Worst car manufacturer for DIY servicing/repairs

[iwaters]

Which car manufacturer do you think makes the hardest cars to work on as a DIY'er? I have to nominate VAG cars, every procedure seems to need a specialist tool to hold this piece or undo this nut. The head bolts are either multipoint bits or some other strange shape which is hard to find.

Everthing seems to be put in the most inaccesible place (timing belts are a good example, the entire bumper has to come of my Audi A6), then you need about £200 worth of tools, which you wont use again. The tools are not even universal across a range, each engine has its own set.

Drives me mad, everytime something needs doing I have to price up whether the tools that are needed are cheaper than the labour to pay a garage to do it!

Anyone got a worse make of car?

 

[EddieM]

All as bad as each other AFAIK. You also need error code checkers / clearers, 7mm hex keys, key reprogramming kit, tartan paint, rubber hammer, 4 candles, etc etc...

 

[Burnerman]

Try the Smart range....jack 'em up wrong and you crack the roof
John

 

[^neo^]

anything french.
Vag range has to be the easiest i think!

 

[EddieM]

Don't know about hardest to service. But if you need say a new wheel valve cap, the guy will suck his teeth, whistle and say it comes as a kit consisting off, new wheel, bearing, caliper, disk, ABS sensor, shock absorber spring and assmbly kit, costing approximately 5x the value of the car.

 

[joinerjohn]

I'd reckon there's not much to choose between any car manufacturers nowadays.
Years ago my dad had a Mk2 Ford Cortina. Everything under the bonnet was easily accessible. Oil change was a piece of cake. He had the gearbox go on it once and I replaced it with one from the local scrapyard. Started the job on a Saturday night around half twelve, (dad was a professional entertainer, hence the late hours) and finished it by 5 in the morning. Toolwise all it took was a set of spanners, an allen key and a Haynes manual.
Nowadays, some vehicles need to go into the garage to have an oil/ plug change. I'd be the first to admit that cars have come a long way since the 70's but surely manufacturers could build them in such a way that we can do minor jobs on them, like oil change, coolant flush, sparkplug changes, etc etc.

A couple of years ago my dad had a citroen summat or other. A temperature sensor went on it. The actual part cost around 9 or 10 quid, but the job itself cost almost £250 due to the fact that the sensor was placed right at the back of the engine, meaning the engine had to come out to replace the sensor. Even the mechanic admitted the sensor could have been better positioned by the Citroen designers. But at £240 labour he wasn't going to argue with them was he?

 

[noseall]

DIY mechanics!

Are you mad!!?

 

[Peter.N.]

Any car made after about 1999, the RWD cars are marginally easier.

 

[gregers]

1 thing i cant understand with vw is,i recently changed my alternator pulley and needed the spline tool,well they were quite happy to sell me the part BUT WOULDNT SELL ME THE TOOL.
so i bought the tool from ebay and the parts from GSF.

 

[iwaters]

1 thing i cant understand with vw is,i recently changed my alternator pulley and needed the spline tool,well they were quite happy to sell me the part BUT WOULDNT SELL ME THE TOOL.
so i bought the tool from ebay and the parts from GSF.

I've found this with Audi too. Luckily Laser manufacturer replacement VAG tools so you can buy them on Ebay! Think VAG make it as hard as possible to work on their cars so you have to take it to their dealers!

 

[^neo^]

Just need a decent selection of tools really.
Don't think they're trying to make it 'dealer only' repairs, but more 'competent' people doing the jobs

 

[joinerjohn]

With all of the "specialist tools" used on cars nowadays, I'm sure the manufacturers don't want just anyone working on their vehicles. It has become a specialist trade really. Who in their right mind is going to buy a tool to help you change a pulley on a car, when the tool costs more than the part your replacing? unless you know your going to use it lots of times?

 

[iwaters]

If a manufacturer makes a specialist tool required to perform a particular task then being in posession of that tool doesn't now make you competent. My local main dealer has all the VAG tools but most of the 'mechanics' there are not much better than a fitter.

It's not about whether I (or anyone else) is competent enough to do the task is the fact the that the manufacturer seems to go out of their way to make it difficult by requiring the use of a specialist tool which a DIY'er is likely to only use once.

I'm sure the manufacturers don't want just anyone working on their vehicles

It's not their vehicle, it's mine, I paid them for it. That doesn't give them the right to dictate who works on it.

 

[gregers]

exactly,as i said to the chap serving me,why sell the part if you cant change it yourself.
i think its there way of ensuring that there are enough blocks in your way to give up and take it to the dealers.
ive also had a heated discussion with ford over parts for my car when 97% of it is vw(ford galaxy tdi).
they had to wait for parts!!!!so i told them to go and get them off the shelf at vw,OH we cant do that sir,why not thats where you get them anyway i said,ford do not make the part anyway.
sir you can if you want,and we can fit,BUT we will not guarantee it WTF IS ALL THAT ABOUT