The mechanic made the leap not me. He replaced thousands of coils and everything was fine, till the manufacturer decided to be anal, thank you for the right term. And then there are scrapyards full of fine, but artificially unfixable cars.
I sometimes try repairing things myself and it's like this not only cars but with everything. So much unnecessary waste. But for you I'm just some weirdo that wants to drive with one slightly different wheel right? :(
I'm not saying the manufacturer is being anal, I'm saying that's really the extent of what you can argue here. The car isn't "broken", it's just reporting an engine problem.
The same car from the 70s would have had the same coil issue, you just wouldn't know it unless you opened up the engine and checked them with a multimeter.
I think you misunderstood what he was saying, that's understandable because he's really talking about at least four different things: This Nissan story, another story about an F-150, observations that scrapyards are full of "OK" cars, and how BRICS is on the rise.
I'm only commenting on the Nissan story, as it's the only one where he's offering enough specifics to see that he's simply wrong about it.
A sibling comment pointed out that you can get these coils for around $20 a piece, he went to the dealer, so he likely decided to get the OEM certified ones for $100 a piece.
That a mechanic doesn't know that is baffling. Every manufacturer does this, it's because the OEM parts are really intended for their own dealer and repair networks (which get a hefty discount) while the car is under warranty.
Once it's past warranty you can get the exact same parts from any number of generic manufacturers. Often from literally the same factory as the OEM, the only difference being the lack of an OEM stamp/certification.
I also repair things myself, including my car. I've got lots of what I think are legitimate beefs with the computerized aspect of doing that.
But that doesn't mean that everyone who runs into any sort of "computer says no" issue is right about their particular complaint.
I don't see how that particular issue is baffling to you. These coils might not have been so cheaply and readily available back then. That happens all the time with proprietary parts.
It's baffling that an experienced mechanic wouldn't know that there's often a 2x-5x price difference in "genuine", "OEM" and "third-party" auto-parts. It's something you usually learn the first time you repair your car as an amateur.
So he knows about that, but "I couldn't wait for overnight shipping, or otherwise I could have replaced all the coils for the cost of just one OEM one at the dealership" doesn't build the same amount of YouTube drama.
I sometimes try repairing things myself and it's like this not only cars but with everything. So much unnecessary waste. But for you I'm just some weirdo that wants to drive with one slightly different wheel right? :(