Yeah, its almost like they are trying to hide something. Think about it. Oil requirements, antifreeze, maintenance schedules: they are all getting more and more specific and demanding. At the same time, why not tighten up on the knowledge base? That is where the money is. The old cigar smoking guys started saying that the manufacturers were trying to stop people from fixing their own cars why back in the early 70's. Its realitively easy to understand the conceptual basis of the vacuum carburated V8. Compare that to the Common Rail of 09. The complexity is incredible. The governing concepts are abstract. Get that book and read it and you'll see what I'm saying. To understand this new engine you have to have a capacity to grasp abstractions and a lot of mental drive to think things through. Diesels are incredibly intellectual. Reminds me of Organic Chemistry. Germans figured out how to make Vitamin C out of coal tar I think in 1885! To me the common rail follows the same line of thinking.
I think, and I hope this isn't true, that the manufacturer is happy that they are selling an expensive complicated car that is going to cost a bundle to keep in service after a certain service life because of government mandates for emissions. If I were a big corporate executive that would be my goal in order to generate dollars. At the same time, the governmental bureaucracy that has been created to control air pollution will never go away. There has never been a case where a governmental bureaucracy has been mandated out of existence. So they are going to create work for themselves until cars are actually cleaning air. Its already starting to happen. Ask GoFaster on TDIclub.
In the 09, the EDC 17 has the capacity to run a systems check on startup to check all paramenters for plausibility. I think this defeats the old technique of putting resisters in cirucits to eliminate certain functions. Sorry if I run on. Been doing a litle thinking along these lines and have been lonely for someone to talk to. I'm pumped about learning all about this new technology!