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Fact is the more complicated the systems that are designed into vehicles, the greater the potential for chain reactions of failures compounding into catastrophic failures.
When these same cars get older and issues like humidity, corrosion, and electrical modifications are added to the mixture the compounding of potential failure scenarios will only get worse.
Heating and cooling of electrical components invite condensation. I saw a windshield replacement that was improperly done short out the ECU. When the car came to my shop, the engine and exhaust were completely filled with raw gasoline. The injectors were wide open, and the fuel pump was running, with the key out of the ignition switch.
When the customer told me he lost 1/4 tank of fuel overnight with the car sitting, I thought he was wrong.
He was right.
We drained the block, got the fuel out of the cylinders (liquid locked) and I stood at the tailpipe when we started the car with a fire extinguisher. It blew a lot of gas out the tailpipe when it started but it never ignited.
Seen another one jump started backwards. Fried the ECU and filled the cylinders with fuel. The kid tried to push start the car and bent 3 connecting rods.
$5000 damage from reversing the polarity on jumper cables and a higher speed push start.
The kids father, a full Colonel in the Air Force called me every name in the book when I told him what was wrong, with his son standing next to him. I called the local police and had one of the officers come to my shop and make sure I didn't rip the Father's arms off and beat him to death with them.
The kid called me the next day and admitted he had done exactly what I had described, but his POS father never bothered to apologise.
regards
Mech
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