# Ideas to reduce the price of car repairs? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 20, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582 "2024-03-20T22:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/61 "2024-03-29T03:58:41Z")
> [@nofyfb\_180405](#): > > It’s called Techstream, I downloaded it online. From Toyota or a bootleg version? > [@nofyfb\_180405](#): > > Toyota, for example, provides free diagnostic software Can you share the link for free TechStream software with us? ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 4:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/62 "2024-03-29T04:13:32Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > I do not think that most people _really_ want all the nonsense which newer vehicles come with. I think the problem is _dealers who order vehicles with all this nonsense_, because it increases the transaction price, and therefore the profits from the sale. I think _lots_ of people would like a “no-nonsense” car with a NA 4-cylinder engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, and not much else. You don’t want all these things? Don’t blame the dealer or manufacturer. Blame the nanny state government. ABS? Mandatory. Backup camera? Required. Traction control? Mandatory. Automatic emergency braking and all the associated systems? Required on 95% of cars. Constantly increasing MPG requirements and lower tailpipe emissions? And so on… If you wonder where all these rules and regulations come from, look to the people we’ve voted into office. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 7:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/63 "2024-03-29T07:30:22Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > From Toyota or a bootleg version? Most likely bootleg. You can also get bootleg versions off EBay, but a lot of them don’t work all that well, depending on you operating system. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/64 "2024-03-29T13:03:07Z")
> [@asemaster](#): > > If you wonder where all these rules and regulations come from, look to the people we’ve voted into office. Insurance companies. Every single one of them. And I have no problem with any of them. They’ve been proven to drastically increase safety for EVERYONE on the road. For people who live in the North East - Traction Control and ABS have really come in handy…especially in ice/snowy conditions. I didn’t even know I was driving on Black-ice until my traction control kicked in. > [@asemaster](#): > > Constantly increasing MPG requirements and lower tailpipe emissions? All for it. Have been for decades. We’d still be driving mid-size cars that get only 17 MPG if it wasn’t for these regulations. It’s amazing what a company can do when put against the wall instead of asking them nicely. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/65 "2024-03-29T13:24:17Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > We’d still be driving mid-size cars that get only 17 MPG if it wasn’t for these regulations. Yup! My '71 Charger was a really good car (except for the weak brakes), but the best mileage that I could ever muster with that car was 17 mpg–on a long highway trip. My typical mileage with that car was 13-15 mpg–and that was with the smallest (318 c.i., 230 hp) V-8. My current car weighs 1,200 lbs more, but it has 304 hp, accelerates a LOT faster, and in hybrid mode I regularly get mpgs in the 40s–sometimes much more. Also, its ride, handling, braking, and all-around safety are light-years beyond my beloved old Charger. ---
**Author:** ![nofyfb\_180405](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@nofyfb\_180405](https://community.cartalk.com/u/nofyfb_180405)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/66 "2024-03-29T13:44:05Z")
I downloaded it here: > **[Free Download and install Toyota Techstream 12.20.024 on Windows 7 |...](http://blog.obdii365.com/2017/09/18/install-toyota-techstream-12-02-024-on-windows-7/)** > > Toyota TIS Techstream V12.20.024 new software has been tested without issues on Windows 7 operation system and verified working like a charm. Software version: V12.20.024 Toyota Techstream 12.20.024 crack free download:... I did have to create a Virtual Box with windows 7 (I run Linux exclusively), and it works just fine. It’s been awhile, and I bought a mid-range Autel scanner since then, and that’s what I’ve been using lately. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/67 "2024-03-29T14:15:53Z")
> [@asemaster](#): > > look to the people we’ve voted into office. Yeah we voted the politicians in… but the agencies expand the regulations with little oversight. ---
**Author:** ![sheridanpaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@sheridanpaul](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sheridanpaul)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/68 "2024-03-29T15:13:55Z")
REMINDS ME OF… The heart surgeon is picking up his vintage Mercedes from the car mechanic and when handed the bill, he starts fuming—- “$3600 for a simple valve job!? $2400 for labor, $1200 for parts, this is outrageous!” The mechanic comes back to say— “Doc wait, what do you charge for on average heart surgery?” The doc starts to sputter “Well the cost of the operating room is about $11,000 and the anesthesiologist gets $4000, and my fee is about $8000. Mechanic— “So what the heck you complaining about, huh?” Doc says, “the difference is when I work, the engine is running!” ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/69 "2024-03-29T15:15:49Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > And I have no problem with any of them. They’ve been proven to drastically increase safety for EVERYONE on the road. I have no problem with technology on cars. I love that if I shift to reverse while it’s raining the rear wiper comes on automatically. I love getting 220hp out of a 2.5 liter engine and the immediate full torque you get from an EV. But the safety has become more important than comfort and convenience, and I have a problem with that. The blind spot monitor and lane departure features you like are distracting to me and actually interfere with my driving. The idea that they are required safety devices is another step in the direction of “we’re doing this for your own good.” I need to lose 40lbs so I don’t end up needing a triple bypass. I want a patty melt for lunch. What’s the best choice here? Bottom line, why should @bcohen2010 have to buy a car with Active Collision Avoidance because it makes you feel safer? ---
**Author:** ![sheridanpaul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@sheridanpaul](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sheridanpaul)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/70 "2024-03-29T15:19:54Z")
“…ABS? Mandatory. Backup camera? Required. Traction control? Mandatory. Automatic emergency braking and all the associated systems? Required on 95% of cars. Constantly increasing MPG requirements and lower tailpipe emissions?..” All those things are things I am willing to pay for! And I WANT you to have them also, if you are driving on the same roads with me, so YOU do not become the problem, and crash into me. Just plain self-protection on my part. ---
**Author:** ![nofyfb\_180405](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@nofyfb\_180405](https://community.cartalk.com/u/nofyfb_180405)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/71 "2024-03-29T15:24:29Z")
The difference really is that if a hellcare provider screw ups, they are not responsible. Mechanics - at least theoretically - are. In other words, a “doctor” just sends the outcome of his labor to morgue while a mechanic can’t return a non-running vehicle to customer with the “tough shit” note on the repair order. I know what I am talking about - for about 20 years I was an Automotive Mechanical Inspector, and for the next 20+ years, I’ve been a Software Engineer. In my second incarnation, I worked for a number of hellcare outfits. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/72 "2024-03-29T15:38:10Z")
> [@sheridanpaul](#): > > The heart surgeon is picking up his vintage Mercedes from the car mechanic On a slightly-related note, last year I had a root canal performed by an Endodontist, because my regular Dentist said that she didn’t want to do a root canal that was this complicated. The cost–even with my Dental Insurance–was staggering, but I paid because it was necessary. As I left the Endodontist’s office after my last visit, I saw my Endodontist get into his Porsche Panamera GTS Turbo–which has a _starting_ price (Porsche is notorious for very pricey options) north of $130k. Something tells me that Endodontics is a very lucrative profession. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/73 "2024-03-29T16:12:24Z")
> [@sheridanpaul](#): > > All those things are things I am willing to pay for! > And I WANT you to have them also, if you are driving on the same roads with me, so YOU do not become the problem, and crash into me. Just plain self-protection on my part. +1 Auto safety standards definitely differ somewhat from one country/continent to another. For instance, in Europe, airbags are programmed to deploy in the proper manner to protect belted passengers, while US airbag standards also have to take UNbelted drivers into consideration when the rate of airbag deployment is programmed into the car. Also, European-market cars frequently have a different hood design, in order to better protect pedestrians who are hit by a vehicle. Third-World nations frequently have lesser safety standards than developed nations do. Whether that is due solely to a different economy, or whether there is less regard for human life in those Third-World nations, I can’t claim to know. But, this comparison of crash test results for similar cars sold in two different countries is revealing: > **[Crash test illustrates stark difference in countries' vehicle safety standards...](https://www.autoblog.com/2022/06/29/vehicle-crash-test-global-ncap-differing-safety-standards/)** > > Two Hyundai models, one for the U.S. and one for Mexico, show the dangers caused by a major imbalance in two countries' crash test and safety standards. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/74 "2024-03-29T16:49:32Z")
> [@asemaster](#): > > But the safety has become more important than comfort and convenience, and I have a problem with that. I don’t agree with that at all. Cars are far more comfortable then they were 40 years ago before all the regulations. MAGNITUDES more comfortable. Blind spot warning is a GREAT convenience. My son has them on his Hyundai. It’s very helpful. ABS is a GREAT CONVENIENCE. ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/75 "2024-03-29T18:05:17Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > Cars are far more comfortable then they were 40 years ago No they’re not. I’m far more comfortable in the seat of a 25 year old Silverado than I am in a new Cadillac with 8-way adjustable heated/cooled seats. > [@MikeInNH](#): > > Blind spot warning is a GREAT convenience No it’s not. The constant flashing yellow icon in the mirrors is distracting and takes my attention away from driving the car. So in essence, I’m forced to drive an uncomfortable, distraction prone car so you can be safer? Of course I’m playing devil’s advocate here (although my examples above are real), but the fact is safety has taken far too much precedence. It should be an equilateral triangle with comfort, safety, and convenience on each side. Safety is no more important than the other 2. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/76 "2024-03-29T18:15:36Z")
I wanted the Blind Spot System on the recent new vehicle purchase. I am convinced that it helped me avoid an accident with a clown driver who passed a vehicle on the right hand shoulder and came back in the lane that I was ready to move to. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/77 "2024-03-29T18:56:58Z")
I remember my 1987 Park Ave had some VERY comfortable plush seats in it… Newer seats might hold you in place better when cornering, but nowhere as comfortable… Same interior/seats, different color… ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/5/6/5653e694bbbe8bc141344948647f3a9365992949.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/78 "2024-03-29T19:15:20Z")
> [@sheridanpaul](#): > > “…ABS? Mandatory. Backup camera? Required. Traction control? Mandatory. Automatic emergency braking and all the associated systems? Required on 95% of cars. Constantly increasing MPG requirements and lower tailpipe emissions?..” > > All those things are things I am willing to pay for! Now that a compact car cost $26,000 I am willing to keep my old Dodge as long as possible. I suspect there are many others who will defer the purchase of a new car because of the cost, feel safer? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/79 "2024-03-29T19:29:39Z")
Yup, that was mine only in red. Seems to me it was $17,000 at 7% instead of the one before that was $10,000 at 18%. And a 50,000 mile warranty. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582/80 "2024-03-29T19:29:53Z")
> [@nofyfb\_180405](#): > > I downloaded it here: You obtained an illegal pirated copy, it seems. Techstream Lite is $1645.00. [TIS (toyota.com)](https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/appmanager/t3/ti?_pageLabel=ti_ts_lite&_nfpb=true) [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582.md?page=3) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/ideas-to-reduce-the-price-of-car-repairs/194582.md?page=5)