<VV> Electrical Reliability Question

[Dave Keillor]

I've heard all the Lucas jokes -- and experienced most of them on a
series of Brit cars ranging from Europa to MG to Triumph.  However, I
never had a problem diagnosing or fixing any of the problems.  Whether
filing points in an MG fuel pump to get it running again or tracing down
flickering lights, the lack of sophisticated electronics made diagnosis
and repairs relatively straightforward.

On the other hand, trying to figure out why the dome light isn't coming
on (or going off) in a modern, computer controlled car can be an
exercise in futility -- and I'm an EE with years of experience in
computer design.  The real culprit is the "fix by replacement" approach
that replaces intelligent analysis with rote replacement.  Give me Lucas
electrics anytime!

I don't expect that modern cars could repaired by intelligent analysis
because it would be impossible to train that many people -- much less
tolerant the time and labor rates needed.  IBM went to the field
replaceable unit (FRU) approach 30 years ago -- cars are just catching
up.

Dave Keillor