Todays cars are just not as good as the old ones

[stingray66]

I have been a mechanic for a long time started back in 62 and have seen a lot of things change some good BUT mostly BAD
Stopped by a friends shop the other day. He had a 2010 Mazda sedan with a V6 with blown head gaskets
with 24,000 miles and the factory said it was NOT under warranty Well I found out that the engine was a Ford 3,0 V6
I am retired so I am Not in to it as much as I once was so I did not know that Mazda came with fords engines
Now I will say there is NO way to get the heads off with the engine in the car ALso there is NO way to replace the water pump with out removing the engine Ended up removing the whole engine trans cradle and lifting the car up on the lift
Found the heads are warped because of a water pump failure
I just hate to think of some poor tech on flat rate doing this job He would get totally F%^^% on this job I am told this is the same engine thats in the ford edge My point is if you would have told me that you have to remove an engine just to replace a water pump I would have thought you were NUTs And to the engineer that designed that engine he should be FRIED
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Topic

[fordranger]

the edges have the 3.5 in them and its not always the engineer. it’s marketing financing and remember a lot of computers that design cars nowadays. Cars are a heck of a lot safer too get hit in a 59 impala vs an 09 you’ll see the difference. Cars actually last longer I see it as stuff happens and the person should not have driven with the overheat in my eye.

[Dave]

New cars suck they are harder to work on and break easier.
Old cars were built to last, some were actually over designed. That is why they are still around 50 years later I would like to see anything new last that long.
Oh and hit a 09′ with a 59′ and see who lives, my money is on the 59′ because it would rip through the imported car like chili through an Eskimo.
New cars are built a cheap as possible not to be good like old American iron.
Give me anything from 80′ or older any day. Built in America by Americans and has no computers controlling anything, I could fix it without any special tools.

[stingray66]

have two 5.7 hemis in the shop a 09 and a 2010 both with a hole in the block were the piston went both had the valve guides broken and with though the piston both under 50.000 miles have a 2010 mustang with a 5,0 with a spun barring and the list keeps going on Todays cars are JUNK and please don’t tell me you believe that video with the 59 chevy Its been know that it was staged the 59 in the video had NO frame no engine and was badly rusted out Did you see the video with an 09 chevy and a 59 chrysler that was NOT staged both were whole cars There was nothing left of the 09 that even looked like a car So don’t give me that crap that todays cars are safer B/S
I have NEVER seen so many engines go bad as I have seen in the last few years we Had good cars in the 60s but today there is NOT one car That I like or would recommend Todays cars are hard to work on cost a hell of a lot to fix and JUST do not hold up Todays cars ARE NOT SAFE as the old cars hands down Just look at that limo that caught fire out near LA turns out the electric fuel pump malfunction Why on earth did any one put a electric fuel pump in the gas tank
And just look how well cash for clunkers did All it did is to destroy good cars for crappy unsafe JUNK

[fordranger]

go to YouTube general motors showed it. are supposed to crumple to save the driver and passenger in the vehicle. Computers are an amazing thing if we all drove v8 carb cars with vented fuel systems are emission would be out of this world. engines of today last longer and are little to no maitmance, unlike carburetors that need some attention every 3k.because you cant understand it doesn’t mean they’re bad. I have a 03 which is really an 02 ford Windstar with 87k nothing has ever failed mechanically just tie rod ends tires brakes and oil, coolant. I get this kind of talk all of the time by older mechanics and people in general. Cars back in the 60’s.70’s,80’s rotted out quicker than new cars do and you guys had better and more metal on cars. I will agree some designs are crap and you will see engines die an early death, lack of maitmance is a big thing and even cars back in the 60’s had main bearings let go then the rod went out of the block or oil pan. Anything manufactured will fail I don’t care the time period.

[stingray66]

YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING todays engines are the worst In the shop we get about 10 to 15 engines a month going bad
WE never seen this back in the 60s
mostly just bad designed engines form the get go
and as far as that gm video it WAS STAGED You cant tell me you believed that the 09 was better that the 59

[Bill]

First of all i respect the fact you tackled that job in your retirement years. I’m 63 and i wouldn’t do that job. Second it’s a Mazda engine and most fords use that Mazda designed engine in there models (Escape,Edge,Fusion etc.). It’s really usually a very tough engine in my experience but not many engines will take an over heat condition these days.

I remember seeing 350 cu. in. Oldsmobile engines get soo hot that they would sieze up. When they cooled you could crank em over and carry on as if nothin ever happend.

If everything is maintained , the newer engines usually do last longer that the older ones.

[Brian]

I will say with all due respect to your experience over the years and your opinion is appreciated, but from a different standpoint:
I am in my thirties and have owned/repaired old cars and new cars, I think it goes both ways for my opinion. I have seen old cars last a really long time and other crap out with the best of them.. just like the new cars. It is in fact true they “Do Not” build cars like they used to and in many cases that is good. Take the Ford Crown Vic for instance: 4.6 Ltr. SOHC 2-valve V-8 has been used in police, taxi, truck and Mustang “Muscle” duty for years and has held up well in many cases with proper maint. and tuning has been known for going well over 200k miles and still counting! (*Remember when people kept saying the Ford OHC design was a weak piece of junk that won’t hold up… I do.) Many people I have known with these “Newer” vehicles especially in the “Muscle” car world aka SRT8 “Hemi”, GM “LS/LSA”, and Ford OHC the ones that have had success are the ones that keep up with their vehicles needs and don’t “Abuse” them all the time. If you go stop light to stop light with a 426 “Hemi” 0-60 in 4.8 seconds every time and don’t keep up the maint. it will in fact go “BOOM!” same with a new car.

So to me it’s a wash IMO. (Both have their strong points and negatives really): Maint. is key.

[Trent “Teddy” Martin]

Firstly no one is wrong and no one is right in this situation. Yes a lot of older cars are easier to work on and are stronger but there are also some newer cars that are also easy to work on. One of them is the Toyota yaris yes it is very small and compact but to do a clutch on it can under two hours I’ve seen people screwing around with clutches in chevys for up to 4 to 6 hours but also in saying that carbs are also easier to diagnose as there are fewer to no computer side to it all. I think as long as you stick with a good strong brand you won’t have many problems just look after your cars people’s

[Bill]

Not quite sure if i agree RogueTeddy as i replaced the Water Pump on a Yaris not long ago.I raised the engine and still had a problem replacing it.

I agree there are some jobs on newer cars that are easier than the older ones though. I just can’t think of any right now.

[Bill]

It’s real funny about those 4.6’s. I service a Crown Vic cab with close to 900.000 Kilometers on it and it’s never been apart. I have timeserted every plug hole in it and it eats coils for breakfast. It’s starting to use a little oil now and the top end is starting to tick so i don’t know how much longer it’s gonna breathe for.

Now…my Sis had a 4.6Lt T-Bird and i took care of it for her from new and it got the best of everything when it was due and by the time it got 160.000KL on it the T-Chain was starting to rattle and it used oil badly. The whole car was a turd anyway but go figure.

[Konrad]

New cars are made to be disposable. You use them for the warranty period and trade it in for the latest and greatest. Flat rate techs don’t necessarily get screwed. I’m sure it’s not the first water pump and warped heads they have seen on that engine. Pattern failures are what gets them basically free diag time, and they probably completed that job enough times to do it blindfolded. If a dealership tech is surprised, it’s probably because the customer did some extra credit work to the car, like ignoring the pegged temp gauge and overheat warning on the dash and really cooking the engine.

The manufacturer doesn’t really care about the vehicle once the warranty expires. Some of the cars i work on have twin turboed 12 cylinders monsters where a DOHC V8 would be a tight squeeze. You could dump a bag of sand over the top of the engine compartment and not have a single grain reach the ground. Replacing something like a pre-cat oxygen sensor requires dropping the engine. Warranty pays 4.7 hours to replace plugs. Everything on that engine was designed to make it through the warranty period, and once the vehicle goes second hand, it’s a disaster on wheels. Just go to a few used car lots. They are flooded with late model MB AMGs with giant engines and selling for the price of a new well equipped compact. Some people think they are getting a great deal when they choose that executive class cruiser, but have no clue what it costs to maintain it. I have customers come in all the time for diag and leave furious like i just told them their kid is ugly because their late model second hand car is now going to cost as much as a new Corolla to repair.

[redfury]

I’ll take replacing the belt on my Astro over replacing the belts on my 1965 Fury3’s 383. I can have that job done in the time it takes to loosen the alternator on the Fury.

The motor in that Fury lasted 125k and when it did, the block was cracked on both sides and I had never overheated it.

My 97 Dakota had 205k on it when it was sold and it still had great oil pressure, power, and ran like a sewing machine.

The problem with the new vehicles is that the manufacturers got it into the heads of the owners that the new vehicles are fool proof and you don’t have to worry about doing maintenance on them for 100k.

[Andrew]

Yes new cars are in some ways more difficult to work on. But that is what you have to pay for better emissions, handling, performance, safety and comfort. It is not a simple task to pack all that new stuff into smaller vehicles. You might need to drop the whole engine now just to do water pump or even spark plugs, but it also easier to drop engine on new car than on old one if you know how to do it. But the most amazing thing now is that customer just have to use your help and pay you even for simple stuff like headlight bulbs – they just can’t do it themselves now! 🙂

[stingray66]

with today’s cars there is not one car today I will buy they are all JUNK I have never seen so many engines going bad and many were well maintained this one car with the water pump our local ford dealership wanted no part on replacing the water pump give me a 65 fury with. 383?any day easy to work on and they lasted forever

[Jameson]

newer cars are a night and day difference between old cars. you might as well not even compare them. They both have pros and cons. As far as diagnosing newer cars, in some cases, you can have a diagnosis while sitting in the driver seat with engine running and AC kicking…just looking at the data on your scan tool.

it seems that in a lot of cases, older guys prefer to work on older cars, where younger guys are so used to computers, and fuel injection, that is just easier.

The one thing that makes newer cars a pain in the rear, is SPACE…there is none.

[Author]

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