It would be nice to see a focus on repairability, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. Even if we don't end up with complete parts serialization, whe

It would be nice to see a focus on repairability, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. Even if we don't end up with complete parts serialization, where the manufacturers hold all the keys, the trend described in this article is unavoidable due to the complexity of systems that improve your quality of life when you're driving. IE: People want things like collision warning systems. A big part of the issue is the manufacturers don't care if a repair procedure is too complex or if the equipment required is too expensive. That's a benefit to them because it means less independent repair shops and dealer networks will simply pass that cost on to the customer because customers have no alternatives. My family has always purchased cars that are just off warranty, so about 5 years old, and driven them for 5-15 years. The less money we had, the longer we drove them. We've always done our own repairs. However, that's changing because there are some things we simply can't fix. My dad has never driven a vehicle that costed more than $100 per month and has always owned a vehicle that I'd consider reliable. Those days are gone. I think something that could help would be if the right to repair movement pushed for some kind of limited repair or downgraded repair mode. For example, the article talks about the complexity of doing a wheel alignment due to calibrating lane drift sensors, etc. I think vehicle owners should be able to opt out of that and simply lose those features if they're not required for the car to function. IE: Get the wheel alignment, skip the convenience features. Of course, we all know the opposite will happen. The vehicle industry will lobby the government to have those complex features become requirements "for safety" and the only option we'll get as consumers is to buy overly complex, overly expensive vehicles. I guess another option may be to rent or lease and never own anything which might be the ultimate goal of the industry regardless of complexity.