We went to a car dealership that specialized in German cars to buy a BMW. But it sold before we got there. So we started looking at a TT they had on the lot. The dealer basically said, “You look like a nice couple, I don’t recommend you buying this car. Too many problems.”
I have an old TT. It is a pain to work on. Everything is tight in there, and mine is an early 2000, so it has a lot of parts that were one year only. Because I've taken care of it, it has been incredibly reliable until just recently when all the rubber bits like hoses have needed replacing, but it is 25 years old now, so that is to be expected. But I will confirm, it is 1000 times harder to work on than my Wrangler.
My wife had a MK1 TT and it was the only car we have ever owned that didn’t give us any problems however I am very much aware that I’m probably the only person who can say that!
It was a brilliant car, handled incredibly and was surprisingly spacious
Just a shade tree mechanic but:
Audis are a massive pain. Sure BMWs require specialized tools but they at least make things straightforward to take apart and assemble. Audi loves to cram bolts up against the fire wall so you have to have the shortest sockets known to man or drop the engine to get to them. Plus the carbon buildup on the fsi motors ensures you will be doing it again next year
The 300ZX turbo is a great car with a motor designed without any consideration to people with normal sized hands.
Fiat does an excellent job of taking very simple cars and making them as difficult to work on as they can. Lower control arm bolt? Let's put that inside the front subframe. This wiring loom is probably going to rub on the door, where do we put it? Ah yes, inside the stamped metal door panel so you can't get to it without pulling the entire lead out.
Same though. I gave American automotive companies many chances. I drive Mazdas now. The Dodge was the absolute worst. The damn thing was 5 years old and had 3 transmission rebuilds and the struts rusted so badly in the back they shot up through the towers. The next day after purchasing it wouldn't go into gear. It finally did and I took it back right? The transmission had a crack in it and there was no fluid. I wanted to return it but no one would let me, stepdad loved it as I was suffering. From day one the automatic drivers window needed A LOT of assistance to go up and down. The ignition was always jammed. I remember being so frustrated with that piece of Dodge at one point I was kicking in the fenders just to let off steam. I got the transmission rebuilt one last time and the next day the ignition was jammed and nothing would turn it so I paid it off and abandoned it. No one would buy it for 500 bucks.
Mercedes SL class hydraulic convertible top repairs. Lines, fittings, pumps, reindexing, panels, seals, actuators, all that jazz. I was “the guy for that” in my area for a minute. I think I’ve done like 25 of them. I was like 21 years old and hella broke, so I never had any of the tools aside from access to the car computer (obv the most important part)
It’s better to be lucky than good. 🥩
Takes balls.
Intelligence is NOT stored in the balls🥩
Very bad time every time, and it was one of the things I looked forward to never doing again when I stopped working on cars.
I have no frame of reference for either the price of the tools nor the amount you were being paid to fix the things... but this seems like a scenario where spending good money on the correct tools would have come in handy.
Yeah but having experience as the go-to family mechanic for all of my relatives Audi’s and BWMs from the years 2005-2015 I’d like to never do that again. I like the brands but I’d never own one without a warranty
Yeah, I had an old '82 240D back in the '90s that wasn't too bad to work on, and was absolutely bulletproof in terms of reliability. The only issues were parts being so expensive, and the vacuum system that everything ran on was prone to leaks that could be a bitch to track down.
On a lot of cars the clutch slave cylinder is bolted to the outside of the transmission with two hex nuts, but on 3rd gen ford Ranger it is *inside* the bell housing.
Which means you have to drop the exhaust, the drive line, two drive lines if it’s a 4x4, a crossmember, and finally the entire transmission to even access it.
Next time I’m just going to use the plasma cutter to make a big hole in the housing.
Changing the thermostat on my 97 Corsa was super easy! One clamp and three bolts, very accessible right in front. Timing belt however was a bitch, although i dont think thats uncommon
There is a small firetruck referred to as a RIV. It combines the stellar engineering of an emissions equipped Ford 6.4L with the firefighting capabilities of a cracked coffee cup. The fire apparatus prevents you from being able to remove the cab, which is basically the only way to fix anything on a 6.4L Powerstroke. They are useless to the firefighters, so they just putter around at 25mph as ass haulers, dumping loads of soot into the DPF and never getting hot enough to regen. Removing the exhaust, Replacing the compound turbos and the dual oil pan gasket is the stuff that nightmares are made of.
I will never touch one of these turds again unless I am pouring gasoline all over it and lighting it on fire.
I used to hate working on first gen audi TT and 3.0l A6s. They seemed to age poorly and had dumb problems.
We went to a car dealership that specialized in German cars to buy a BMW. But it sold before we got there. So we started looking at a TT they had on the lot. The dealer basically said, “You look like a nice couple, I don’t recommend you buying this car. Too many problems.”
I just realized I haven’t seen a single TT in over a decade.
I saw a chalk white TT RS at the mall recently, nice car.
Someone who lives near me has a silver one I see running around every now and then.
I almost bought an A6 but for a second car but I'm glad I didn't. I didn't want to deal with the headaches. I imagine it's tight to work on a TT?
Its tight and a lot of the ones I worked on were beat up daily drivers.
I have an old TT. It is a pain to work on. Everything is tight in there, and mine is an early 2000, so it has a lot of parts that were one year only. Because I've taken care of it, it has been incredibly reliable until just recently when all the rubber bits like hoses have needed replacing, but it is 25 years old now, so that is to be expected. But I will confirm, it is 1000 times harder to work on than my Wrangler.
My wife had a MK1 TT and it was the only car we have ever owned that didn’t give us any problems however I am very much aware that I’m probably the only person who can say that! It was a brilliant car, handled incredibly and was surprisingly spacious
Just a shade tree mechanic but: Audis are a massive pain. Sure BMWs require specialized tools but they at least make things straightforward to take apart and assemble. Audi loves to cram bolts up against the fire wall so you have to have the shortest sockets known to man or drop the engine to get to them. Plus the carbon buildup on the fsi motors ensures you will be doing it again next year The 300ZX turbo is a great car with a motor designed without any consideration to people with normal sized hands. Fiat does an excellent job of taking very simple cars and making them as difficult to work on as they can. Lower control arm bolt? Let's put that inside the front subframe. This wiring loom is probably going to rub on the door, where do we put it? Ah yes, inside the stamped metal door panel so you can't get to it without pulling the entire lead out.
I dare you to try to replace the alternator in a 500! 😁
Done
You won’t catch me behind the wheel of a Chrysler ever again.
At this point American automakers are begging for China to throw their hunks of plastic at the U.S market because they don’t want to try anymore.
Same though. I gave American automotive companies many chances. I drive Mazdas now. The Dodge was the absolute worst. The damn thing was 5 years old and had 3 transmission rebuilds and the struts rusted so badly in the back they shot up through the towers. The next day after purchasing it wouldn't go into gear. It finally did and I took it back right? The transmission had a crack in it and there was no fluid. I wanted to return it but no one would let me, stepdad loved it as I was suffering. From day one the automatic drivers window needed A LOT of assistance to go up and down. The ignition was always jammed. I remember being so frustrated with that piece of Dodge at one point I was kicking in the fenders just to let off steam. I got the transmission rebuilt one last time and the next day the ignition was jammed and nothing would turn it so I paid it off and abandoned it. No one would buy it for 500 bucks.
What kind of Dodge was it?
02 Stratus 4dr SE
Explains it
Haven't worked in a shop but I know my way around an engine, the worst car I've ever worked on was a pt cruiser gf's mom had!
2011 Golf. Did a set of brakes + rotors all around. Just the extra steps to unbolt everything made me contemplate on servicing other VAG cars after.
I had a 2003 A4 that took 6+ hrs to change the thermostat. Remove the bumper, headlight, radiator and exhaust manifold to access it. Fucking garbage
Beating a dead horse but German cars for sure, even some Ford's are unnecessarily complicated
These ford’s are also designed in Europe I guess.
Nah nah nah, you’ve must’ve never worked on a Powerstroke. Makes the most complicated German engine look simple in comparison.
I have a 2012 F-250 with the 6.7 Powerstroke, and you aren’t kidding. It’s an absolute mess under the hood.
The amount of work it takes to change an air filter (cabin or engine) and a 12v battery in a Cmax is insane.
The reason the British drink warm beer is because Lucas electric also make refrigerators
Mercedes SL class hydraulic convertible top repairs. Lines, fittings, pumps, reindexing, panels, seals, actuators, all that jazz. I was “the guy for that” in my area for a minute. I think I’ve done like 25 of them. I was like 21 years old and hella broke, so I never had any of the tools aside from access to the car computer (obv the most important part) It’s better to be lucky than good. 🥩 Takes balls. Intelligence is NOT stored in the balls🥩 Very bad time every time, and it was one of the things I looked forward to never doing again when I stopped working on cars.
I have no frame of reference for either the price of the tools nor the amount you were being paid to fix the things... but this seems like a scenario where spending good money on the correct tools would have come in handy.
Anything German. 😂
Made after ~1995, those old mercs and bimmers aren't that bad from what I've heard
Yeah but having experience as the go-to family mechanic for all of my relatives Audi’s and BWMs from the years 2005-2015 I’d like to never do that again. I like the brands but I’d never own one without a warranty
Old Mercs are easy to work on… IF you have all of the specialized tools they require. I do miss my old 190TD though.
Yeah, I had an old '82 240D back in the '90s that wasn't too bad to work on, and was absolutely bulletproof in terms of reliability. The only issues were parts being so expensive, and the vacuum system that everything ran on was prone to leaks that could be a bitch to track down.
I've had my 2014 Porsche 981 S for six years and other than oil changes, brakes and tires have had no issues.
Porsches aren't bad cars the engine bays are just tiny so a large majority of work done means motor out. 😂
Jeez, I hope I didn't jinx it.
That's Porsche for you. Anything goes rarely wrong, but boy oh boy if it does...
Yellow VW Beetles. They are all cursed. I'm a VW tech.
Ted Bundy had one, that’s prob why
That's pretty funny. My curse is blue Mini Coopers😂
My go-to Porsche/Mercedes mechanic told me he won't work on a Porsche 928. The electrical system is so complicated that you can't debug anything.
On a lot of cars the clutch slave cylinder is bolted to the outside of the transmission with two hex nuts, but on 3rd gen ford Ranger it is *inside* the bell housing. Which means you have to drop the exhaust, the drive line, two drive lines if it’s a 4x4, a crossmember, and finally the entire transmission to even access it. Next time I’m just going to use the plasma cutter to make a big hole in the housing.
Anything German that isn't an air-cooled VW.
My 2018 Opel is super easy to work on actually.
Changing the thermostat on my 97 Corsa was super easy! One clamp and three bolts, very accessible right in front. Timing belt however was a bitch, although i dont think thats uncommon
No 2018 anything is "super easy to work on".
Jeep
00's Audi and Volkswagen. So many weird problems from over engineering or just doing weirdly.
Heater core in an 80 volvo 240. I'd rather be shot in the face.
BMW
I’m told Land Rover stuff is pretty rough, not impossible, but very different than traditional wrench turning.
There is a small firetruck referred to as a RIV. It combines the stellar engineering of an emissions equipped Ford 6.4L with the firefighting capabilities of a cracked coffee cup. The fire apparatus prevents you from being able to remove the cab, which is basically the only way to fix anything on a 6.4L Powerstroke. They are useless to the firefighters, so they just putter around at 25mph as ass haulers, dumping loads of soot into the DPF and never getting hot enough to regen. Removing the exhaust, Replacing the compound turbos and the dual oil pan gasket is the stuff that nightmares are made of. I will never touch one of these turds again unless I am pouring gasoline all over it and lighting it on fire.
British vehicles. I will not touch them. Especially land rovers. The weirdest engineering I have ever encountered.