Collision mitigation sensors on all sides, keyless entry transmitters that are difficult to manage…
Some forum members of the past believe modern vehicles are over-loaded with features or “gimmicks”, the reason some people prefer older cars. Those people were criticized for their outdated views.
Rear quarter panel replacement in a Rivian R1T was quoted to an owner at $41,000 with all the labor. For a dent. PDR specialist agreed to try and appears to have fixed it. Then you have $3,000 radar sensors on the friar of Hondas that get stolen ir damaged in minor accidents.
That’s a more-complicated car, with a more-sophisticated problem. I have a simple car that had a simple problem: one circuit drew more current than its fuse, even with everything off. Being a cheapie who has nothing better to do I tested every wire, which required cutting each one because it was a 15-amp fuse on a 12-volt system, and I didn’t have an ohmmeter that would read that low accurately. The extra burner is that it was the last one I tested. What would a professional have done?
Yes, it is a mutual insurance company. In addition to very competitive rates and excellent customer service, I get a dividend (rebate) from them most years, for 10% of the annual premium.
I’ve been with them for ~20 years, and I have no complaints whatsoever. I use them to insure my home, as well as my vehicle, and I also have an Umbrella Liability policy with them.
At one time, they only wrote policies in NJ, but now anyone with a good driving record in NJ/PA/CT/MD/OH can be insured by them. As you may know, even with their limited footprint, they are consistently rated as one of the top 3 car insurance companies in the entire US.
I’m no professional mechanic but do have an electrical engineering background and do my own work like this. I had a similar problem and although I could have brought home an expensive differential ohmmeter, I chose to tackle it with simpler means. First, I installed a resettable .circuit breaker in place of the fuse. They sell them in the same form factor as the fuses but they are wider so I just tacked it onto the back of a normal fuse and inserted it. This allows repeated faults to happen without wasting a dozen fuses.
Then I used a clamp on ammeter with my DVM to measure current without cutting wires. Then it’s just a matter of following the branches to find the fault.
Isn’t that almost always the way it goes? but this reminded me of the exchange; where did you find your keys? They were in the last place I looked. Naturally, you wouldn’t keep looking once you found them
I rarely loose or misplace anything but one morning i had a meeting out of town and parked in the ramp. When done I reached for my bill fold to pay the ramp but my pocket was empty. No cash, debit cards, or nothing. Luckily I scraped up $10 from my pocket so I didn’t have to go beg for a loan. When I got home I was relieved to find it still on the dresser. Glad I had a full tank of gas for the 60 miles.