Why would you do that..........?

[Cleon-Fonte]

MB E-class W211. I once watched my skilled mechanic friend attempt to remove the radiator from one of these. It took four and a half hours of hard labour to remove enough of the front end to allow for removal.

[RoadworkUK]

With all due respect, he must be doing something horribly wrong then.

[twosmoke300]

Prob all the "German quality " rusted fasteners

[Bear]

If you said to the designer of a heating and ventilation system, "24 seconds to remove the pollen filter" with no tools required, and refused to sign off the concept design review until you were sure that the ideas on the table would work, and if stage payments depended on it, your supplier of HVAC systems would achieve it.

 

Pretty sure when PSA go to Valeo, Valeo show them a headlight (for example) that is bright, has a good beam pattern, and can be serviced by anyone with normal adult hands. PSA then argue with them until they get something akin to a candle housed inside that box from Hellraiser mounted at a position in the car that requires removal of the rear seats, left side repeater and gearbox.

[twosmoke300]

Rover 75 would rate as my worst headlight bulb of all time

[vulgalour]

Citroen BX instrument binnacle light bulbs.  NO.

 

You have to remove the distributor to remove one of the spark plugs on the O series engine as found in the Princess.

[RoadworkUK]

Plastic water pump impellers.

 

Might as well have made them from yoghurt.

[Bear]

Citroen BX instrument binnacle light bulbs.  NO.

 

You have to remove the distributor to remove one of the spark plugs on the O series engine as found in the Princess.

 

See also glowplug on XUD, IIRC - one was blocked by the pump on the Xantia I had.

[artdjones]

Renault Modus headlights.-Whole front bumper and light off and the fixings for the bulbs are really flimsy friction fit plastic.

[vulgalour]

Thanks* for reminding me about the Fourth Glowplug as found on XUDs.  Fucking things.  BX and Xantia both had that issue.

[doobietoo]

Plastic water pump impellers.

 

Might as well have made them from yoghurt.

 

Plastic Timing gears..... Good thinking Ford......

[doobietoo]

See also glowplug on XUD, IIRC - one was blocked by the pump on the Xantia I had.

 

Rover L series had this problem..... Rovers solution was not to fit a 4th glowplug as no one ever changed it, they realised they could save a few quid by not fitting it....

[twosmoke300]

Plastic water pump impellers.

 

Might as well have made them from yoghurt.

It's only vag ones that seem to give trouble in my experience . Less time spent on soft close grab handles and more on engineering tolerances and materials please !

[dollywobbler]

Rover 75 would rate as my worst headlight bulb of all time

Eh? Had to do one on mine and access was easy via the wheel arch flap. Certainly far, far easier than a Citroen C3.

[2MB]

Facelift Alfa 156 headlight bulbs are a little bit of a twat, but not in the same league as the ones that require major disassembly of the car

[Lacquer Peel]

See also glowplug on XUD, IIRC - one was blocked by the pump on the Xantia I had.

To be fair, nearly every diesel engine has a glow plug or two obscured by the pump. It's fiddly but not difficult on the XUD. The worst is the VW 2.4 R6 diesel. Two glow plugs are behind the diesel pump and one is obscured by the vacuum pump.

[dollywobbler]

I've changed a few plugs on XUDs and can't really recall it being an issue.

Before we go too All Moderns Are Shit though, try doing pretty much any job on a Citroen H van. It's almost always impossible to get to every bolt on almost every job.

[rainagain]

I remember reading through the Megane II manual, for changing the starter motor step one was "remove engine"

[chaseracer]

I remember reading through the Megane II manual, for changing the starter motor step one was "remove engine"

 

One memorable - but possibly entirely apocryphal - instruction before a job on the Dyane: "to remove the the engine, first remove the front doors..."

[dollywobbler]

One memorable - but possibly entirely apocryphal - instruction before a job on the Dyane: "to remove the the engine, first remove the front doors..."

 

Having just removed most of the engine, it's true. The fact that one screw and a split pin hold the door on means it isn't a chore though. The more I work on the Dyane, the more I'm convinced that older cars are better.

[billyboy406v6]

I suppose a lot of these jobs are easier from underneath on a 4 post hoist ? Oh the joy of lying in the litter filled gutter thinking where did next doors dog last have a piss !!

[Urko]

Aren't there various cars that have to have bumpers removed to change headlight bulbs?

 

It isn't too easy on the S60 either. You basically need hands like a Chernobyl mutant.

At the risk of being controversial, up-to-date and political - since the EU is so feckin great at directives, why can't they come up with one that says it should be possible to change any bulbs for exterior lights without tools in a few minutee.

[Dave_Q]

Having worked briefly in an automotive/manufacturing setting, I can tell you this.

 

Somewhere, in the design process, there is a guy whose job it is to make sure things are "serviceable" i.e easily fixed etc.

 

I have been that guy. You can tell everyone in this process that what they're designing is a nightmare for service and will, for example, take 1.5 hours to replace instead of 20 mins.

 

99.999% of the time manufacturing and/or cost concerns win out, i.e. if we can put it together easier or more cheaply we'll do that.

 

So don't think engineers don't know what they're building is a nightmare, but the final decision is generally taken by a small meeting of pen pushers.

 

As for the lightbulbs, the constant chase for eleventy star euroNCAP scores has caused that. The front of new cars has to be super round and cuddly so as not to maim pedestrians.

 

See also jags etc which have a bonnet that pops up in a minor impact to gently caress the pedestrian over the roof, costing $$$$$ to fix.

[SiC]

I remember reading through the Megane II manual, for changing the starter motor step one was "remove engine"

I have to admit, honestly didn't believe you when I read this, so I had to check for myself...

 

Oh Reno.

[tooSavvy]

To access wash wipe reservoir..

 

A. Remove bumper

B. Whaaa >> fuck that!

 

A#. Disconnect hose with sidecutters.

B#. Source bleach bottle/cable ties

C#. £5 Pug motor.....

 

All moderns.

 

 

TS

[rainagain]

I have to admit, honestly didn't believe you when I read this, so I had to check for myself...

Starter change Megane II.png

 

Oh Reno.

 

Yep you better hope you live on a hill if you own a Megane!

[cros]

It's the fault of new car buyers that vehicles are so difficult to fix. Nobody is compelled to buy a 4x4 that requires body removal to change a starter.

[gadgetgricey]

See also jags etc which have a bonnet that pops up in a minor impact to gently caress the pedestrian over the roof, costing $$$$$ to fix.

Sure I read a while ago a Nissan GTR that an escort van (with tow bar) has reversed into it.

Very minor damage to the bumpers, but it was right next to the impact sensor and set off all the airbags and popped the bonnet.

From memory I think the car was written off.

 

Just amuses me that the driver was stationary when everything just went "bang "

 

 

Found it:

Wasn't a write off but 11k damage...

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/127250-accident-dont-do-what-i-did.html

[Lacquer Peel]

Didn't Audi's airbag alternative Procon-Ten (pulley system that pulled the steering column away from the driver) write off cars involved in minor collisions?

[Rusty Pelican]

Transit MK somethingorother Clutch pedal auto adjust made of plastic - they adjusted just once them exploded requiring a new one to be fitted - why use plastic FFS