Some contemplation... 

So for those like me who want to keep our old a6 going for years to come (I admit mines not working ATM), the biggest issue I foresee for all 20+ year old cars, is how are we going to keep the electronics going, when they're no longer available? 
Such as ECU, gearbox modules, CCM, etc as these aren't always repairable. Not to mention the issue with coding. 

I wonder, in order to keep these cars on the road is by bypassing or removing them? 

As people with knowledgeable on complex coding is limited 
I'd be interested in other people's views. 

 

What a great question! I recall some 45 years ago my dad servicing a number of Triumph Heralds. You could take the whole thing apart and put it back together in a day. I particularly remember painting a line down the driveshaft and gearbox so that the parts could be put back together in alignment. Spares were readily available off the shelf and many parts were generic. These days, most of us get to top up oil, screenwash and (maybe) coolant, and you can't even replace a battery without going to the dealership. I'd love to get into changing some of the settings on my A6 with coding, but it's so complex to get started, there's no support from Audi and warranty issues really bother me, even when all I'd love to do is get a few tweaks done like showing what gear the car is in without being in sport mode!

The wind of change that's coming to consumer electronics, where manufacturers have to make their devices repairable -  I wonder if that would ever come to cars. I don't know if many manufacturers would ever embrace the right to repair properly whilst they depend so strongly on dealer networks. To be honest I have no background in this area at all, but I can see this only being possible with cars designed and made to be "operated on" and kept going for years to come. Do we think that modern cars are even capable of being sustained as long as some "classic" cars have been kept running? And what about electric vehicles - will they ever be able to become "classic"?

 

2 hours ago, Steve Q said:

Some contemplation... 

So for those like me who want to keep our old a6 going for years to come (I admit mines not working ATM), the biggest issue I foresee for all 20+ year old cars, is how are we going to keep the electronics going, when they're no longer available? 
Such as ECU, gearbox modules, CCM, etc as these aren't always repairable. Not to mention the issue with coding. 

I wonder, in order to keep these cars on the road is by bypassing or removing them? 

As people with knowledgeable on complex coding is limited 
I'd be interested in other people's views. 

 

COULD BEEN WORSE ALL ELECTRIC WIRES IN FRENCH  CARS   GET EATING BY  RATS    AS SOME NUM  FEEEEECA AT FACTORY   MADE THEM FROM PROSSESD    SOYA  

4 hours ago, audia4b5kev said:

COULD BEEN WORSE ALL ELECTRIC WIRES IN FRENCH  CARS   GET EATING BY  RATS    AS SOME NUM  FEEEEECA AT FACTORY   MADE THEM FROM PROSSESD    SOYA  

True. Not to mention mercedes with there biodegradable wiring looms in the 1990s! 

and AUDI WITH  THE biodegradable  WINGS  TO