Hey Jim
Welcome to the Stovebolt! The guys here are really helpful and knowledgeable. Many of them readily share their years of experience. I learn something from these guys most everytime I crank up the site.
As an aside: Typing a message all in capitol letters is hard for most to read. Many across the land consider it an equivalent to shouting. Just a friendly bit of info, no offense intended.
I too have a problem with the new model vehicles. Just last week I stopped by a friends body shop. They were repairing an almost brand new Chevy 1/2 ton. It had more bells and whistles than a pimp mobile. The owner had minor front end damage, mostly a broken head lamp and grill. To repair that alone looked to be a nightmare! The thing has Grill louvers to automatically open and close to regulate engine temp., the headlamp has to be replaced as an entire unit. Both of these parts have their own "modules" to help operation with the onboard computer. I can't recall for certain the parts costs, but the total was around $750., just for the head lamp assembly. Oh, and the headlamp bulbs were extra! And guess what, the entire front bumper, and an array of other parts had to be removed just to get to the head lamp. The days of going to a friendly Parts supplier after dinner on Sunday and buying and installing a headlamp before the end of the 1st quarter of a football game are or will be gone soon.
