Do you like working on cars?

[yahoo2u2]

I just hate working on modern cars. Everything that should be a simple job ends in needing special tools, ramps, removing large amounts of kit.


for example my freelander 2 the front washers packed in this week, now checked fuses, fine, so its got to be either a blockage, pump or electrical.


To get in you have to try and remove the wheel, the inside wheel liners, of course the car does not come with a spare so no jack and no wheel brace. So I had to try and work in a space for a hamster with hands now cut to bits.


To do it properly to access the pumps and check the electrics I should have done this? (see pic) and it could be the stalk problem, but you cant check this until you get to the pump electric connector to check.


This is not my car, but what someone posted to help.


WTF, its a £10 pump that needs replacing and about 3 hours labour. I sorted this by using the rear pump to drive the front by swapping the hoses as this is more important.


But these are parts that do go often and to have to all this is ridiculous.


Same problems trying to change a bloody bulb.

[minime]

Now you know how us poor mechanics feel doing this shit every day, bring back the days of 3 spanner sand a hammer lol.

[Deleted]

I used to many years ago. More tinkering really... I remember re calibrating tapits will a feeley gauge, Regularly cleaning out carbs, changing brake pads. I changed the clutch on a midget once, we had to take the whole engine out. I remember helping my elder brother striping an engine down.

I now open the bonnet and just see a big black box! Modern cars are designed to be non-user serviceable

I have often wondered if there is a niche in the market for a tinkerers car - with an old A series engine!

[yahoo2u2]

Feb 27, 2016 13:47:51 GMT minime said:

Now you know how us poor mechanics feel doing this shit every day, bring back the days of 3 spanner sand a hammer lol.

Well yes and no, as they charge the earth now and also have all the tools needed to do the job. If it was my job, then thats fine as I would know all I needed to know about fixing it.....you lot a clever buggers

[Lee]

Feb 27, 2016 13:47:51 GMT minime said:

Now you know how us poor mechanics feel doing this shit every day, bring back the days of 3 spanner sand a hammer lol.

Stunned, I thought you was only a 3 hammer mechanic

Little one for gentle tap

Big one for half a chance tap

Massive one for it wont work now tap

With my Grand Vitara, the mechanics were confused with an intermittent misfire

No fault shown on the ECU or what ever its called

On the third trip and two different mechanics, they guessed it was either leads or plugs

[minime]

I don't do cars I'm a truck mechanic and the place I work have no special tools at all ( tight buggers ) no ramp no pit no bugger all and don't get me started on money.

[minime]

Don't get me started on the grand vitara lee iv got one, it's just cost me a bloody fortune in having the ECU re mapped after removing the DPF.

[calnorth]

Its not like the days of my 3 VW's. Engines out in 20 mins - rust galore. I thought I was going to not mess with cars after about 1973 when suddenly a German VW garage screwed up a rear wheel drive shaft repair. And VW Croydon suddenly forgot how to fit a steering swivel pin..almost jammed the steering and that was VW HQ UK.

Onto BMW and had to disappoint two agents. But those cars had a solid forum following in the USA. Thats not the places where, like Ford forums, a full scale argument breaks out and wrecks the thread. BMW have difficulty using their engine diagnostic machines I found, you need to get their results and tell them whats wrong, or without their expensive results.

Ford and the prices of their EU sourced spares...jeeeez! Don't know how people pay this stuff or happily pay it?

My sons just got a C63 Merc AMG (noisy sh8t), so just waiting for that pantomime to arrive...tools polished and waiting.

[thebishman]

Feb 27, 2016 13:51:48 GMT yahoo2u2 said:

Feb 27, 2016 13:47:51 GMT minime said:

Now you know how us poor mechanics feel doing this shit every day, bring back the days of 3 spanner sand a hammer lol.

Well yes and no, as they charge the earth now and also have all the tools needed to do the job. If it was my job, then thats fine as I would know all I needed to know about fixing it.....you lot a clever buggers

Ha ha wayne your a bit wrong there mate.

Modern dealerships cost a fortune to run. For example...our diagnostic machines cost 40k EACH. Thats 160k pounds to just buy the machines.
The specialist tooling required to repair vehicles are again...huge money. Even down to a special spanner or socket. That can cost over a hundred quid.
Then theres the training that we need to be able to fix the vehicles... im on a block course at the moment.. 4 days away every month for 5 months. Thats cost my company 25k pounds.

Thos is why garages charge so much.

[VapingBad]

I just turned the wheel and bent back the wheel liner to change my washer pump about a month ago (5 series BMW), bit of a squeeze but not as bad as the exhaust to manifold clamp on A series Minis I can't remember throwing one of those clamp and never finding it again. I had pull the whole front panel forward on long bolts on my Passat just to change the cam belt.

But IMO the worst thing about modern cars is having to tell the control units you have changed something, BMW quoted me £300 to supply and fit a battery, I bought the cable + programs and the largest 5 year Varta battery that would fit and did it for just over £120 IIRC, but it is a pain as you have to program it in 3 places. I had the cable and programs for the VW as well, but the thought of bricking one of the control units because these programs are not user friendly or intuitive makes it quite nerve racking.

[tsoko]

Feb 27, 2016 13:47:51 GMT minime said:

Now you know how us poor mechanics feel doing this shit every day, bring back the days of 3 spanner sand a hammer lol.

In your case 1 spanner and 6 hammers lol

[Deleted]

Feb 27, 2016 13:58:15 GMT minime said:

Don't get me started on the grand vitara lee iv got one, it's just cost me a bloody fortune in having the ECU re mapped after removing the DPF.

AHH the joys of modern derv's with DPF's dreading when the one on mine go's 

[Lee]

I had an SLK230 which had an intermittent problem
Took that to a Mercedes dealers, and they fitted a relay board
Same problem was still there a few days later
Wiggled the wires where they had been playing with the boards and got it back
That cost best part of £1000 ten years ago to get sorted out

Some will notice I like hairdressers cars

[thebishman]

Id also like to add that alot of faults nowadays are intermittant. This is a bloody head ache for us to diagnose because if the fault isnt present when we look at it..then ecery test we do will show its ok. Give keys back to customer and 3 miles down the road it happens again. Then its "that workshop dont know what they are doing they are rubbish etc etc".

Or the favourite line ever is "ah just plug that computer into it that will tell you whats wrong with it". This is normally said by an older chap who saw him self as a master tech as he could replace wiperblades and break pads on a 1980's car lol.

Vehicles are so complicated nowadays the average person just wouldnt believe how they work.

[minime]

Bloody DPF are a pain in the arse, cut open remove filter re weld and re map just done on my vitara but be warned most think the ECU on the grand vitara is Suzuki own but it's not it's a Subaru ECU.

Dealers don't know everything trust me I know and this is why the compony I work for exists.