alt Hacker News> 1) We can’t really work on non-trivial fixes for our cars because they are too complex
Learning how to fix my own cars is something I’ll always be grateful for. They’re not that complex. Most of it is just bolts and a diagram reference.
Sure, if you crack a piston cylinder you just need a new engine, that isn’t really fixable.
Brakes/rotors/calipers, it is almost criminal what you pay a shop for in lieu of doing it yourself. Spark plugs are super easy. Even things like taking the intake manifold off a direct-inject car to replace the fuel injectors isn’t terribly hard.
What has made cars complex is all the electronics that tie into it. The mechanics of an ICE car are mostly about the same.
But,
1) the electronics often are what breaks
2) even if you are good at working on cars, bikes are really, really easy to fix in comparison (I mean, it is a silly comparison).
Of course, they do different things and the thing the car does is much more complex. So it isn’t really a fair comparison. But the fact remains!