Quality of car electrical systems

[Lester H]

Thinking of wiring, , quality of connections, probable durability, etc. Any experts out there know if a mid range new car (say £40k) is any better in this respect than a basic, low spec runabout. Not asking about exotics here.

[Olivergt]

Lester H said:

Thinking of wiring, , quality of connections, probable durability, etc. Any experts out there know if a mid range new car (say £40k) is any better in this respect than a basic, low spec runabout. Not asking about exotics here.

I would hazard a guess, that all cars from the same manufacturer use the same quality of wiring and the same connectors.

So a 1 series will have the same quality of wiring as a 7 series.

Happy to be corrected though.

[dino_jr]

What he said
Connectors have to meet the same requirements for durability / water proof / ergonomics etc regardless of the car. So they are all built to a very similar spec.

[Mr Tidy]

I don't think the connectors are the problem.

The "up-market" cars will have far more electronic systems with control modules that can be a problem in waiting which won't affect the more basic cars.

[Fiddly-Dee]

Something that became apparent to me, working on my 13 year-old car. Everything in the engine bay has been heated up and cooled down over 10,000 times over the life of the car. Most electrical connectors or plugs are plastic so, naturally, they become brittle over this time. Replacing a part, eg a thermostat, involves disconnecting a number of these parts, which tend to break due to fatigue, leading to more pain.

As a result, I decided to take the hit and move on to something else; Ideally, I would have gone backwards to something older and thus simpler, but rust then becomes an issue!