Look, as a person involved with manufacturing, I’m not about to claim that some automotive engineer was trying to make my life difficult. There are so many factors in the development of products that occasionally the ease of serviceability falls down the list, and it isn’t their fault.
That isn’t going to stop me from complaining about the car brands as a whole, however. I’ve seen many design decisions that seem to defy any logic, especially when there are other cars that do the same things much better.
One complaint I have about my ancient Lexus is actually a much broader issue with modern cars: those dumb-ass engine covers. As expected, I rarely ever open the hood of my Toyota-made product, but when I do, I really, really need to access stuff. I do not want to remove half a dozen fiddly fasteners to get to the damn battery when the battery finally dies in the school pickup line. These covers are pointless, strictly for looks, and in this case, it’s on a car that absolutely no owner opens the hood of to look at anything anyway.
I hate these things, and the excuse that some say about how they “reduce noise and protect components” is total crap as well. How do I know? Well, if you had bought the same-year, nearly identical Toyota Land Cruiser version of my Lexus LX570, you can see that it has virtually none of the offending covers. Wow, the battery is right there!
I don’t think the “noise level” is any less in the “luxury” Lexus version; it’s just plastic garbage to let it “compete” with other high-end SUVs. You want to cut noise? Put padding on the bottom of the hood as they did for half a century.
A different but equally maddening part of the 2007 E61 BMW 530Xi wagon that I owned (and is now in the custody of Mercedes Streeter) had to do with the head-up display. I bought it used with this rare option, and I was able see it easily, but the primary driver (my 5-foot-2 wife) could not. As I recall, on most GM products with this feature, you simply adjusted the height with a dashboard switch; it took seconds. On the BMW? To adjust it, you need to remove the center screen, loosen a bolt, and then turn a different bolt to set the height.
That’s bad enough, but the bolts were WAY down in the dash, to the point that you needed pretty much every socket extension in my set. I probably lost a socket as well; Mercedes Streeter received at least half a dozen free, hidden 10-millimeter sockets when she got my car.
What about your nightmare design-induced wrenching experiences? Try to keep your swearing to a minimum, but I fully understand how you feel.
Top graphic image: Lexus
My old E34 Touring, none of them. It was a delight, although somewhat pricey, to work on. My presently owned E82, all of them. It’s a nightmare.
2007 WRX: Spark plug change (one specifically). Nearly impossible, little clearance to use tools.
2001 Miata: Oil filter is in a really awful place, nested on the side of the engine amid many other components, hard to reach without cutting your hand or removing things.
2018 Honda Odyssey: The oil filter is right above a subframe, so it makes a giant mess. (Just read now on a forum that people use ziplock bags to prevent that… damnit.)
JIS screws. I just want the screws to come out, man. You’re telling me I have to buy a specific screwdriver set in order to get my dash out without turning the crosses into circles? And I can’t just zip them out with a power drill otherwise I have instant round holes? Oh and in already halfway through taking out my dash now with a bunch of useless screws and a bunch of glitter? This was months ago and I still get a headache when thinking about it.
My beloved NC Miata has a “turret oil” reservoir in the manual shifter that requires disassembling the center console, sucking out the old oil with a syringe and replacing with exactly the right amount so there’s enough in there, but not so much that it will overflow.
I think replacing captive rotors on the 94 Accord had to be the worst thing I ever dealt with for what should have been a simple brake job. Glad to see that concept was short lived…
Since we’re airing grievances, I got a lot of problems with you pressed in wheel bearings! The last one I did, the spring clip was rusted in there so badly I had to cut it out with a Dremel tool. Over the years I’ve finally gotten good with the pressing part. I know it probably cost a little more in $ and weight, but a wheel bearing assembly that bolts to the steering knuckle is a much more pleasant experience.
I’ve got two favorites on my Suzuki SX-4:
1) The oil filter is nestled in the crooks of the exhaust manifold where it reduces from four into one pipe. Makes changing the oil when it’s warm kind of a balancing act of having the oil actually warm vs not toasting my hands on the manifold. Oh, and did I mention that there’s only just enough room to get my hands in between the engine and the radiator?
2) The alternator. Oh, the alternator. Step one for replacing the alternator in the FSM is “remove the intake manifold”. What. The. Fuck. An alternator is a wear item. Basically every car will need a new alternator before the engine needs work that otherwise requires the removal of the intake manifold. The FSM also claims that you need to replace all of the seals between the intake manifold and the head when you dismount it from the engine. Thanks, guys! There’s also a goodly amount of “stuff” attached to the intake manifold, of which I was able to remove only most of it without risking breaking something. I got it floppy enough to get my hands (and an impact gun) down in underneath it and get the alternator out. Getting the new one in was a treat since access to line up the bolts was nigh impossible and involved dropping the alternator several times. At the end of that job, my arms were scratched up like I’d given a cat a pill. Unofficially, it’s possible to take the strut off the LCA and pull the alternator through the wheel well, but IIRC, I ran into something seized that precluded going that route.
VW 2.0L turbo engine with a plastic oil plan and a plastic drain plug. Factory recommendation is to replace the drain plug EVERY. OIL. CHANGE. And if you don’t get it torqued just Goldilocks not-too-loose-or-too tight, it will leak.
This is one of the big upgrades with the 4th gen EA888, went back to a metal pan and plug.
Doubtful by the time I replace this car I’ll be getting another VDub
#%^*!ing all of them.
Just this weekend I performed my first DSG service on my mk8 GTI. Learned for this generation that the filter had been moved to the back of the transmission in the doghouse area, there’s a secret second drain plug behind the front air dam, and trans oil temp is not available over the public CAN. I also managed to douse thegarage in slippery DSG fluid while fumbling with the gravity fill tool.
I was quoted $1200 from the local euro shop. And unfortunately, I kind of get it after doing it myself…
Recently I was cursing Honda when I did an transmission fluid and filter change on my wife’s Acura. The filter is on top of the transmission but buried under a bunch of other stuff. Held in place by two hose clamps that can only be touched by feel with my arm bent at a weird angle. What happened to just dropping the transmission pan?
And it’s not even like they are considering the pain of their Dealer technicians when considering design.
I work in the semiconductor industry and we use to get adjustment on thing that had Zero margin for error. One vendor made the designer come out and do it himself to show him what he did wrong.
Commandment number one in car design should “thou shall not design anything you have not worked on before” so sayth the Carlord.