Then there's the splash tray before you get to the sump plug. Six bolts and four annoying plastic trim clips that all ways snap. Even the air filter needs the whole airbox and pipe work unclipped.
Hay ho
Just done the service on my crappy Jeep. Why are modern cars such a ball ache to work on? Why bury the oil filter under an electrical connector, a
metal bracket and an engine cover mount? All need to be removed before you can get to it and even then you need a 20mm socket extension.
Then there's the splash tray before you get to the sump plug. Six bolts and four annoying plastic trim clips that all ways snap. Even the air
filter needs the whole airbox and pipe work unclipped.
Hay ho
When I did the clutch on mine I thought I'd take the engine out and do belts and pumps and want not as well...
Only way to get the engine out is out the bottom, engine down and lift the car off it!! Gap between the slam panel and bulkhead too small......
Dont worry too much.... once we are all told we must have driverless cars "because they are safer" you won't be able to service your own car anyway as it would invalidate its autonomy license... Infact when the car needs a service it would probably drive itself to the garage and refuse to come back until you stump up for the cost...
I can't wait for cars that drive themselves and sort out their own servicing. Both things that I hate doing myself.
i recently went against all i stand for and bought an oil suction pump that takes the oil out the dipstick hole. my volvo has a huge under tray thats nearly impossible to do on the floor even with a big jack. oh and it need a computer to change the rear brake pads
From watching some channels compared to europen cars modern American cars and trucks are much worse for access and have been so for a while. Nissan
aren't much better. This is one of the reasons in the US they have much greater emphasis on high-tech sophisticated diagnostics than
preventative maintenance by servicing.
On some US GM models the subfarme has to be dropped to access the alternator, the starter has to be removed to access the crankshaft sensor. On some
Chrysler models the wheel and wheel arch liner has to be removed to access the battery. Chrysler electrical grounds and fuse box/central control
modules seem to cause a disproportionate number of problems.
On most transverse V6 cars getting access to the rear sparking plugs and coil packs is difficult and in some US models virtually impossible. Fuel
injectors are increasing buried below complex intake manifolds that have to be stripped down to even back probe the electrical connectors.
On the little Nissan Note 1.4 I look after changing the airfilter or spark plugs or coil packs involves some fairy major stripping down of the
induction system. It also has an undocument hidden 3rd fuse box that requires removing the bumper grill head light and battery to access.
Back in the day I can remember climbing the engine bay and sitting on the inner wing when fitting new contact breaker points on my Dad's 63 Chevy
Impala.
[Edited on 21/5/16 by britishtrident]
quote:
Originally posted by hizzi
i recently went against all i stand for and bought an oil suction pump that takes the oil out the dipstick hole. my volvo has a huge under tray thats nearly impossible to do on the floor even with a big jack. oh and it need a computer to change the rear brake pads
"i recently went against all i stand for and bought an oil suction pump that takes the oil out the dipstick hole."
me too, a 12v jobby, that I was quite impressed with it as well
steve
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Only way to get the engine out is out the bottom, engine down and lift the car off it!! Gap between the slam panel and bulkhead too small......
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
When I did the clutch on mine I thought I'd take the engine out and do belts and pumps and want not as well...
Only way to get the engine out is out the bottom, engine down and lift the car off it!! Gap between the slam panel and bulkhead too small......
I watched a programme about the Bentley Continental - to change the spark plugs you have to drop the entire engine and transmission, on a special rig
that supports the body while all the oily bits are lowered. We can all guess how much that service would cost... 
You can bet most dealers use a oil drain pump, but still charge for a new sump plug washer.
i sit on the wheel to do most of the stuff on my 68 herald!
I've just been doing the Mondeo ready for its mot next week.
Oil, filter, plugs, air filter, fuel filter, wiper blades and a couple of bulbs and what a pleasure to work on 
But £15 per spark plug took the p1ss 
[Edited on 21/5/16 by big_wasa]
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
I've just been doing the Mondeo ready for its mot next week.
Oil, filter, plugs, air filter, fuel filter, wiper blades and a couple of bulbs and what a pleasure to work on
But £15 per spark plug took the p1ss
[Edited on 21/5/16 by big_wasa]
The newer the car the worse they get. I'm a Dealer tech and the latest cars have no dip stick at all, not even the little hidden one. Oil level
is checked on the diagnostic machine by an unstable laggy piece of software.
[Edited on 21/5/16 by DW100]
Servicing doesn't exist any more normally no need to change spark plugs anymore. Oil changes are at 15,000 to 20,000 miles for petrol engines.
Brake checks at 30,000 miles plug changes usually not specified for many models.
Mazda say platinum plugs last the "life of the car" even Rover were 60,000 miles.
Antifreeze changes are generally at 7+ years
Servicing cars used to be a pleasurable job that took place on sunny Saturday morning.
Unfortunately that is a thing of yester year on modern cars.
I'm just upset my children will never have the pleasure of using a choke or manually winding windows up/down
On my old seat ibiza 1.4 the oil filter is underneath the exhaust manifolds so you haveto reach round them to get it off. Also in five services I could nevereven ffind the fuel filter. Even after searching the Web for ages and posting on forums.
Serviced our 2009 Mazda 6 1.8 same engine as Mondeo I understand.
Plugs are 100,000 intervals so costly. Motor factor told me they were expensive @ €60 and "most people didn't bother"
Plugs on top of engine so easy to get to. (Plugs were immaculate when I removed so do they really need doing. The engine has misfire detection
anyway??! )
Air filter required a hose removed but easy good visible access.
Oil filter on the front of the engine so good visible access.
There is an undertray with 12 bolts but has a door to access sump nut but not the oil filter!?!
I had a 2004 smart roadster coupe and was a mixed bag
MINOR SERVICE
No sump nut, so you must use an oil extract pump. Great access to oil filter so literally a 5 min job if oil was hot and hands stayed clean!
MAJOR SERVICE 15,000 miles!
Remove
Right and left side skirts brabus model.
Rear light clusters
Complete rear bumper clamshell
Remove right and left rear windows!
Change 6 plugs at about €80
Put it all back together
Do it all again 8 months later!
With a design life of 150,000 km or 100,000 miles and an oil interval of 30,000km/20,000 miles/ 2 years, a car will now only see 4 services in its
life so it's less of a design priority now. That being said little things would make a big difference.
quote:
Originally posted by Adamirish
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
I've just been doing the Mondeo ready for its mot next week.
Oil, filter, plugs, air filter, fuel filter, wiper blades and a couple of bulbs and what a pleasure to work on
But £15 per spark plug took the p1ss
[Edited on 21/5/16 by big_wasa]
Jesus! What plugs did you use?
I always bought genuine ford ones from Allen ford on the bay. Full set for the ST170 was about £20 iirc. Ford themselves were £18 each!
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
On my old seat ibiza 1.4 the oil filter is underneath the exhaust manifolds so you haveto reach round them to get it off. Also in five services I could nevereven ffind the fuel filter. Even after searching the Web for ages and posting on forums.
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
I've just been doing the Mondeo ready for its mot next week.
Oil, filter, plugs, air filter, fuel filter, wiper blades and a couple of bulbs and what a pleasure to work on
But £15 per spark plug took the p1ss
[Edited on 21/5/16 by big_wasa]
quote:
Originally posted by hizzi
i recently went against all i stand for and bought an oil suction pump that takes the oil out the dipstick hole. my volvo has a huge under tray thats nearly impossible to do on the floor even with a big jack. oh and it need a computer to change the rear brake pads
quote:
Servicing doesn't exist any more normally no need to change spark plugs anymore. Oil changes are at 15,000 to 20,000 miles for petrol engines.
Brake checks at 30,000 miles plug changes usually not specified for many models.
Mazda say platinum plugs last the "life of the car" even Rover were 60,000 miles.
Antifreeze changes are generally at 7+ years