Defective car electronics: Repairs instead of expensive parts replacement saves money

Created: 05/16/2022, 06:07

By: Marcus Efler

Small defect, big effort: If an electronic part in the car fails, it is usually replaced.

This can get really expensive – but there is often a cheaper alternative.

Losheim am See (Saarland) – Modern cars are full of small and large helpers: From electric seat adjustment to assistance systems for autonomous driving (Mercedes is particularly advanced here), electronics make everyday traffic easier.

The downside, however, is that even technically experienced car owners can hardly repair anything themselves.

A visit to the workshop can then become really expensive (to which not all customers react as extremely as in this case): If, for example, the LED turn signal in the side mirror is defective on the VW Touran, the repair with replacement of the control unit costs a good 1000 euros.

Defective car electronics: Repairs instead of expensive parts replacement saves money

And there are a number of such control units, whether for the engine, ABS or for the instrument cluster.

If they are defective, the workshop will install a new one as standard, which will cost at least several hundred euros.

But "besides the exchange, there is sometimes a cheaper alternative: repairs," reveals Stefan Ehl, motor vehicle expert at the expert organization KÜS: "In the best case, the bill is reduced to a tenth".

It is true that not all electronic components can be repaired, but there are quite a few in common vehicle models, as the expert explains: “One can have greater hopes, for example, with pixel errors in displays, read errors in CD drives and failed instrument backlighting do it.” However, devices with more complex functions such as ABS or engine control can also be repaired.

part defective?

The workshop usually exchanges it for a new one.

(symbol photo) © Photology2000/Imago

Defective car electronics: ask the workshop for repairs

But a normal car workshop often lacks the equipment for this - which is why they prefer to replace the defective part in its entirety and do not even offer the customer to send it to a specialist company for repair.

"When in doubt, it's worth asking," recommends the KÜS man.

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However, sending, repairing and sending it back can take longer than a simple exchange – but it can save several hundred euros.

So if you can spare your car for a few days, you should definitely insist on checking this option.