High-tech vehicles are driving up auto repair costs for shops and consumers

Increasingly sophisticated vehicles are forcing repair shops to spend more on computers, software and calibration equipment — costs that mechanics say are reaching consumers. Auto mechanic Ralph Czeisler in Brooklyn, New York, said the rapid pace of technological change is forcing him to invest more time and money just to perform even basic repairs, and he is having to pass those costs on to consumers. "Every year, I update all my computers," said Czeisler, who owns Emil's All-Tire in the Gravesend neighborhood. "I have multiple computers for domestic, Asian, European cars, and it's very costly. Every year they make changes, and it costs more money and more money. And it's getting very challenging." Many mechanics across the U.S.