Cars are rubbish

[USER1999]

The spray nozzles on my Chrysler are broken. The hose has come off somewhere inside the bonnet. This is a 5 minute job to fix.

Yeah, right.

The under bonnet insulation is held on with stupid plastic clips which are impossible to remove without a large pair of pliers, which snaps them off. As a result I am going to need to visit a main dealer.

This is rubbish, and I am spitting mad.

It's my flippin car, and should I be of a mind to, it should be possible for me to dismantle the whole flippin car without damaging any bit of it. This is all done dliberately so main dealers can charge stupid amounts of cash for simple jobs.

Not happy bunny.

 

[Yerman]

Used to own an audi A4, had to visit the dealer to change an indicator bulb and get suitably ripped off. Swore I'd never buy audi again, what is the point of carrying compulsory spare bulbs if it isn't possible for the average Joe to change them??

 

[GB72]

Used to take a main dealer half an hour to change a headlight bulb on my megane and they considered that quick. No way I could change one at home

 

[The_LHC]

Used to take a main dealer half an hour to change a headlight bulb on my megane and they considered that quick. No way I could change one at home

That's because on the old megane you had to drop the front suspension out to change the headlight bulbs or something equally ridiculous.

 

[Imurg]

Had a washer pump fuse go on mine. I thought " I can do a fuse".
Looked at the manual, found out which one I needed to change, opened the fuse nox and I'm looking at something completely different. Doesn't resemble the picture at all. So I had to go to the dealer to get it done anyway

 

[drawboy]

Anything with Tits or wheels costs big time.

 

[RGDave]

I know how you feel. In the good old days, you could get to almost anything and fix it quick sharp.
Bad luck.

 

[medwayjon]

Gone are the days of changing a clutch on the road, in the dark, in 15mins.

I think that modern cars are beyond a joke at times, and that is as a garage person.

Our workshop foreman recently did a big 4x4 thing and the headlight bulb took 3 hours labour.

There are loads of silly things with cars now, all of which bump the price up, such as new bits having to be programmed to the ecu which is expensive and by-and-large, main agent only.

Did a clutch-unit on a semi-auto a-class, quite an old one it was, and when it was all put back together and bled it would stall in drive.

I spoke to a man I know at mercedes and he said the transmission actuator has to be re-programmed and the clutch bled all whilst hooked up to mercedes' own star diagnostic computer, mercs quoted £170+Vat for this, got an independant with the machines to do it for £60 in the end but goes to show what a joke cars are at times.

 

[madandra]

My pal has a Skoda Superb and you need to take out air filters and all sorts to change a bulb.

 

[big_russ]

I work with a chap who had a bulb go out on the dashboard of his Astra. Took it to the main dealer and got charged about £95. This was 70p for the bulb and a couple of hours labour to dismantle and remove the complete dashboard.

Utter madness!!

 

[Region3]

I work with a chap who had a bulb go out on the dashboard of his Astra. Took it to the main dealer and got charged about £95. This was 70p for the bulb and a couple of hours labour to dismantle and remove the complete dashboard.

Utter madness!!

I had a Vauxhall and had the dash apart (all the way across to the heater controls) a few times for various things.

The first time took about 3 hours but in the end I could do it in about an hour.


I do wonder sometimes what drugs the designers were on when they thought 'yes, that's a good idea' with some of the ridiculous things they come up with.

Most of the times I've thought that it's been a French car.

It's either a money making exercise for main dealers, or the designers have no common sense and don't care because they never have to work on them.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

I work with a chap who had a bulb go out on the dashboard of his Astra. Took it to the main dealer and got charged about £95. This was 70p for the bulb and a couple of hours labour to dismantle and remove the complete dashboard.

Utter madness!!

I had a Vauxhall and had the dash apart (all the way across to the heater controls) a few times for various things.

The first time took about 3 hours but in the end I could do it in about an hour.


I do wonder sometimes what drugs the designers were on when they thought 'yes, that's a good idea' with some of the ridiculous things they come up with.

Most of the times I've thought that it's been a French car.

It's either a money making exercise for main dealers, or the designers have no common sense and don't care because they never have to work on them.

One word - Citroens!!! The engine is upside down and back to front. You want to change the spark plugs? The whole engine has to come out! Work that one out.

You all want to buy a Vauxhall Zafira Breeze. Automotive perfection.........

 

[Oddsocks]

My neighbour at work is a garage specialising in electrical diagnostics. The worst I have seen him do was a set of whipper blades on a new merc. The whipper arms have to be re synchronised by a diagnostics computer.

Second has to be a waterpump on a vw van. He's contact at vw stated "we don't change waterpumps now, Its a recon engine . The van was a one year old transporter and took 4 and a half days to change a water pump.

It's getting ridiculous

 

[Imurg]

If a headlight bulb blows on my car just before a Driving Test I'm knackered. The Examiner wont take the car out and my fingers are too big to change the bulb. They have a store of young mechanics at the dealer just for this purpose - if you're an adult you can't change one. Costs me loads as I have to pay for the retest too.

 

[Bigfoot]

I have always argued that as it is illegal to drive without working lights, they should be easily changed in seconds by all drivers.
The present system just means that all drivers are likely to delay getting a failed bulb changed.

 

[brendy]

Its not all the manufacturers fault though. Cars must be stronger and be more protective in the event of a crash. Things need to be moved about and re organised to to this each time the standards are made more stringent. That said, the headlight unit should be modular which can be taken out in one piece and use contacts instead of wiring so the whole unit comes out, change bulb and refit without throwing the beam off. In fact I think I might patent it, make a fortune and call it the Lite-easy.

 

[USER1999]

Will it be v-easy to fit?

 

[brendy]

V,V-easy!

 

[chrisd]

V,V-easy!

Isn't it customary to post a picture ... I don't want to have to report you to the mod!


Chris

 

[AuburnWarrior]

Its not all the manufacturers fault though. Cars must be stronger and be more protective in the event of a crash. Things need to be moved about and re organised to to this each time the standards are made more stringent. That said, the headlight unit should be modular which can be taken out in one piece and use contacts instead of wiring so the whole unit comes out, change bulb and refit without throwing the beam off. In fact I think I might patent it, make a fortune and call it the Lite-easy.

No, I don't think that any product with 'easy' in the title will ever sell well.....