Whats the worst car you've ever worked on?

[hillbilly4008]

Ive got a whole list of cars i hate to work on. Here goes:

-Any Ford V10, the spark plugs rot out at the cylinder head. Need to be re-tapped for thread insert. trying to get the fan off? lots of luck. I cant stand putting hydraulic pumps on these motors. One time it took me 8 hours. Oh, and the fan WILL NOT come off without the special ford fan tool.

-Electrical on a Chevy Stingray. Friggin fiberglass cars! 10 to 1 says any electrical problem on these cars is because of ground.

-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

-brakes on 2000 to 2005 Chevy Silverados. The rear caliper bolts rust into the caliper. Hmm...steel bolt in aluminum housing.....yeah, that should last. The rotors also tend to break around the hub, or better yet explode.

-I remember my father telling me about fixing '65 mustangs with rotten frames and no trunks back when he was in highschool shop class. Early '70s

Whats the worst car you've worked on? Or have worked on, and refuse to work on ever again?

Has anyone seen the 2008+ Ford diesels? Scary lookin. I heard there soo big, they stopped making ambulances because the engine didnt fit the chassis.

 

[Ratcrazy]

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.

 

[hillbilly4008]

Ford did do one thing right though. ......They circled there mistake.

 

[roddguy1]

Ford did do one thing right though. ......They circled there mistake.

Now that's funny right there.

 

[Rev Tex Devlle]

anything that was built after 1985!!!!! and anything thnat waas made overseas

 

[moparcowboy]

Ford trucks and Tunderturds

 

[moparcowboy]

I love my Dodge Ram, but they aint fun to work! the engine set so far back.

 

[Sniper]

All brands seem to have their own "difficult" areas to deal with. Not to hard to see that the engineers that design the componets, aren't the same people that assemble and repair. I think sometimes they lay awake at night and think... "Hey, I know, this will screw them up!!" Haven't worked in the auto trade for a number of years now, and I sure don't miss it. Man lifts and industrial is much easier, no longer having to deal with the general public that want it fixed for nothing. Sniper

 

[Sam_Fear]

Anything that requires removing body parts just to change spark plugs.

 

[Gearhead10]

As an auto mechanic I can say that yes, all makes have certain models that suck to work on. I hate Trailblazers, if they have auto 4wd the clutch's inside the transfer case can come apart and exit the side of the case. Not so hard to replace but damb expensive.

Colorado pickup front brakes. Try to get the rotors off of one of those to turn em, its a bitch.

Any chrysler product with a timing belt that runs the water pump, esp if it has a dual overhead cam (PT cruizer, sebring, stratus,intrepid) just no room to work. Stupid engineering.

I personally don't care for anything made after 99. Too much computerized BS to have to deal with, and no room to fix anything cuz of all the cab forward design on most. I wish the tool companies would make a 1 inch man that I could send in there too do the work so my arms & hands would't get all scratched up tryin to reach in those close spaces.

 

[hotbuick]

Exhaust manifold bolts on V-10 Ford van.... you have to take the head off because they've invariably rusted off at the head. Water pump on Pontiac Fiero, well actually almost everything on a Fiero. The back three plugs on a chevy cavalier

 

[Tripper]

TR3

My buddy had a Triumph TR3 & that sucker was very hard to work on... very small spaces that big fat hands couldn't get to & horrible engineering.

BoB

 

[Ratcrazy]

After reading all this people still wonder why we build rats......Hands down the easiest to work on

 

[Bonehead]

I still have the scar from a Mitsubishi.

 

[dmw56]

The one I had to have finished and running on Monday so I could get to work!

 

[wrecker55]

any car or truck you DON'T want to work on

 

[timbo]

Nissan pick ups/pathfinders V6 starters are a butt hole to change. If you ever do one ,do not use a after market starter unless you like to change them every couple of weeks. Fuel pumps and intake gaskets on 97 ^ GM cars and trucks. Not that bad to do but is rididculous to have to do at 30,000 miles. Any thing with foolinjection,serpitene belts and anitstop brakes,3 of the worst inventions ever put on a car/truck. I like a car I can depend on. I bought a new truck in 1989 and will never make that mistake again.
Tim

 

[hillbilly4008]

After reading all this people still wonder why we build rats......Hands down the easiest to work on

i couldnt agree more, thats cuz WE built em and could do it all over again with out eyes closed. Wait till it comes time to get underneath it though, sheesh. Wish i had a lift. Im thinking of building one, got enough spare steel and hyd. cylinders laying around.

The second easiest vehicle ive ever worked on was a '43 Willys MB. Idiot proof. I had the military repair manual, could'a rebuilt the whole thing in the mud with a cresent wrench and a screw driver.......oh yeah, cant forget the BFH.

 

[Lightning]

Worst Car

I think the worst one I worked on was a 1957 DKW Coupe,front wheel drive,three cylinder,two stroke> A great little[weird] car, but I had to do some trans work on it and the only thing I could go by was a repair manual that was written in German,real good pictures though.

 

[hotrod preacher]

well i'll go ahaead and stir this one up.......any experience i've had with chrysler products!!
as a bodyman it seemed as though when you needed to remove part "A", that you had to first remove part"B", which usually required the removal of part "C", and of course part"C" could not be easily removed without part"A" being out of the way!!!!
when i mentioned this to my dad once, years ago, he said that was his experience with caterpillar road construction equipment!