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Piston Slap: Platform Decay, Brain Rot, and DIY Auto Repair
Jay writes:
Sajeev,
A neighbor’s son was having car trouble and I was tasked with the diagnosis. I walked over and found the teen sitting in the driver’s seat of the dead vehicle. I said, “Pop the hood and we will have a look.” His response: “I don’t know how to do that.”
It seems that society is moving further and further away from even a rudimentary understanding of automotive mechanicals. Some 75 years ago, owner’s manuals described how to perform basic maintenance like setting the ignition points, and now some vehicles don’t even have dipsticks! Even seemingly harmless features like fuel level monitor lights assist the masses with ignoring the instrument cluster.
Are modern features killing any vestiges of automotive enthusiasm? Are we, who love the workings of our vehicles, a dying breed? I’d appreciate any insights.
Sajeev answers:
I think society has moved as far as it can from a “rudimentary understanding of automotive mechanicals,” Jay. Things are gonna change, I can feel it!
My optimism is because I talk to younger folks on a regular basis, both in the local car scene and as a mentor at my alma mater’s business school. And one discussion point that always rings true goes something like this: Platform decay is real.
Platform decay pertains to an increasing amount of garbage on the platforms that rule our daily digital lives, and younger folks are convinced it contributes to brain rot. We enthusiasts see the same decay with increasingly complex automobiles, in everything from buggy touch screens to complex CVT fluid services. Let’s not forget BMW’s controversial subscription service, as this decay has so many analogies in the automotive industry.
My most recent mentee from my alma mater drives a 2004 Toyota Camry LE, and he loves its blend of comfort and durability. Turns out he is more than willing to perform DIY repairs to avoid buying a newer vehicle with unnecessary, expensive tech.
Willing but not able. That’s where I come in, and I knew I liked this kid for good reason!
He saw the light on his own, and my mentee isn’t the only one. Millennial YouTube influencer Levi Hildebrand dedicated a video to automotive platform decay, making points that many a Piston Slap reader may appreciate. So it appears that the kids are alright, but they still need help managing the platform decay in their lives.
My mentee knows how to open the hood and check all the fluids, but he didn’t know how to diagnose that “clunk” he felt in the powertrain. When we drove his car to pinpoint its source, I suspected an issue with the engine mounts. We looked under the hood and quickly found the problem.
Turns out there’s a “dog bone” damper that’s mounted between the Camry’s engine and the passenger-side strut tower. One wiggle with a tire iron and we immediately realized what was wrong.
I said we, not me.
My mentee’s face lit up when he saw the problem, and he immediately began planning the solution. I think he was ready to go to a parts store right then and replace that broken dog bone in the parking lot. I slowed him down a bit, trying to ensure he doesn’t get burned by his newfound enthusiasm for DIY-ing.
After informing me that he has access to tools in his father’s garage, I pointed him down the proper path. At our next meeting he showed off his repaired Camry and its vibration-free engine. With this success in mind, I recommend you consider the following with your own mentee who may be looking to dive into DIY auto repair:
- Watch a YouTube video or two about the diagnostic/repair, then ask them if they have questions or concerns.
- Shop RockAuto.com for parts prices and part numbers.
- Cross-shop that part number on sites like eBay and Amazon.
- Buy factory-branded parts (i.e. Toyota, in this case) whenever possible because of, ahem, platform decay at the industry level.
Many younger folks want better experiences in everything from their phones to their cars. Most are not immune to factors like personal debt, and quickly grasp the car industry’s struggle with mechanic shortages, the inconsistent quality of replacement parts, and a newer concern about shrinking margins from uncertainty in a shop’s variable costs.
Again, platform decay applies in so many ways to our automobiles. But if you frame the discussion in this manner, younger folks may see the benefit to performing DIY repair and maintenance. Or perhaps there’s a better way to sum it up:
“Teach your mentee about dog bones and they will keep their Camry alive for years to come.”
Have a question you’d like answered on Piston Slap? Send your queries to pistonslap@hagerty.com—give us as much detail as possible so we can help! Keep in mind this is a weekly column, so if you need an expedited answer, please tell me in your email.
I love your mentor/mentee story in response to Jay’s question, Sajeev. I’ve long been positing this sort of thing to people who’ve lamenting that young people just don’t care about cars anymore. They (or at least many of them) DO care, but things are different nowadays. When I was young, we cared about cars because there wasn’t much else, we felt they were freedom-giving, and things were relatively affordable (plus they appealed to a lot of girls, for some reason!) – but much of that has changed. So the challenge is to mentor within the new realities.
I recently stopped to visit an old friend when I saw him standing in the driveway looking over a Dodge Neon that was obviously jacked up on one corner. My friend was watching a young man just tightening up the last lug nut after doing a brake job on his new purchase. My 78-year-old friend’s hands were completely clean (highly unusual) and the kid’s mitts were black as coal. The young man had to quickly wash up and back out to test the brakes once so he could make it to his job on time. After he left, I talked with the “mentor”, wondering why he was doing what I had seen – this guy is a serious hot rod builder. He told me, if that kid had to rely on what he makes at the Pizza Parlor to get a brake job done, he’d probably get killed in a crash. “I’m simply trying to keep him alive long enough to get him to help me do an engine swap on the “T” Coupe – plus, I like his pizzas!”
It wasn’t what I considered a “natural” interest in cars that got that kid’s hands dirty, like it was the first time I jacked up a car. But there’s no reason that getting a youngster involved has to follow that path. There is no right or wrong way. Don’t worry about showing them “THE WAY”, just show them “A WAY”! They need us (mentors) more than ever as – as you say – the platform decay forces them to deal with the points you make at the end of your answer.
Well said! Kids these days have almost too many things demanding their attention, and I have been pleasantly surprised that my last two mentees have been interested in having and more analog items in their lives.
I taught my last mentee how to drive a stick in my Ford Ranger, and he was hooked. He said “analog” at least three times and swore he would buy something bare bones with a stick when he had the money for a new vehicle to replace his CVT powered Subaru.
Rock Auto is a fine organization, I’m sure, but contrary to their claim they DO NOT have all the parts your car will ever need. To be fair, Advance Auto, O’Reilly’s, Auto Zone, and NAPA, et al. may not have them either. But it is far more likely that a real person behind a parts counter will be able to counsel you on where to locate the part and help you figure out what to do to remedy the issue.
And more cheaply, too. I can’t tell you the number of customers who come in wanting to buy a new catalytic converter because the CEL read “Catalyst efficiency below threshhold Bank 1” when a new air filter was all they needed. Or the guy who insisted he needed a new throttle body when a squirt or two of carb cleaner to the Mass Air Flow sensor solved the problem (after he installed an over-oiled K&N air filter).
Despite rampant consumer paranoia most competent parts houses advise their clients to “do the cheapest thing first” before they get into an ever-deepening downward spiral of parts hanging. They also ask questions to ensure the aspiring mechanic has all the tools, supplies, parts, and knowledge to successfully complete the repair. Sending the person to the internet as a first step is fine as long as it is to gather background information to fix the issue. Shopping for parts online not so much.
You can bemoan the quality of parts all you want, but the fact remains that the online suppliers and the brick & mortar places, as well as even the dealerships often source their parts from the exact same places. And should you have the misfortune of getting an inferior or defective part it’s far easier (and faster) to rectify the situation at your local store. Online prices can be less expensive it’s true, but oftentimes those who chase low prices miss out on the true value of customer service.
Since I work for a web parts situation I can see this first hand. Price is king and most web parts houses can get a part to you in one day or less.
I know we get replacements out at the same speed but defective parts are less than 1 percent of all those sold.
Also the locals even big name parts places buy the parts you buy from the web companies.
The real issue is Amazon. They can even do same day now and they can sell below cost to hurt all the companies selling parts. But who do you ask for help.
VERY well-put!
I too was surprised with Sajeev’s blanket endorsement of RockAuto.
I had at least two disappointing experiences with them, sending me the wrong parts.
Your advice about local physical stores is right on target.
Great posting.
I think shopping at Rock Auto first and using the part numbers there for other website shopping is a pretty mediocre endorsement. It is far from a “blanket endorsement.”
I believe they have the best online catalog, and they should be the first place you go. To window shop for a future purchase!
Here is a secret of the industry. Many other sales staff use Rock Auto’s web site for look up of part numbers as most other systems suck.
Customer do it too.
People only think they know how things work in the parts industry and to be honest they would be shocked at how this all works.
It is a tough business. The big dollar items are not where the money is made it is often the small parts.
Volume of orders are where the money is made not small bits. Large retailers are like grocery stores and make only a few buck per part and it adds up on volume. They pay the same for many parts as any other retailer so they make it up in volume.
Shipping has only made it more difficult for local and mail order. The locals pay more in shipping for inventory and the mail order more to get it to you.
The good thing with mail order is most parts are in stock and I know we can get most in a day or so to the customer.
But all part vendors are struggling with shipping and port delays . Also customer need to understand parts are made in runs and not a single part for you, So sometimes it can be several months on some parts. I have waited up to 6 months and I work here.
People also need to make sure not to order based on web photos. Most are marked as representative, but no one reads this.
Much is drop shipped today. It may had a couple days over a stock part but it will save weeks waiting for back orders.
Big suggestion is to buy things like wheels and other related engine parts in the fall. Many are on the shelf but come spring they will be on back order.
I see people daily order wheels in May for a car show in June and wonder why the wheels may not be made till July. If they had ordered in Nov they would have had them much faster and for the car show in June.
Finally do not always count on a the shipping days to be the same. Normally you may get things in a day but that one thing you need may take two days as one is not a sure thing with UPS etc. That is unless you pay for it and the the weather is good. Plan ahead and prepare if there is a delay.
That makes a lot of sense. Glad to see that pros in the business also use RA for their catalog. It’s pretty fantastic, as I have never found an issue with the part numbers (for my Fords).
And using that catalog has saved me A LOT of money, either when buying at Rock Auto or finding some inventory liquidator on eBay selling discarded dealership inventory for pennies on the dollar.
Sometimes a person behind the parts counter is no help at all – I’ve experienced this numerous times. My last go round was spark plugs for my 41 Ford. Told the parts guy I needed plugs for 350 Chevy (even told him part #) – he asked what kind of car – I told him but also that it didn’t matter – but he punched 41 Ford in his computer & said he couldn’t get plugs for it – I walked out the door.
To test guys I don’t know I ask for a Corvair radiator hose. You would be surprised how many look.
Great test, because it’s reasonable to expect your parts counter person to know the nuances of a car that was last produced decades before they were born. Would rather know that they know how to critically think than know bits of trivia that is useless to their daily job. It proves nothing.
Yes, I generally regard parts staff as being room temperature IQ, but at least test someone with daily applicable knowledge.
Actually that is a common thing anyone connected to cars should know. It is in the news still much today.
Any good parts person would catch it right away.
We’re gonna have to agree to disagree. That might be common knowledge to you, but maybe not to anyone but the old hand who’s been at it for a while.
I find it more important that the counter person knows to recommend that I get idlers, tensioners and a water pump next time I do a timing belt, or to ask if a 99 Chevy pickup is a C/K (GMT400) or a Silverado (GMT800) and knows why.
Obscure knowledge is useless pedantism that is a nice to know, but not required to be competent at that job. If that’s the yardstick we’re using, I would find the experience insufferable.
I used to work a parts counter when in high school and community college. Being a hard core car guy since childhood I knew a lot already, and I’d get customers who would test me like that (probably because I was young) and I found that to be demeaning and far from funny.
Since I worked at a local, family-owned NAPA, I could give a discretionary discount for regulars. If someone pulled that on me, you were paying full price forever regardless of how much of a regular you were.
ccrvtt you bring up fantastic points, and my local O’Reilly’s is the place to go when I need exactly that. I was once again validated in my love for O’Reilly’s when looking for a serpentine belt for a car with aftermarket pulleys, and they let me walk in the back and get what I needed. (multiple sized belts, one to be used and the others to be returned)
The car culture may not die fully but it will never get back to what it was.
Kids just lack what we had. Cheap cool cars. They lack the tools to work on them. They often no longer need them for social circles.
It used to be cars were your calling card. They were part of your image and what you were known by even if they never knew your name.
Today the kids don’t go yo hang outs, they don’t go to malls they seldom go anyplace. They stay home text, play video games and interact on line.
When I was my son’s age I was never home. He has a ton of friends and one in a while they meet up but they just live on line.
The kids that are in the hobby often are kids from car families. They grew up in it and still have cool cars at home because they are in the family.
I’m sure there are a ton of kids who would live the car culture but hey just have no in or the money needed to participate.
Even working on today’s cars they are not like the old Chevy V8 where many parts are interchangeable. Today Honda can have three designs on the same engine in one year.
Time have changed as have economics and availability of used cars. There are no more clean 1968 Chevelle SS for $2000. There are no gas stations that work on cars.
Even dealers today can’t get people to work as techs.
Everything you say is true. For some of us of a certain age it is difficult to accept that today’s youth don’t hold the same values that we had at their age. I work with some of these new agers in a parts store. They are a lot smarter than we were and have a lot more options competing for their interests than we had. Not good, not bad, just different.
Let’s say they have not had the Sam opportunities we had, But we never had their technology.
It is just different times.
Even those of us from the 80’s were not the same as those from the 50’s. If we needed a cam we bought one. If they needed a cam they made one.
Agsin just different eras.
Need a piston? Pour a new one – The Last Indian.
That was how it was done. Headers you made it. Intakes you welded one up. Fender you hammered it out.
How I would love to learn metal shaping but I like my thumb nails.
This is rather tired old ground to cover. One that it is easy to go on and on about so I’ll try not to. _ There are those people, to give an example, design a piece of furniture and are happy to hand the plans over to someone else to produce. Others who want to do the project from start to finish. Enjoy working with their hands. I’m not judging which is better. You’re not building that cable stay bridge by yourself. So having the vision and executing yourself or not is nothing new. Walking a kid through a brake is like an old master having his apprentice paint the background. Nothing new. The difference is generational. Those who grew up seeing things done on a computer screen and those who handed his father the tools to do it. A bit of a wall there. That’s nothing new either. Many of my friends bought the classic car they dreamed of. Bought the manual and thought I could do this stuff on a weekend. It had been a while since they got their hands dirty and then found removing those four bolts wasn’t easy. _ As my old tee shirt said – ” To do is to be”- “To be is to do” – ” Do be do be doo “.
Teaching someone some troubleshooting skills and the ability to fix things is very satisfying. Good on ya Sajeev!
The trouble is to find someone willing and with good reasoning and common sense.
I really wonder are cars too reliable today as in the past you had to know how to fix them.
I think we have too many service centers that ensure people are routed to another service to make their lives easier.
Too many don’t want to get their hands dirty.
Yet the guy who cut and trimmed my trees drives a new Benz. Yet my doctor is 40 years old and still working multiple shifts at the hospital to pay off his student loans.
My buddy I grew up with has done well with his own shop. He is tired of working on cars but he has two airplanes and lives a decent life.
He even hurts himself as he often will let some jobs go others would jump on as he feels it is too soon to replace a parts. He is like his dad honest first and out the buck second.
The truth is the C students that know how to work with their hands are destined to do well in life.
Plumbers, electricians and such can do very well today.
I had auto tech in school and collage and finished with a business degree. I parlayed that to work in the racing parts industry. I still get to be around and deal with cars and parts but now I no longer get dirty. I also no longer have to work with the public and look for way to make things work better for the customer and company. I have done well and no complaints.
Even my wife asked when I will retire and I said it may be 70 years old as I can work from home and be done by 2 PM. May as well get paid for being home. I have been blessed in so many ways.
Great comments! My 30 year old son in law can not change a tire (true).As cars get more expensive, they will learn. Mr.Need is a powerful motivator. I taught HVAC at a Community College for 20 years. Young people often think they do not have to really learn or study. Their phone can give them all the answers..I one had s student ask me if computers will troubleshoot Equipment. I said be careful what you ask for. if they could, why would anyone be willing to pay you? On OBD2, I had a code that said an expensive part was defective. I was actually a blown fuse not sending info back to the ECU. One of my students early on brought his mom’s car in because the AC was not working. They were tearing and testing parts under the dash. At the end of class I noticed the back up lights were not working. The same fuse also energized the AC clutch (true). Replace the fuse and he drove the car back to his mom. He was so proud! I loved and miss teaching!
Not to be a nitpicker. Love everything you write and the wisdom behind it.
But, linguistics matter as much as intuition and diagnostic ability. I agree, start with the simple and if you can, keep it there.
So…it you are a mentor, why invent a new term? Your student is your “protégé”. “Mentee” – where the heck did that come from?
Thank you for your kind words and feedback. Suggesting I invented the term mentee is rather generous, as I got it from my alma mater’s mentoring program. If they say it, I naturally wind up saying it as part of their program.
While that Mazda sedan was pretty awesome, my mentee is even better than a protégé in my book. 😁
Platform “decay”? Why isn’t it platform bloat? Us old timers (speaking for myself in particular) can go on about these damn fool kids but when I have an ECU question I go straight to my 20-something nephew who’s very knowledgeable about all things software.
As platform decay is generally a reference to social media platforms like Facebook, the term considers decay in terms of what is being put on their servers. AI generated content might be the best example of decay. Bloat would be things like Facebook Dating or Facebook Jobs (a feature that no longer exists on the platform).
Platform decay in cars would be things like “sealed for life transmissions” or “hot V” turbocharging. Or the aforementioned BMW subscription service for components you already purchased, but need to go through another layer of nonsense just to get to it. Bloat is probably more applicable to things like the height of modern truck beds, or the number of cupholders in a car.
Or perhaps I am totally overthinking this analogy.
No you’re not and thanks for the explanation. I was reading platform (as in “B body”) decay and imagining feature bloat (as in technology for technology’s sake). I’m looking forward to the day someone accuses me of overthinking something but so far it’s only been the opposite.
Perhaps overthinking the analogy. In general automotive terms and given the growing complexity of systems, overthinking is something many of us tend to do. ‘ The simplest solution (theory) is usually correct’ is still my mantra but always Shepherds (Alan) prayer first – ” Dear lord, please don’t let me f***up.”
Ahh, the joys of finding parts for unusual machines.
1975 Hercules Wankel engine motorcycle. Early ones mixed oil with the gas, later ones had an oil injection pump “borrowed” from a 60s vintage Yamaha two stroke. Needed the banjo fitting for the oil line from the tank to the pump. Dealer was useless – unless you have a part number there’s no way we can get it for you. Motorcycle junkyard – a dollar. Carburetor is the left side CV carb from a 70s vintage BMW R60/5. Parts monkey at the dealer INSISTED I needed BOTH sides and I was nuts to do just one. “Well, there IS no right side carburetor. It isn’t on a BMW.” Then he didn’t want to sell it to me because it wasn’t for a BMW. A few words with the owner (who I knew) fixed that.
Then there’s this Munch Mammoth in my hangar – the ignition switch is Bosch and cross references to a Volvo. Dealer insisted he HAD to know what model Volvo, I told him just look at the Bosch part number on the bottom. He did, but reluctantly. The tail ight is off some 60s vintage East German bus . . . luckily there is a repro available. (Not cheap, but available.) Rear brake cylinders on the bike are from the front brakes on a 60s vintage German Ford (Taunus), I found the last two NOS parts at a parts store in the Fatherland, he also asked my why I was only doing one side (cause there is no other side, it is a motorcycle!).
Half the fun is finding this obscure stuff. (Well, maybe less than half the fun . . . )
I was just working through a very similar experience, with my 11-year-old Mercedes. The A/C had gone warm, I pulled the codes, and it stated that the Clutch for the a/c Compressor had an open circuit. I decided to bring it to my local Independent MB shop, and for $220 for diagnosis time, they stated the drained and refilled the system, and the compressor wouldn’t activate, although it showed no leaks. So per the manual, “Replace the Compressor, drier, and drain and refill the system.” The total quote was $2,200.
Thankfully, one of the MB forums I visited figured out that since it is a Denso Compressor, the magnetic clutch part is replaceable after a quick search on eBay. About four hours of my own labor later, a $70 part on eBay, and about $100 in additional tools later, I have a working a/c.
I respect my shop, and I can understand why they didn’t come up with this plan from a time/labor standpoint. However, in the future, before I blindly write the check for repairs, I’ll have to investigate what DIY options I might have and weigh them.