content: This sentiment I hear all the time but as an engineer, it has more to do with a highly competitive market and hitting price points. Modern TVs are great examples. They know due to technology that a TV will only be expected to last so long until the average consumer wants a new one, so they buy the cheapest parts to get the TV to last  just that long. That way they can be competitive in the market. Cars work the same way. As they have more electronics and complex features, the pressure to use cheaper parts becomes greater, and consumer ability to repair becomes lesser. There is no conspiracy here; we, the consumer, have created this.