars, The stuff in a car coming off the line today is generations more complicated than what was being put in a car 20 years ago. I never had problems with anything electrical related until owning a 'modern' carn, my 2013 impala which has had multiple faulty sensors, a wiring harness that would randomly turn stabilitrack on and off while driving, would randomly fire abs while breaking, throws off 3 check engine lights from various emissions systems any time humidity is up, etc. N=1 but most of the issues I've had with my Impala Chevy has had across multiple generations of multiple vehicles in the past decade from cars and trucks. One of the emission sensors that is faulty in my car is used in at least 2 generations of 3 different models and a search of one of the codes it throws comes up on a dozen plus forums. A quick google on just ECM/ECU/PCUs make it seem it's common enough for them to fail in vehicles and those are usually programmed to your VIN. Looks like corrosion from moisture, cracked traces, vibration damage, etc are all common causes. Hell, even TPMS sensors fail regularly enough and some of those can get a little pricey and will throw codes until you replace them.
- woolvalley 8y ago
  I think your issue is you got a GM car, which has had a decades long reputation for some of the worse reliability and quality issues.
  - ryanmercer 8y ago
    Except for a quick Google as previously stated brings up every manufacturer under the sun. Modern vehicles are full of cheaply made electronics that fail. Another quick Google query shows that the average age of a modern vehicle is 11.4 years. Sticking with Tesla, the vehicles are only warrantied for 4 years or 50k miles and the batteries and powertrain for 8 or 100-120k miles And as I stated previously they've already completely changed their battery tech once meaning the supply chain for new batteries for the original Roadster is effectively non-existent and given they are now 10 years old, they are outside of warranty and Tesla has zero obligation to manufacture replacement batteries, with ICEs it's extremely unlikely diesel or gasoline will suddenly be controlled by one supplier and be cut off from the market. With ICE cars you have multiple people manufacturing secondary market parts (even for stuff like ECUs), with the most well known electric car company you have the manufacture as the only one making parts AND they do not sell them to consumers and they will not work on anything with a salvage title. Working on an EV is also not really something you can do yourself if you do have access to parts. ICE vehicle you can realistically work on any part of the vehicle yourself, at home, with rented tools and a repair manual or YouTube videos from rebuilding an engine or transmission, replacing ball joints, changing brakes, replacing fuel line, completely rewire the vehicle, anything. Sure on an EV you could change a ball joint or a suspension, but you can't work on the powertrain. You can't work on the power plant. You can't really work on any of the wiring either. The most important parts of the car pose potentially fatal shock if start monkeying with them.

ryanmercer 8y ago

>How often is IC & circuit board failure a thing in cars although? I've had 20 year old cars, The stuff in a car coming off the line today is generations more complicated than what was being put in a car 20 years ago. I never had problems with anything electrical related until owning a 'modern' carn, my 2013 impala which has had multiple faulty sensors, a wiring harness that would randomly turn stabilitrack on and off while driving, would randomly fire abs while breaking, throws off 3 check engine lights from various emissions systems any time humidity is up, etc. N=1 but most of the issues I've had with my Impala Chevy has had across multiple generations of multiple vehicles in the past decade from cars and trucks. One of the emission sensors that is faulty in my car is used in at least 2 generations of 3 different models and a search of one of the codes it throws comes up on a dozen plus forums. A quick google on just ECM/ECU/PCUs make it seem it's common enough for them to fail in vehicles and those are usually programmed to your VIN. Looks like corrosion from moisture, cracked traces, vibration damage, etc are all common causes. Hell, even TPMS sensors fail regularly enough and some of those can get a little pricey and will throw codes until you replace them.

woolvalley 8y ago
I think your issue is you got a GM car, which has had a decades long reputation for some of the worse reliability and quality issues.
- ryanmercer 8y ago
  Except for a quick Google as previously stated brings up every manufacturer under the sun. Modern vehicles are full of cheaply made electronics that fail. Another quick Google query shows that the average age of a modern vehicle is 11.4 years. Sticking with Tesla, the vehicles are only warrantied for 4 years or 50k miles and the batteries and powertrain for 8 or 100-120k miles And as I stated previously they've already completely changed their battery tech once meaning the supply chain for new batteries for the original Roadster is effectively non-existent and given they are now 10 years old, they are outside of warranty and Tesla has zero obligation to manufacture replacement batteries, with ICEs it's extremely unlikely diesel or gasoline will suddenly be controlled by one supplier and be cut off from the market. With ICE cars you have multiple people manufacturing secondary market parts (even for stuff like ECUs), with the most well known electric car company you have the manufacture as the only one making parts AND they do not sell them to consumers and they will not work on anything with a salvage title. Working on an EV is also not really something you can do yourself if you do have access to parts. ICE vehicle you can realistically work on any part of the vehicle yourself, at home, with rented tools and a repair manual or YouTube videos from rebuilding an engine or transmission, replacing ball joints, changing brakes, replacing fuel line, completely rewire the vehicle, anything. Sure on an EV you could change a ball joint or a suspension, but you can't work on the powertrain. You can't work on the power plant. You can't really work on any of the wiring either. The most important parts of the car pose potentially fatal shock if start monkeying with them.