Whats the worst car you've ever worked on?

[cycledog]

Any Mercedes Benz. Over engineered... and just try to get a part from your local parts store...never owned one but have worked on a some.

 

[LordMaximo]

Funny stuff all you out there.......I have never met an engine I couldn't fix or get done......of coarse, the owners are really a second thought when I pull out the torch and 3lb sledge.

I can't remember the worst one, but the I really hate those owners who never clean or even try to keep their engines' compartments in a workable state. I had one who was really ****ed at me cause I told him to go over the local spray gally and drop some quarters in the slot. He said he was going elsewhere. Well 2 days later and $3.00 worth on time and quarters he returns.
I asked him what took so long, he was very humble when the other shops in the area made it clear to him that he was gonna be charged $50 cleaning fee.
It was real easy to get him to spend time under the hood after that experience.

Maximo

 

[440shorty]

worst of everything

When I was an auto tech (20 years worth) my skinny arms and hands along with a "can-do" attitude won me all the oddball, hard to work on cars or jobs I could stand. I was mostly a transmission specialist anyway, so I got to take apart the world and put it back together.

How bout a list by make?

GM: Lumina with the 3.4 DOHC V6. Pure Junk, in every sense of the word. Even worse than a Northstar Cadillac to work on.

Ford: Contour/Mystique/Cougar V6 - but that is trumped by its SUV cousin, the AWD Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute - same driveline, but with a transfer case. Bleah.

Chrysler: Cloud Cars - Cirrus, Stratus. They used a special shoehorn to get those V6's in there sideways, and amen to remove part B & C to get part A out.

Toyota: Highlander - FWD platform SUV - what where they thinkin?

Nissan Pathfinder, Pickup 4x4 (pre 1997 or so) - Yes, you really should take the torsion bars out to get the transmission out.

Mitsubishi: Dodge Colt Vista AWD wagon. Aren't we glad they've rusted out by now??

Never mind the European cars. They seem to have been designed by people who just don't think like Americans. Maybe our cars are difficult to work on from their perspective, too. I choose not to work on them, or anyone else's cars at all now, for that matter. I've retired as an auto tech.

There probably is a certain task on most cars that is hard to do, and probably an easy one also. "Hard" is also a subjective word.

440shorty

 

[LuCkYLaDD]

My '88 S-10 Blazer with the stupid 2.8 V6....not that it's hard to work on, but ive replaced everything BUT the kitchen sink after my distributor came apart 4 years ago while on the freeway and the dang thang just doesnt wanna run right Maybe it's time for that 283 swap

 

[hillbilly4008]

-
-03 to 04 Ford Xploder. My wife has one, in the last year i've replaced wheel bearings, brakes, heater controls(real fun when you have big hands), Blower motor for heat, rear tie rod ends, wiper motor. fuel pump. Now a guy that use to be a ford tech. says the rear end goes at 90,000. Oh Joy

....and now to that list of crap added - rear coil spring. Come on, its only 7 years old!!!! My '66 Impala is rockin all original hardware. They just dont make em like they use to

 

[Crazy '66 chevy]

My old lady's 91 infinity Q45. If you need to change the plugs you half to pull the whole intake off.

 

[Rev Tex Devlle]

94 chevy s 10 motor and trans swap,, chevy engineers have lost their minds,, no wonder they need a bailout!!!!!!!!!!!! , i started this on monday, and still aint got it end cause i ahd to change everything from one motor to the next,, i cut the guy a deal 400.00 to do it,, this was at least a 900.00 job!!!!!!! REVTEXDEVILLE<<<<<<<<IS A MORON!!!!!!!!

 

[maddog]

The worst car I ever worked on?

There are several but they were all owned by my wife.

 

[taverncustom]

my first reaction to this thread is to say your moms lol.
but really its got to be my 86 fiero gt fast back 3.4l turbo

 

[bernie1]

anything on top of a van engine!!!!!!!!

 

[hillbilly4008]

The worst car I ever worked on?

There are several but they were all owned by my wife.

amen to that! Just changed the other rear coil in my wifes exploder. Now the heat only works when it wants to. "Did ya turn it on?" Dude, she hates me. I just want to light a rag in the gas tank.

(most of my friends are firemen. They probly shouldnt have told me this but, the best way to arson a car is with wax paper and pringles. Put the wax paper on the front floor and put the pringles on top of it, then light. They say it leaves no evidence.)

Another pain in the neck vehicle im working on now is my wifes '50 chevy truck. To get the motor split from the tranny you have deal with bolts going in both directions, half of which my fat hands cant get at. Nothing like a V8.

 

[lampare]

worst car

My fathers 1965 mg midget.

 

[rainman]

Anything German!!!!! German Engineering SUCKS!!

 

[SugarRay8]

Any Mercedes Benz. Over engineered... and just try to get a part from your local parts store...never owned one but have worked on a some.

Really, I owned a 1982 240D, was the easiest car I’ve ever worked on.
Parts were very reasonable, comparable to buying parts for a Chevy.
I did order most of my parts, so I had to wait a couple days to get them, but otherwise I was real happy with that car.

 

[oldskool]

Oh list...I have a few on my hit list. `77 vette rear torsion bar bushings(kinda like a vw but with out the room,unless you remove the body.[S. Silly engineers plastics are for toys! One of the "favorites"is a suzuki samari tranny,welded in crossmember. Motor and tranny must come out as a unit(or hack for floor up like i did!)[cl
I think (and i have expressed this to my wife many many times) in order to become a "engineer" they first and foremost complete at least 10 years of that field as a tech. then if they design something that fails, you are stripped of the title and go back to work on what you designed. Do you think they might pay a little closer attention to serviceable items(plugs, clutchs, ect)

 

[cantwell.colton]

this sucked - changing the alternator on a new dodge caliber : /
its basically sitting on the frame- under the power steering pump- under
the ac - compressor -- all of it tucked in snug between the fender and engine

 

[CR55]

I've worked on my wife's Chrysler Mini van twice and both times I swore I would never work on it again!![S..Yeah, right!...CR

 

[Willowbilly3]

The worst was a Ford Contour. My wife had one a few years ago and it needed a tune up. OK simple, throw in a few plugs and filters, no big deal, right? .......WRONG!!!!!

The intake manifold had to be removed, the rear valve cover and most of the hang on mess before you could get to the rear bank to change the plugs,
forgot to memtion its a v-6 sidewinder. And they couldn't be reached from underneath either.

Wonder what Ford was thinking when they build this junk.
Never again would I own one of those cars even though I am a Ford guy.
Ford light bulb must have burnt out on that one.

Did you try taking the top front motor mount off and tipping the engine forward? I used to have a snap on tool just for that because so many of the V6s sidewinders had the same accessibility problem.
I don't work on much newer stuff any more. But years in the business I can't remember anything that I considered more than just a challange. The feedback carburetors and early computer systems were some of the bad engineering we had to deal with. American cars quality control was in the toilet all through the 80s.
I always liked working on Fords better because kids didn't own them as much. By the time a Chevy pickup was 10 years old it had typically been through a couple gomers and you never knew what they messed up or left off. The typical Chevy pickup would have the fan shroud missing, spark plug wires all over the place and at least one of them wrapped around the master cylinder. Plus a stereo that looked like the only installation tool they had was a fire ax and 100 foot roll of red wire.
I always said anyone could work on a chevy but it took a real mechanic to fix a Ford. So I guess the worst cars I had to work on were ones that the owner had screwed up so bad he had to take it to a mechanic. The best ones to work on were the ones owned by people with zero mechanical aptitude and who realized that.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Really, I owned a 1982 240D, was the easiest car I’ve ever worked on.
Parts were very reasonable, comparable to buying parts for a Chevy.
I did order most of my parts, so I had to wait a couple days to get them, but otherwise I was real happy with that car.

I agree. I think the MB was one car that was engineered to be serviced. Parts accessibility is different than chevy stuff at NAPA though. You don't order anything without the VIN and save yourself some grief and deal with the dealer or a specialized source.
BMW is a different story, definitely over engineered.

 

[SugarRay8]

I agree. I think the MB was one car that was engineered to be serviced. Parts accessibility is different than chevy stuff at NAPA though. You don't order anything without the VIN and save yourself some grief and deal with the dealer or a specialized source.
BMW is a different story, definitely over engineered.

You got that right! My daughter has an X5 and I dread every time she needs me to work on it.

Those parts are way overpriced regardless how you get them.

Awesome rig when it’s working, but a complete nightmare to service!