Are we getting dumber?? De skilling of the automotive industry

[MarkAW]

The industry, and by that I mean the vehicle and component manufacturers have dumbed down the required skills for the the trade of motor mechanic.

Today skills seem to be lacking in genuine fault analysis and the ability to repair componentry.

My background - apprenticeship from 1976 to 1980 working on light to heavy vehicles plus light to medium plant (cherry pickers/small dozers, FELs etc) back to school in 1986 for Mech Engineering Deg.

As an apprentice and tradesman, electrical componentry such as alternators, wiper motors, or carburettors were all overhauled, not thrown out. I understand the nature of business, that these days its cheaper to fit a new component than stuff around overhauling a damaged one, but where is the skill. The skill is lost and to some extent so is the understanding of how it actually works. Looking at an image of the insides of a component to show how it works is nothing compared to taking it apart the correct way, overhauling and reassembly. Modern components just dont allow that. If you don't understand how it works, how can you possibly fault analyse a problem.