Vehicle engineers that don't work on their own designs

[Toliver]

My dad started working at the Hapeville Ford Assembly Plant in 1971. For as far back as I can remember he complained about some of the stuff the designers came up with. Even on the assembly line where everything is the easiest to add to the car it didn't make sense.

 

[Toliver]

Try changing the front turn signal bulb on a Ford Escape! After you take the front wheel off then you can take the inner fender most of the way off. Then you can get to various other bolts and parts to get them out of the way. THEN, you can almost see where the bulb is only to find out that you must have an arm the size of a 10 year old female to be able to squeeze it in to where the bulb is! Not to mention that it is really hard to turn the bulb out with just a quarter of an inch of your finger tips being all you can reach it with!!!!!!

At one time a few years ago, the Chevy Caprice headlights were a sealed unit and you had to change out the whole thing to the tune of about $700. I never owned one, that's just what our fleet maintenance guy told me.

They basically engineer the shade tree mechanics out of being able to fix their own rides.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

At one time a few years ago, the Chevy Caprice headlights were a sealed unit and you had to change out the whole thing to the tune of about $700. I never owned one, that's just what our fleet maintenance guy told me.

They basically engineer the shade tree mechanics out of being able to fix their own rides.

My BIL has a 2020 Chevy half ton and one of he headlights went out. Yep around $700 to replace the entire unit and you basically can't do it yourself.

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

My BIL has a 2020 Chevy half ton and one of he headlights went out. Yep around $700 to replace the entire unit and you basically can't do it yourself.

I will stop complaining that I have to take the grill off of my f250 and the headlight plastic off the truck to replace a headlight now.

Good grief. The 2015 f250 only takes 10 minutes and $29 to swap them both when 1 goes out.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

I will stop complaining that I have to take the grill off of my f250 and the headlight plastic off the truck to replace a headlight now.

Good grief. The 2015 f250 only takes 10 minutes and $29 to swap them both when 1 goes out.

Think how fast we could have replaced the ones in the 50-70's when they were held in place with just three screws if battery operated drills had been invented by then.

 

[Batjack]

I will stop complaining that I have to take the grill off of my f250 and the headlight plastic off the truck to replace a headlight now.

Good grief. The 2015 f250 only takes 10 minutes and $29 to swap them both when 1 goes out.

Cost me $19.99 for each 4 sealed beams on my '84, but takes 30 mins. to do all 4... I guess... never changed more than 1 at a time.

 

[fireman32]

I’m somewhat positive that John Deere equipment has several different design and r&d depts and they are all in different countries with different educational backgrounds and different teams with different skill sets all working on similar things.

For instance, a TX Gator has lug screws in a normal 5 lug pattern and a 590e has super odd ball 15mm lug nuts in an off the wall 4 lug pattern. Then a Pro Gator has normal lug nuts in a normal 5 lug pattern. Just a small example anyone can understand.

Being a fleet manager for a variety of JD equipment is terrible. There is very little common parts overlap.

Of course, I am also fairly certain a 590 is 100% made in China and assembled here. It shares a lot of characteristics with those weird VanGo vehicles that aren’t road legal. The things even smell like Harbor Freight.

My second job specializes in JD cotton picker header work, and some of the basket parts on the old basket pickers. The engineering on the newer baler pickers has had a lot of farmers talking dirty. If they keep speeding them up the heads are gonna sling apart.

 

[Oldstick]

There are good and bad sides to vehicle designs as far as maintenance goes. Mostly bad for the DIY'er nowadays. With a few rare exceptions.

For example, my 2007 Tacoma is the easiest oil change of any vehicle I have ever seen, much less owned. Clearance at least 18 inches underneath to slide right to the oil plug. Factory stock with no lifts or any other modifications.

Then the oil filter is mounted right on the very top front of the engine so you can stand up straight under the hood up and easily grab it with two hands and twist it off.

Total time for a DIY oil change is 15 minutes, including the much needed beer break while waiting for all the oil to drain out. Then maybe have another beer before stepping over to screw on the new filter and pouring in the new oil.

 

[Raylander]

Got me one of the fancy engineering degrees in the closet somewhere. I graduated with some of the dumbest folks you’ve ever met. They were just good at homework..

 

[Batjack]

Got me one of the fancy engineering degrees in the closet somewhere. I graduated with some of the dumbest folks you’ve ever met. They were just good at homework..

My brother wasn't ever really what one would call smart, just real good at baseball so he got a 4 year free ride. I swear he came back dumber than he was, or as I like to call it "Educated well beyond one's intelligence."