Bad car design.

TedAllen · Post by **TedAllen** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:53 pm

Thought it might be a bit of fun and interest to move away from Jowetts and post your examples of poor modern car design.
I thought of this because the cam belt on my daughters 4 year old Citroen C8 HDI has just broken at 60k miles. Recommended change at 100k. Guess what...needs a recon engine at just under Â£6000. The injectors, which are a foot long, rust into the head and are virtually impossible to remove. You can't get the cam cover off with the injectors in so you can't get the head off. Also, cam belt change costs Â£1500...the engine has to come out. Dealer standing cost...within 6 months...thank God.
My wifes C3 has an LCD speedometer...great at night but impossible to see in bright sunshine or when wearing polaroids. Would this be a defence against a speeding ticket ? I wish !
The Sony CD in my Vitara has volume controls so difficult to find without looking that it must be a dangerous distraction on the move. What's wrong with a nice big knob that you turn ?
Any more howlers ?
Ted

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:59 pm

All cars with digital read outs 'gauges instead of the analog/dial type
One hast to actually take time to read the digital, where as the dial one just needs a glance at where the needle is.
Hence why most race dars and a lot of macinery, generators and stuff still have dials.

Also related is things like water temp/ oil pressure gauges and no idiot lights to back up...With an idiot light it is instant red light/shutdown, but with a gauge u shut down went the next time u one glances across the gauges.

1st Gen Camaros...to replace the heater fan one has to remove the whole mud gaurd....and the top bolts on the rear left spring hangers are near impossible to get at without dropping the fuel tank.

Bradford..I think Im right here...the gearbox engine is easiest to come out the top, removing most of the front body parts, rather drop staight out underneath.

TedAllen · Post by **TedAllen** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:13 pm

Didn't think anyone would feature a Jowett here.
A small niggle with Honda, my FJS600 has a red speedo needle against a black face...got to search for it at night. Worse on rainy night. If I could get in I would Tippex it !
Ted

Post by **Forumadmin** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:06 pm

What is the design goal?
Reliability, serviceability, performance, economy, cost, engineering beauty (whatever that is!)?
All designs are compromises. All designs are constrained by history and management, and influenced by illogical preferences.
Hence why us engineers spend hours in museums and at car shows looking under the bonnet.

Citroen suffers from Gallic illogical preferences. Now someoone will say those features were designed by an Englishman! Somehow car design is like ' the Origin of Species' it needs mutation and natural selection.

Keith Andrews · Post by **Keith Andrews** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:42 pm

There is always the Javelin...absolute horrid design, suspention that just cant handle, and reliblity hopless
Baisally a disaster on wheels from top to bottom.

Im talking about the AMC Javelin.