The Philosophy of What We Do

[kbalch]

...auto manufacturers don't engineer fixing their cars when they design them.

A very common problem and not just with auto manufacturers. I've seen the same on modern motorcycles and aircraft. It's poor engineering, plain and simple. When I built my airplane, I very deliberately planned various installations with service in mind. Since I was going to be the mechanic down the road, it paid to minimize eventual inconvenience from the start.

These days it's obvious that manufacturers don't even want home mechanics working on their cars. Try lifting the hood on a new Mercedes or the rear deck on a Porsche - you won't see much of the engine, that's for sure. Just the oil and windshield fluid filler caps, most likely. I can't say whether that's built-in job security for factory techs, proof against ham-handed DIY'ers, or both. Probably both.

Too much design is being done in CAD by young engineers who've never built anything with their own hands. If they can get it to "fit" in the software - and it's buildable - they call it good without a thought of service after the fact. Frustrating for guys like us, that's for sure.

Ken