I think the last quote says it all:

"And finally: "Are high failure rates down to motorists failing to maintain their cars properly?""

People DO NOT maintain their cars to the same level as in the past. Lights, tyre pressures, levels etc are often ignored because cars are so reliable.
They do not understand their part in the maintenance process, and expect a garage to do it all in one, twelve month service, whereas in the past vehicles had at least one service every six months.

People get what they deserve in my humble opinion!