As usual Luddite, I know exactly where you are coming from. The progress from understandable and repairable to black box has been inexorable but then so has the improvement in reliability. And not only in cars. I remember the times when colour TVs were new and the only sensible way to have one was to rent it thanks to lack of reliability and frequency of repairs. Contrast that to today when you buy one, expect it to work 100% for years and when it doesnt you junk it and move on.
Cars are similar. One DIY wiring repair excepted my last Merc saloon ran for 12 years and 150k miles without fault. Its still going now according to the DVLA but I got bored and changed it for another Merc with room for Woofta. I prefer that disposeable and reliable approach to the issues that we used to have with rust, dodgy electrical circuits, generators, brakes and clutches.That I cannot tinker with the ECU as I used to have to tinker with plugs and points worries me not at all. I dont want to get out and get under, not least because its ever more difficult to get upright again!
