POOR Design

[Bob_VT]

Had a friend whose 2013 Nissan Rogue lost it's heater motor. Changed out the old motor, resistor and cabin air filter. What a huge PITA to get to all that stuff. The dealer quotes were not even close to realistic and the dealer wanted $300 just for the cabin air filter.

Watched a few you tube vids and got it all done......bottom line if it happens again - the car needs to either be pushed over a cliff or stolen and set on fire!!!

Nissan designers need to be shot!

 

[alldodge]

Haven't found a auto heater motor that is not a PITA to change. My 1970 Road Runner with no AC was a pain

 

[jbcurt00]

Sounds like the same sort of procedure to replace the back 3 spark plugs/injectors on a V6 Ford Escape.

Had to take the top half of the motor apart to reach them......

Thankfully, its no longer w us and the Admiral loves her 2015 Subby Forester.

 

[racerone]

Products today are designed on computer screens.----Parts / wiring is designed to be " snapped " together on the assembly line to simplify assemble by robots / simple labour.-------There is no button on the design screen to push for " somebody might need to take this apart " in order to repair this.----And very few people leasing a car are worried about repairs after 5 years of service.

 

[GA_Boater]

Every car built on an assembly line begins with an important and often high failure rate part hanging from a piece of string from the ceiling. Then the car is built around that part. Adding insult to injury is the final check off by QC is remove the string so consumers will never find that part!

 

[racerone]

Most new cars promotion is all about the " distraction " electronic screens and features.------Not a lot of talk about the cost of repairs / service.-----Products are built and marketed to the folks who buy this stuff.---No concern for repairs down the road.-----Just buy a new one they say !

 

[Bob_VT]

Sad part is that on my Toyota's and my friend Honda the cabin air filter is a 5 minute job behind the glove box. and this one is buried by the accelerator pedal.

Yeah the blower motor replacement was not fun.

It's all part of the idea that people replace things instead of repairing/maintaining them. As a side not I did an oil change on a friends Subaru which was absolutely easy since the filter is a spin on located right up front and on top of the motor.

 

[Scott Danforth]

its 17 hours of labor to R&R the HVAC unit in a PT cruiser. yes, 17 hours of labor. it involves removing the whole dash, steering, interior, crash bars, etc.

7 hours of labor to R&R the blend door actuator on a chevy traverse. involves removing both seats, the center console and the dash.

spark plugs on a 1975 Chevy monza with a v8 required the removal of the motor to get to plugs #7 and #8 (or you cut a hole thru the foot-wells.

water pump and timing belt replacement on a SAAB 9-3 requires the motor to come out.

todays cars are made to be disposed of, not worked on.

my 1948 and 1953 chevy trucks had an easy to get to heater motor....... open the hood, it was right there.

 

[racerone]

Folks in the dealer showrooms know very little about repairs.----Don't ask about repairs.------Looks and convenience features of the vehicles are the selling points.------Us old timers just shake our heads.

 

[Grub54891]

Yup, my 99 grand Cherokee required the entire center console, steering column, entire dashboard. Just to change the heater core. Ugh...

 

[GA_Boater]

My Cherokee console had to come out for something that should have been easy - I forget what is was it a 2 minute job after the car apart. Same Cherokee has the heat/AC fan right in the firewall on the passenger side, piece of cake, 3 screws and it falls out. Unless it has AC where the accumulator/drier blocks it.

This is a good one - Toyota Avalon requires driver seat removal to unplug the downstream O[SUP]2 [/SUP]sensor cuz the plug is inside under the seat instead of under the car. Why?

 

[roscoe]

Every car built on an assembly line begins with an important and often high failure rate part hanging from a piece of string from the ceiling. Then the car is built around that part. Adding insult to injury is the final check off by QC is remove the string so consumers will never find that part!

And.... The service manual says to just "remove the bolt securing said part."

 

[Bob_VT]

Okay - I have spoken with 3 other people who had owned nissan rogues and they have all had the same problem - the fan and the resistor both go bad. I sense planned obsolescence on the part of nissan

AND Yes I have changed V-8 plugs in a Monza (drilled the hole too!)