Stupid design / difficult repairs caused by "packaging"
Discussion
cib24 said:
The answer is anything German from BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche.
The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
Cabin filter on my E46 BMW, about 20 seconds. Open bonnet, twist three clips, remove, replace, twist three clips.The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
Filter on my Honda CRV, about half an hour due to them blocking it in behind the glovebox with a brace bar which has to be removed first and that means glovebox off, various bits of trim, numerous bolts etc.
Digby said:
Cabin filter on my E46 BMW, about 20 seconds. Open bonnet, twist three clips, remove, replace, twist three clips.
Filter on my Honda CRV, about half an hour due to them blocking it in behind the glovebox with a brace bar which has to be removed first and that means glovebox off, various bits of trim, numerous bolts etc.
I'm with you. I have a Mercedes and a Mazda. Everything I ever want to change on the Mercedes (it rarely needs anything) is easy and no hassle. Five minutes for the cabin filter, five minutes for a headlight (for example)Filter on my Honda CRV, about half an hour due to them blocking it in behind the glovebox with a brace bar which has to be removed first and that means glovebox off, various bits of trim, numerous bolts etc.
The Mazda is a pain in the arse for common things and seems to go wrong far more than the Mercedes anyway
Porsche 996 battery access is a work of genius. If the battery goes flat you will find it under the front hood, the release for which is...er....battery powered.
The only way to get to the battery and start the car is to take the whole wheel arch lining out and filch around the headlights to find the fiddly manual hood release. Very funny, guys.
The only way to get to the battery and start the car is to take the whole wheel arch lining out and filch around the headlights to find the fiddly manual hood release. Very funny, guys.
cib24 said:
The answer is anything German from BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche.
The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
Hmmm.... space ship lookin civic. Try changing an indicator bulb. Can’t do it from the engine bay because that part of the lamp extends beyond the bay and into the wing. You can just about do it on your drive on full lock if you’re skinny. Arch liner off, then you need to feed your hand into what feels like a maze of razor blades to fumble around for the back of the bulb holder. The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
Thankfully, dipped beam was OK!
mac96 said:
Just to prove it's nothing new: MGBGT. Battery is under the vestigial back seat below a little hatch. Hatch is about a sixteenth of an inch bigger than the battery. How do you get it out? It's heavy and no room for fngers.
Answer- two man job, one (a thin one) lying under the car pushing it up. Of course, if whoever put it in left a cloth handle tied around it, all is good!
I suspect the hatch was big enough for 6 volt batteries, but when they went to 12 volt, battery grew but hatch didn't.
The distributer clamp bolt is my current bugbear. Would leaving room to turn a spanner more than 10 degrees at a time really have been so hard?Answer- two man job, one (a thin one) lying under the car pushing it up. Of course, if whoever put it in left a cloth handle tied around it, all is good!
I suspect the hatch was big enough for 6 volt batteries, but when they went to 12 volt, battery grew but hatch didn't.
Flat battery on the wife's VW Beetle, no problem I thought, just put the battery on charge overnight, except the charger was in the garage and she had parked the car too close to the garage door, so let's roll the car backwards, well nope because it's an auto and in PARK, and for some strange reason only known to VW, the lever can't be moved out of park unless the engine is running, but I can't start the damn thing because the battery is flat!!!
M4cruiser said:
Why put the whole bottle in the front wheel arch
BMW did this with the F20 1-Series. The pump filters eventually gum up, but it wasn't the end of the world as you could siphon it out the top and flush the system using some aquarium tube, boiling water and a bit of patience. Guess what they did for the mid-life facelift? Exact same washer bottle but with a slightly different neck and a kink near the top that effectively stops you doing the easy DIY fix...
Bavarian b
ks.rich888 said:
Flat battery on the wife's VW Beetle, no problem I thought, just put the battery on charge overnight, except the charger was in the garage and she had parked the car too close to the garage door, so let's roll the car backwards, well nope because it's an auto and in PARK, and for some strange reason only known to VW, the lever can't be moved out of park unless the engine is running, but I can't start the damn thing because the battery is flat!!!
Most automatics have a manual release button which is usually hidden behind a trim insert near the gear selector.stevensdrs said:
rich888 said:
Flat battery on the wife's VW Beetle, no problem I thought, just put the battery on charge overnight, except the charger was in the garage and she had parked the car too close to the garage door, so let's roll the car backwards, well nope because it's an auto and in PARK, and for some strange reason only known to VW, the lever can't be moved out of park unless the engine is running, but I can't start the damn thing because the battery is flat!!!
Most automatics have a manual release button which is usually hidden behind a trim insert near the gear selector.BMW 5 series (E60 / E61)... a bugger to replace the headlamp units, especially to retrofit xenon and ballast kits back in the day. Down to the shape of the headlamp cluster, and having to move the thing up and towards you without dropping any bolts. Finding something to secure the ballast to was a PIA too. Compressor kits also a pain in the touring. Had a bottle of screenwash in the boot which leaked, wrecking the electronics and compressor, a very costly repair. And don't get me started on swirl flaps and timing chain tensioner at the back of the engine...
Early Vectra C 2003 DTi (2 litre) units would lose more power than Jeremy Corbyn due to pinched suction pipes, which meant a life of limp mode. Also a pain to fit SRI alloys to the LS / Life model unless you had a spacer kit
Early Vectra C 2003 DTi (2 litre) units would lose more power than Jeremy Corbyn due to pinched suction pipes, which meant a life of limp mode. Also a pain to fit SRI alloys to the LS / Life model unless you had a spacer kit
Edited by The Li-ion King on Monday 17th February 05:43
Look no further than the Italians for a high coefficient of muppetry when it comes to things like this.
This weekend, me and a couple of mates set about replacing a driveshaft on my Giulietta. Or, we would have done, if the gearbox fill plug wasn't in the most inaccessible place in the world and royally seized in place.
Naturally it is surrounded by plastic so heat won't do it, and making some contraption with extensions and Universal Joints so you can get a ratchet/breaker bar in there is only going round it off (12mm hex), strip the thread or crack the (aluminium) gearbox casing.
This weekend, me and a couple of mates set about replacing a driveshaft on my Giulietta. Or, we would have done, if the gearbox fill plug wasn't in the most inaccessible place in the world and royally seized in place.
Naturally it is surrounded by plastic so heat won't do it, and making some contraption with extensions and Universal Joints so you can get a ratchet/breaker bar in there is only going round it off (12mm hex), strip the thread or crack the (aluminium) gearbox casing.
BMW E34 cabin filter, especially if RHD and manual. These didn't have cabin filters from the start, and they were introduced midway through production, and as such ended up to the side of the pedal box by the heater matrix. If you have a manual, you need 3 hands, and woe betide you if you don't concentrate when ordering the part and don't get the two piece filter (to negotiate the steering column)!
LHD cars in contrast require the glovebox lid to be removed and I think that's about it.
LHD cars in contrast require the glovebox lid to be removed and I think that's about it.
pain in the bum trying to line up studless wheels, thats why ive made 2 studs to screw in a few threads, then you can hang the wheel on them while yo get the others n;
also spare wheels that are hung on cage underneath, yes you can drag them out but then try to get the flat one back in the cage without lying on your back.
stag battery, need to remove steering pump l
also spare wheels that are hung on cage underneath, yes you can drag them out but then try to get the flat one back in the cage without lying on your back.
stag battery, need to remove steering pump l
cib24 said:
The answer is anything German from BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche.
The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
The Japanese engineer well and think about servicing items. The Germans go really far on the engineering but don't consider practicalities such as replacing a light bulb.
A Winner Is You said:
ZX10R NIN said:
As others have said changing a headlight bulb is a joke.
We can design cars that drive themselves - you really wouldn't think it would be beyond the talents of car designers to make a headlight unit that could unclip.The rear light cluster pulls out with the removal of one 10mm bolt, immediately accessible once you open the engine hatch.
Edited by skinny on Monday 17th February 09:00
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