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Engines that can be serviced by a home mechanic. They’re already on the decline.

I do all my own repair work. IMHO, the vehicle diagnostic systems are designed on purpose to not be owner friendly.

Part of it is likely cost. Part of it is likely protecting the dealer network. There are exceptions, and sometimes workarounds, but for the most part, the inability to service the vehicle is designed in.

As an example, I recently bought an 02 Chrysler Sebring convertible. Had a seized engine so I got it for very little. Pull-a-part had an engine for me for under $200 and I rebuilt it and put it back together. That's when the fun began. You can do a "key dance" and the engine codes will be displayed on the dashboard. That's convenient. However, to clear the codes, you need a common scan tool (about $100). Still not bad.

I had a evap emissions system leak I chased down because I needed the codes clear to pass emissions testing. Its nearly impossible (although I managed to work around it) without a Chrysler scan tool, which is at least $4k used. If you have a body control, transmission, ABS, or cluster issue, you can't even find out what the codes are without the $4k tool - you're stuck going to the dealer or someone who bought the scan tool.

I suppose it's intended to help the dealership in the short term, but on a 10 year old car - most people are going to get to the point that the dealer visits cost more than the car's worth, and then it will get junked prematurely (how good is that for the environment).

In my experience, other than perhaps needing to flash an update to the onboard computers, most of the time these expensive tools are needed just to retrieve codes that realistically could be obtained by easier means if the manufacturer wanted to provide them (Cadillac had a system where you could retrieve any code through the HVAC system prior to being forced into OBDII by the government).

90% of the time, you just need to find the failed/broken part or module and replace it. It doesn't have to be this complicated, so I have to believe it is complicated by design.

Now, that said, because GM and Ford vehicles are so popular, there are usually aftermarket solutions that are way cheaper than the manufacturer tools, and that lowers the hurdle somewhat to doing your own maintenance. Chrysler (and most imports) don't have the volume to entice the aftermarket to reverse-engineer their systems.