Whether it痴 brushes, points or many other modern updates, the changes are ultimately driven by cost.
One thing that has actually detracted from reliability that is starting to be addressed is the overwhelming level of monitoring and protection that was made possible with digital controls. As every aspect of unit or vehicle operation has moved to computer controls the trend has been to add fault algorithms to everything. Many digital controlled brush machines for example won稚 allow the unit to run with the field resistance out of spec or start when battery voltage or cranking speed too low.
The lawyers unfortunately have final say on much of this so don稚 hold your breath if allowing it to start would increase liability.
As for battery diagnostics, most industrial ECMs have had this for as much as 20 years with the increasing detail. Newer vehicles have the alternator output controlled by one of the ECMs and have some level of battery condition monitoring. My 15 escape has a battery lifetime (not level of charge) remaining parameter that estimates the overall condition though I don稚 know how it is determined.
I don't drive anything that new..... good to see some useful diagnostics migrating on-board.
Cost. Truck Roll rules much. Manufacturer's hate paying for it (Warranty)..... getting a qualified tech on-site costs big money. From the other way around..... it's what drives seeing many (much) less than 10 year old household appliances at the end of the driveway..... consumers would mostly rather sign up for what looks like a low-payment loan for a new one, than pay the minimum for Truck Roll, plus whatever major parts follow..... Green Marketing, at it's best......
Lawyers, Accountants..... often make more product design decisions, than Engineers do. Esp. as manufacturing scales up.....
I quite likely have used this example on here before, but it ties very well with your "Liablity+Lawyers = AutoShutdown". Buddy of mine asks a customer who had been coming to his general light-duty shop for many years how they liked their new Subaru. The guy smiled then told the following story...... he drove another vehicle that first day they had it, his wife decides to back the new Subby into the garage. He gets home, she's crying - tweaked a side-view mirror on the door-frame backing into garage, enough to damage it.
He calms her down, not a big deal dear...... Next day he goes to hop into the Subby to drive to the dealership. Nothing, nada, zip......... had to be flat-decked to the dealer to have the mirror replaced. Because of the Lane Change/Collison Avoidance/ Don't Look at Anything but What We Show You On-Screen tech on-board, engine-start was disabled until That ^ system was repaired
and calibrated.
I don't have a particular hate-on for Subby (I don't doubt many other modern cars would behave the same....), but I find it absolutely hilarious (well, for me, at a distance.....) how that vehicle is marketed. Outdoor, Active-Lifestyle, Off-road destined......
Can see it now...... spend many hours driving into a seriously remote part of Canada, well out of cell-range, with a kayak or 2 on-roof....... back into a very tight remote spot, tweak that same mirror on a tree you didn't see...... Good times !
There is plenty of tech that is useful/helpful..... just not a fan of getting kicked in the ___________ by it.....
Dual-Sport MC are a good example of appropriate control of tech. Better modern ones are factory capable of turning the ABS Off - what you want to be able to do off-road. That's one place (at least for now), that the designers over-ruled the lawyers.
Rgds, D.
