New cars with plastic covers over the engine

[Scootin159]

Every car I've owned when you open the hood you see the engine. You know, the cylinder head(s), intake headers, exhaust headers, distributer cap, fuel injection, etc. But with new cars all you see is a pretty(?) little cover that says what kind of engine it's hiding from you. Anyways, how hard is it to remove these covers in most cars if you actually want to do work on the car, or think that the actual engine it's self looks better than a little plastic cover? What's the point to this cover anyways? It just makes it seem like you have two hoods. Is it for all the people who forget what kind of engine they have & need to have it written out in big letters underneeth to figure it out?

 

[Scootin159]

EXAMPLE

 

[PsychoAndy]

Its designed so gearheads have a harder time and the yuppie soccer moms get confused so they take it to the dealer and spend $130 on a tune up and $30 for a new filter and 4 quarts of quaker state.

-PAB

 

[Scootin159]

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Its designed so gearheads have a harder time and the yuppie soccer moms get confused so they take it to the dealer and spend $130 on a tune up and $30 for a new filter and 4 quarts of quaker state.

-PAB

Hmm...so rather than making better cars that are easier to work on, we make crappier cars that are harder to work on and will earn the dealers more money after they die. Got ya

BTW, it does cost me $30 for a new oil filter and 6 quarts of Quaker State.

 

[vi edit]

Like this?

I think it's largely due to esthetics. Makes it look purty when the salesperson pops the hood on it in the lots. It takes about 4 seconds to take off, and another 4 seconds to put back on. There's four plastic "screws" that hold it in place.

The annoying one is the skirt on the bottom of the car that conceals the entire engine compartment. It's a pain in the ass when you change your oil, but it's nice because it keeps salt and other other junk from flinging up in there from the road.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: Scootin159

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
Its designed so gearheads have a harder time and the yuppie soccer moms get confused so they take it to the dealer and spend $130 on a tune up and $30 for a new filter and 4 quarts of quaker state.

-PAB

Hmm...so rather than making better cars that are easier to work on, we make crappier cars that are harder to work on and will earn the dealers more money after they die. Got ya

BTW, it does cost me $30 for a new oil filter and 6 quarts of Quaker State.

I'm not sure if they're crappier cars per se as they are "optimizing" the manufactuturing process for faster assembly, which results in PITA maintenance and repairs.

My 14 year old 1.6L DOHC honda engine is a complete pain to change filters and do almost routine mainenance. Thankfully stuff dosent break very often.

-PAB

 

[Zenmervolt]

I don't know why they do that, but it's a pain for me too. Most people don't even check their own oil anymore though, so you're probably right that it's just aesthetics since few people bother to access the engine these days.

ZV

 

[geno]

It's motors like that that make me happy I have the one I do 😀 I can change the oil without even jacking the car up or making any special preparations, the spark plugs are RIGHT there to get at, the oil filter is a snap to get at with one hand, distributor is right there, injectors....I feel so lucky to have it, especially after doing the spark plugs on my buddy's SHO :Q my god that was hell...

 

[vi edit]

Speaking of hard to reach oil changes...

Did ford TRY and make it impossible to change the oil in the 98/99 Escorts????? Good grief. First off...the oil pan plug is like an inch from a part of the frame making it impossible to get a normal socket head on there. If that isn't bad enough, you have to bury your arm up to the elbow and snake your way around several hoses to to the damn oil filter.

You'd think that a basic, and required task that has to be done every 3000 miles would be at least somewhat easy to do. Not in this car.

ARRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Scootin159]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Like this?

Hmm...30v V6 = 5 valves/cylinder !?!? Mounted Longitudinally = RWD? What kind of VW is this?

Originally posted by: vi_edit
[The annoying one is the skirt on the bottom of the car that conceals the entire engine compartment. It's a pain in the ass when you change your oil, but it's nice because it keeps salt and other other junk from flinging up in there from the road.

Hmm...Don't even have one of those in my car, although it doesn't get much sand/salt/dirt up in there since it's only about 4" off the ground in the front. Pain in the but to pull the oil plug though, gotta put it up on jacks to do it. Also kind of unsettling to think that your oil cooler is about the same 4" off the ground.

 

[vi edit]

Hmm...30v V6 = 5 valves/cylinder !?!? Mounted Longitudinally = RWD? What kind of VW is this?

FWD Passat.

 

[geno]

Hmm...30v V6 = 5 valves/cylinder !?!? Mounted Longitudinally = RWD? What kind of VW is this?

I was thinking a Pasaat?

Also, longitudinally != RWD automatically, my friend has a 2.5 TL, with an I5 mounted longitudinally, and it was FWd...

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I don't have that crap even though my car is a 1995 model. :Q

 

[Scootin159]

Originally posted by: geno
It's motors like that that make me happy I have the one I do 😀 I can change the oil without even jacking the car up or making any special preparations, the spark plugs are RIGHT there to get at, the oil filter is a snap to get at with one hand, distributor is right there, injectors....I feel so lucky to have it, especially after doing the spark plugs on my buddy's SHO :Q my god that was hell...

Yeah, my engine about the same. It's mounted at about 45* longitudinally (basically imagine if you only had one bank of a V8 there) so things are a bit different though. From above it is REAL easy (like they come straight out the top) to get to fuel injectors, spark plugs and intake headers. From below it's easy to get right at the exhaust headers on one side or the oil pan/oil cooler on the other side. Only real complaint about the whole engine bay as a whole is that the dip stick is in the middle of the back of the engine bay. Oh well, it's still well within reach.

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Did ford TRY and make it impossible to change the oil in the 98/99 Escorts????? Good grief. First off...the oil pan plug is like an inch from a part of the frame making it impossible to get a normal socket head on there. If that isn't bad enough, you have to bury your arm up to the elbow and snake your way around several hoses to to the damn oil filter.

Seems to be a pretty common thing with fords. I forget which ford it is (maybe crown vic?), but I know there is one car that you actually have to remove one of the front wheels to get the oil filter out.

 

[Scootin159]

Originally posted by: geno

Hmm...30v V6 = 5 valves/cylinder !?!? Mounted Longitudinally = RWD? What kind of VW is this?

I was thinking a Pasaat?

Also, longitudinally != RWD automatically, my friend has a 2.5 TL, with an I5 mounted longitudinally, and it was FWd...

Yeah, I was thinking it could be 4WD or AWD, but how can it be FWD? Is it basically a RWD layout with the driveshaft coming out the same side of the tranny as the clutch goes in and then a inverted rear differential under the engine?