Originally Posted by macstuff

It was the wire alloy. It was brittle, heat or bending made it crack inside the insulation. A mechanic could chase and fix intermittent faults till the car was paid for 10 times over. The 80s sucked. Industry wide really. The worst era for cars in history. Electrical and vacuum faults are the worst. It took years before the companies gave in and let the mechanics replace entire harness looms.