Working on a 911 just wasn't enough.......

[fred cook]

Of a challenge. I just got thru replacing the alternator and belts on a '94 Jaguar XJS convertible. Kind of like pulling an ingrown molar! Whoever designed that car must have known that they would never have to work on one personally. To change two of the belts, you even have to remove the cooling fan from the water pump!

[Targa Me]

I truly believe that some of the engineers that design cars have never worked on one.

[osidak]

That's is like the VW B5 and 5.5 TDI cars. To change either belt the cooling fan has to come off. It can be done with out removing the radiator or shroud but you generally cut your hands up in the process. Also generally make sure I have a dipstick tube handy as they get brittle and if your wrench slips when tightening everything back up you break it as well.

[Nickshu]

Early Audi A4...to change a headlight bulb you must remove the front bumper.

[RF5BPilot]

Or the old Pontiac where you had to jack the engine up 4" to change a rear spark plug.


Did you ever notice that crap like this doesn't appear in the sales brochures???

[Scott Douglas]

You really think it'd help with sales if it did?

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Targa Me

I truly believe that some of the engineers that design cars have never worked on one.

A lot of cars were designed without consideration for owners working on them, especially high-end ones. Making cars quck and easy to work on with comon tools cuts into the dealer's chief source of revenue. If anything, that philosophy is moving down market - the goal is to get the buyer ready to replace it right around the end of the warranty.

Plus, I'pd think making parts more self-contained makes the engine more modular, easier to slot into different model designs without affecting their shape; belts and fans hanging outside would need accomodation. Engine bays aren't as roomy as they used to be.

[KNS]

I'm going to have to replace my DD 2004 325i someday and I'm not looking forward to it (running fantastic at the moment). I enjoy working on the car because everything is so well thought out for the guy who has to work on them. I've heard that the starter is a bear to replace - and it looks like it - but everything else is really easy to get to.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by epbrown

A lot of cars were designed without consideration for owners working on them

The goal these days is to make it as cheap as possible to put the cars together without regard for working on them after the fact. So, what's the cheapest, easiest fastest way to get a car down the assembly line? That's, I believe, the real goal of manufacturers. If it needs to be worked on later, that's someone else's problem.

[afterburn 549]

The "computer model says it will work"

[sc_rufctr]

It's all part of built in redundancy.

The car makers want you to buy a new car rather than fix the one you have so they actually design them to be "difficult".
The dealership workshop is usually a shop of horrors with bits often left off a car after it's repaired.

Or how many times have you heard of a friend having major problems getting their car fixed at a dealership?
It seems to be the standard thing... The story starts with "I took my car to the dealership and guess what..."

Things will only get worse from now on.

"Cheap Cheap" seems to be the in thing.

[Scuba Steve]

I feel that way working on anything towards the front of the engine on the SL. Step 1 is always to remove the fan shroud, fan and radiator/transmission cooler. Inside the car, don't bother working on anything inside the dash or trying to reach the completely inaccessible vacuum pods that make air flow to the floor for the heater or the main dash vents. The rubber diaphragm has a 10-20 year service life but to gain access to them you need to basically gut the interior.

Another thing that bothers me are bottomless pits or black holes in the engine bay. Somewhere in my car's engine bay are some hardware, a 10mm socket that just vanished, and maybe a few Deutschmarks. The 924S/944 also had the pit of doom - an opening to the flywheel area you can use to see the TDC mark. Anything that falls down that hole will end up way down by the starter, or possibly get caught up in its teeth if you're especially unlucky.

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Or how many times have you heard of a friend having major problems getting their car fixed at a dealership?
It seems to be the standard thing... The story starts with "I took my car to the dealership and guess what..."

That was my mom's experience with her 1998 Buick that she bought new. A panel was falling off the rear side of the driver's seat so they ordered a new one and she took the car home. They call to let her know that the new part arrived and she took the car in, but they broke it trying to install it. Next try they successfully replaced it but broke two other things in the process. On the next go they repaired those but someone must have worn a tool belt while working on the car and gouged several other areas. Finally she got lucky and the next try came out ok, but it was about a 4 month process.

[jcunning]

I've seen GM parts engineered to fail after 10 years.
IE. Throttle bodies with internal wires. The insulation hardens and cracks, and eventually the bare wires start touching each other shorting out the TB.
New TB is about $400.

I call them engineered to fail because I'm sure they could make the wire insulation last forever if they wanted. However that means no replacement parts are made or sold.

I'm sure there are plenty of other misc parts engineered to fail. Spark plug coil packs are another example. It seems every manufacturer needs the coil packs changed every 100,000 miles or so.

[yetibone]

I hate how some dealer parts are obsolete after 10 or 12 years. Can't find a drive ratio buffer module for a '97 GMC to get the speedometer working again, you might be SOL.

Don't get me started on "engineered obsolescence", "engineered failure", lack of serviceability. GM 4.3, 5.0, 5.7, and 7.4 litre intake gaskets make me want to cuss out an engineer, and having to remove the whole cab to do extensive repairs to a Ford SD, with a 6.4L diesel make me want to beat one until I'm satisfied.

I should be happy though. That stuff keeps me busy...

[mattdavis11]

BMW X5 takes the cake here. Water cooled alternator. Really?

[Rick V]

Every auto designer has come home and found his wife in bed with a mechanic...

[Dansvan]

There are only 2 reasons car manufacturers do anything. Only 2. It either makes them money or saves them money. They will not spend one penny more than they have to. Any single question you ask about anything auto related comes down to those two answers.

[Nostril Cheese]

I hate Mercedes. Cars purposely designed to be difficult to work on.