I used to think mechanics hated engineers for no reason.

Then at my fourth hour into 20-minute job… I got it. You’re under a car, everything’s rusted, clips are breaking, and you’re wondering, did the person who designed this ever touch a wrench?

Fair question. But after working as an engineer (including my time at General Motors), I’ve learned something uncomfortable:

It’s not engineers vs. mechanics. It just looks that way. Mechanics live in reality, tight spaces, seized bolts, real consequences. Engineers? They’re solving problems inside a box most people never see.

By the time an engineer touches a design, a lot is already locked in:

• Marketing decided how it looks
• Finance cut the budget
• Regulations dictate safety, emissions, efficiency
• Leadership wants it faster and cheaper

Now fit all that into a shrinking space… and make it reliable. Something has to give.

That “impossible-to-reach” part? It might’ve been the only place left.

And here’s the kicker: sometimes those designs work, until years later when that one buried component fails. By then, the engineer is long gone, and the mechanic gets stuck holding the bag.

I’ve seen both sides. Some engineers have never picked up a wrench.

Some mechanics… probably shouldn’t pick one up again.

But most are doing the best they can within a system full of trade-offs.

Modern cars aren’t just machines anymore, they’re rolling compromises between cost, performance, safety, efficiency, and features.

And we’re pushing all of it to the limit of Material Science, Physics and Chemistry.

So if you’re asking, “Who’s to blame?” It’s bigger than either side.

It’s the system. Luxury features lead to maximum profits. These features add to the complexity. Everything is about short-term number going up.

Until there is a corporate mind shift from short-term gains to long-term corporate planning, nothing is going to change.

It is no longer about engineers versus mechanics, but corporate greed versus consumers. I think there is a market for smaller and simpler vehicles, but the question is, will they be profitable?

The popularity of early 2000s vehicles that were more reliable and user-repairable shows that this demand does exist. However, with the changing landscape of new technologies, alternative fuel vehicles, and self-driving cars, no one really knows what the market will look like in five years. It is understandable why automotive companies are hesitant to take big gambles on unproven markets.

In the next ten years, we may quit buying cars altogether. We may not even be leasing them. We may just be purchasing transportation as a service. After all, we are supposed to own nothing and be happy.

Where do you think the automotive market is going?

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