I was laying under our Hemi Durango last weekend changing that ultra-thin 5W-20 oil with 30mph wind gusts. It occurred to me (not for the first time) that this has got to be the worst vehicle for routine maintenance I have ever worked on.

Misery loves company. What's your pick?

Here's mine:
2005 Dodge Durango, 5.7L Hemi

1. Oil changes. Besides going through 7.5 quarts of synthetic 5W20 every 3000 miles, I go through about a half roll of paper towels and a giant piece of cardboard with every oil change. The oil filter is directly over two hoses and the front crossmember. The crossmember also has a brake line clipped to it, holes in the side of it, and has a seam on the top that is only welded in spots. All the oil that runs out when the filter comes off gets all over all of that stuff plus usually into my armpit. If paper towels aren't used to cover the crossmember and plug the holes in the side, oil runs down into it and has to be mopped up or it runs out the end when the truck is on an unlevel surface. The drain plug is also above a crossbrace and it actually has a V shape in it for oil to run onto the brace and then dribble down.

2. Rear end fluid changes. This has to be done every 15,000 miles with 75W-140 synthetic. The cast iron rear cover has a watts linkage that bolts to it so that has to be removed. It only uses RTV with no gasket so clean up takes more time than actually changing the fluid.

3. Spark plugs. These have to be changed every 30,000 miles and there are sixteen of them. Each cylinder has one coil-on-plug connector that has to be unbolted and one slave that just has a boot. Also since it's a Hemi head they go down in deep wells in the valve covers. The passenger side has some kind of tube (maybe EGR I don't know) that runs almost directly over the holes. The back plugs are under the cowl. It takes a deep well, a universal joint, and a perfectly sized extension to fish down into the back plugs.

Porsch 924. nice car though. you couldn't tip one over.

Any Jeep Cherokee...

The wife used to have a '93 Gran Prix with a 3.1L. Great car, but oil changes were a mess. The filter was easy enough to get to, but unless you cut up a cereal box and jammed it up under the filter, the oil would run down the side of the block and onto the crossmember where you couldn't wipe it up. The next 500 miles you could smell burning oil when it blew back off that crossmember onto the exhaust. Always griped me. I think all engineers should have to work on whatever kind of equipment they are to be designing for two years before they even start the designing aspect of the job. Just my $.02 worth!

1998 Blazer.
Junk from front to back.

Camry :sad:

Camry :sad:Come on now.

I used to have a 1991 Mustang 5.0 LX Convertible. I had to redo the transmission every year ? On top of other engine issues. Defenitely the most expensive to keep up and worse, i won't buy one ever again.

97 and 98 blazer as well as 99 yukon (all roughly 150k)
---replaced all radiators due to cracks
---replaced all water pumps due to leaks
---replaced all fuel injectors in the yukon
---98 blazer had a stupid alarm system in it from the previous owner (so I guess I shouldnt count that??)
--------had to pay a gm dealer 200 to redo the system
---all had check engine lights on for what all claimed to be O2 sensors
shall I continue??? all leaked some sort of fluids

Now have 99 camry, 00 acura tl, and 00 4runner (and 1st gen camaro)
---Only work to any of the three (other than the camaro) was to replace a valve stem in one tire, oh and all new tires on the camry.....other than general maintenance (ie oil changes and tires) no issues.....not to mention the tl at 240k camry at 195k and the 4runner at 150k.........and no leaks!!! yay!!!

1. Oil changes. Besides going through 7.5 quarts of synthetic 5W20 every 3000 miles.



Does your owner's manual actually specify oil changes everye 3,000 miles? With 7.5 quarts of synthetic?!?

I can't imagine that synthetic needs to be changed that often, especially with an oil pan that large.

Camry :sad:seriuosly?:confused:

my brothers 96 ford explorer..

'73 Jeep wagoneer my folks bought new when I was a kid. You could sit there and watch parts fall off of it in the garage.

I think my wifes 99 Escort is the one that is the worst. Oil filter requires me to use a strap wrench and I can only turn it about 3-5 degrees at a time. Changing the headlight bulbs requires the the whole assembly to be remove from the back.

Steiner you should check on the oil change miles on your Durango, my 09 5.7L Hemi 300C only needs it every 6k miles. Also my 02 Durango with a Corporate9 rearend only needs it every 40k (One legger, no additives) and Fram makes a gasket so you don't have to use RTV like they did at the factory.

Come on now.

seriuosly?:confused:

not really
but I know where this thread is going . . . .

My worst is the wife's VW Passat. Routine maintenance apparently extends to the short-lived O2 sensors that require most of the engine to be dis-assembled. Was looking at $2400 for that fix, but found a creative solution instead.

Oh, and the ABS sensor that routinely fails and blocks all codes from the computer, causing it to fail inspection. The dealer wanted $950 to fix that one. Fortunately I found a place that rebuilt the sensor for a 'mere' $140.

On a brighter note, I don't have to worry about oil changes. This car ensures the oil is always fresh by consuming it at an alarming rate.

:)not really
but I know where this thread is going . . . .

I think the OP was talking about "routine" maintenance - the usual stuff like oil, filters, brakes, etc. Not stuff breaking, although for some of the heaps out there it becomes a gray area. :)

In regards to the messy oil filters, I have to perform oil changes on my boat a couple of times a season, and since you can't easily get to the drain plug down in the bilge and drop a pan under it, the usual MO is to suck the oil out the dipstick tube with one of the oil suction thingy's - mine is called an "Oil Buddy", I think. These things are a godsend! I now use it on the wife's Altima, so I don't even have to bother jacking the car up to change the oil - takes 10 minutes, max. Also, another trick I learned with the boat is to take a plastic shopping bag and wrap it loosely around the filter as you spin it off. It catches the majority of the spillage, and the rest I just hit with some degreaser and then blast it with the hose after I am done.

2003 VW Jetta---Both hard to work on and constant emmision problems. Also-parts are very expensive. NEVER AGAIN !!!! will I buy a VW.

I think the OP was talking about "routine" maintenance - the usual stuff like oil, filters, brakes, etc. Not stuff breaking, although for some of the heaps out there it becomes a gray area. :)


ahh, still has to be the blazers and yukon, I don't recall exactly where the oil filter and plug drained down. I dont think I recall any of the routine maintenance because I had to worry more about keeping the cars driveable.

Doing the oil change in the camry is a piece of cake, hardly any tools required and drains perfectly out of the filter and the oil pan.
I hear timing belts are a pain though due to engine bay room, requires removing the fender?

Does your owner's manual actually specify oil changes everye 3,000 miles? With 7.5 quarts of synthetic?!?

I can't imagine that synthetic needs to be changed that often, especially with an oil pan that large.



Steiner you should check on the oil change miles on your Durango, my 09 5.7L Hemi 300C only needs it every 6k miles. Also my 02 Durango with a Corporate9 rearend only needs it every 40k (One legger, no additives) and Fram makes a gasket so you don't have to use RTV like they did at the factory.


Trust me, I do everything right by the book and use the short trip maintenance schedule which is 3000 miles.....and I do everything by the book and keep all receipts because I have a powertrain warranty through what's left of Chrysler. If you think an issue would ever arise and the first thing they ask isn't going to be "Where's the service records?" you're kidding yourself. Also, I use synthetic because 5W-20 is so friggin' thin I want the best protection and no matter what anyone else does or thinks I do not cheap out on at least two things: motor oil and toilet paper.

As for the rear, the '03 and up Rams and '04 and up Durangos use a 9.25" rear that I think might've been a joint design with Daimler. It's right there in the manual to change out the fluid every 15k. I had a friend that has his Ram rear end blow out after the powertrain warranty was up and he said the service tech told him they had a stack of rear ends. I think they're covering up some flaw with high frequency oil changes.

1980 Indy Pace car Trans Am. And the 1981 Vette I owned for a while would be a close second. Too much stuff hanging all over these engines to make anything maintenence wise easy.

The camaro with oil changes because it's the only vehicle I have that I have to jack up, and someone misplaces the oil filter wrench I need, usually ends in throwing stuff at the pavement and the neighbors know not to come outside during those times.

Worst vehicle Chevy has ever produced: 90's-2000's blazers, tons of emissions (mainly egr) problems, no power, the 2 that we have unfortunately owned both heater cores have gone out. The GM mechanics though it would be okay to use DUCT tape under the hood, and the dude was a complete jerk.

My sisters BMW is still under warranty, it's fun to drive, but I can't even touch anything under the hood since it's all covered under plastic. So far, the head lights, and rear tail light have gone out $600. Front window motors have gone out, vacuum pump went out which was very expensive for such a small part and had to be towed, and someone rear ended it and messed up the bumper. Not the best of luck. Oh, now the brakes are due for maintenance. It does handle and stop like a champ though.
German engineering is excellent, but when things go wrong it's a pita to have fixed, I do however, like how they give you their newest cars to drive around while it's being taken care of twin turbo 335i was a blast to drive.

Also, another trick I learned with the boat is to take a plastic shopping bag and wrap it loosely around the filter as you spin it off. It catches the majority of the spillage . . .

Hey that's a good idea.
I can use it on my Silverado, it tends to drip oil on the universal coming off the transfer case when I remove the filter.

I've tried the bag trick on the Durango. What happens with me is that the oil starts pouring out as soon as it gets a turn out. You still have to hold onto the bag and filter so the oil kinda pools up and folds down the sides of the bag and runs everywhere. Once the filter is off it continues to run out of the filter boss. It's just a mess any way you cut it. The one time it actually went well was when it sat for about three weeks and all the oil drained into the filter. I've come to terms with the fact that I just have to have a full roll of paper towels and a can of BrakeKleen on hand, a big piece of cardboard underneath the entire front end, and be completely naked.

Hey that's a good idea.
I can use it on my Silverado, it tends to drip oil on the universal coming off the transfer case when I remove the filter.
Mine does the same, I like the location of the filter though it makes it easier access. I don't mind getting oil on the joint since it could use it, and if you know you will be going off road, just spray the oil off so dirt doesn't stick to it.
Do the silverados have oil coolers? I noticed some lines running from the pan and maybe to the radiator?

If the problem is that bad with the durango, they make oil relocation kits, but that may be a little extreme for a daily driver, but you could mount it anywhere making the job easier.

If the problem is that bad with the durango, they make oil relocation kits, but that may be a little extreme for a daily driver, but you could mount it anywhere making the job easier.


The best place I can think to mount it would be in the lead powertrain designer's rear end. Besides, if I moved it I wouldn't get to complain about it which is the only fun part of doing scheduled maintenance.

My Pinto! Went through so many gas tanks on this thing.:)

capt

and be completely naked.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor. Ha! Ha!

Not even a close race for me would be a 1995 GMC JImmy

old rodeo's with the gm engines??
my 84 yugo!

ALMOST ANY FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR, and many Government Motors SUV's. Also, I have to bash Chrysler on this one-their late 90s and early 2000's cars are a pain for battery changes. The factory batteries last a long time, but when they do need it, you have to tear into the fender!

... I've come to terms with the fact that I just have to have a full roll of paper towels and a can of BrakeKleen on hand, a big piece of cardboard underneath the entire front end, and be completely naked.Dang, steiner, now I have to go to sleep with that image burned into my mind!:eek:

hands down Found on Road Dead FORD TEMPO 1994 try and beat that junker!

Dang, steiner, now I have to go to sleep with that image burned into my mind!:eek:


You should be so lucky. You're going to make every woman in the world (and probably a fair share of men) jealous.

1999 F-350 Diesel. Oil leaks and more oil leaks. Turbo. Did I mention oil leaks! Had 150,000k

1988 BMW M6 lots of routine upkeep. It was a fast car though!

1989 Porsche 928. Not too bad. Water pump was a big service bill$$$$$$$$

If you ask my wife. That useless 1969 Camaro SS that we put every $ into to restore to showroom condition and it just sits under cover away from anything that can harm it. :)

I didn't read the entire thread, but has anyone else had the problem with the 2000's and up Duramax engines where fuel is dumped throughout the entire motor and into the pan?
My uncle did and broke down on the side of the road, I picked the truck up for him at the dealer when it was fixed, the entire thing reaked of diesel fuel, and the engine compartment was still full of the oily fuel, I doubt that smell will ever go away. Same thing happened to my friend.
Also, the L31 vortecs have frequent alternator, starter, intake gasket, and general wiring problems. Otherwise a good little motor. They recalled the wiper motors, and cruise control too. Warranty was up before mine went out, so broke they will stay.

Oh, and I did help change a water pump on a late 90's early 2000's BMW 5 series, it was actually pretty easy, but the newer ones, I don't think I could do quite as easily.

You should be so lucky. You're going to make every woman in the world (and probably a fair share of men) jealous.l:)l:)l:)l:)

'01 BMW 330i:

It's a love/hate relationship. The car was perfect for the first 50K miles. Then, in the past year it has required:

1) Front control arm bushings
2) Power steering hose
3) VANOS oil feed hose
4) Rear diff bushing
5) Intake tube elbow
6) Valve cover gasket
7) Serpentine belt, idler pulleys, and both tensioners
8) 4 wheel brakes including rotors (forgiveable)
9) Driver's front window regulator (and other windows very soon)
10) Steering rag joint

Also, the spark plugs are buried under the coil packs, etc. And the car eats rear tires every 25K miles. In the car's defense, it's a great car when these issues are addressed, but I just don't feel that a car with 50K miles should need suspension bushings. Also, oil changes are a breeze with the top-mount oil filter.

1985 Jeep Cherokee bought it new. Kept it for 2 miserable years. This dealership won "the distinguished service award" What a joke!
Never knew a vehicle could leak so many fluids and have so many water leaks to the interior.
Standard answer from their "service manager" "that is normal sir or we couldn't find the problem" First and last Jeep I will ever buy.

John

'01 BMW 330i:

It's a love/hate relationship. The car was perfect for the first 50K miles. Then, in the past year it has required:




Goes to show you how good they are picking a warranty time line. It's 50K, right or is that just on the newer ones? I leased a 335i coupe but wouldn't buy one....maybe it's just me but when I look at a car I like to think I can do the work myself if something goes wrong but some are just daunting. Fantastic engine in that thing though.

Goes to show you how good they are picking a warranty time line. It's 50K, right or is that just on the newer ones? I leased a 335i coupe but wouldn't buy one....maybe it's just me but when I look at a car I like to think I can do the work myself if something goes wrong but some are just daunting. Fantastic engine in that thing though.

I think our warranty back in '01 was 3yr/36k. It's probably better now. I guess I can't complain too much about a 9 year old car needing some work, but it's frustrating since it's so low mileage and stored indoors 24/7. I promised I wouldn't work on this car myself, but changed my mind with all these items happening at once. Most are relatively easy fixes except the diff bushing. Everything I've listed is super common stuff to go wrong on these cars. I don't think there's an E46 on the road today that hasn't broken a window regulator.

First 4 years or 50,000 (whichever comes first).
Did I mention we've had 3 windows go out... lol.
The suspension in the BMW's are ULTRA stiff, no wonder the bushings wear quickly.
The VANOS is another common problem and pretty easy from what I've heard, if you can remove all the plastic crap.
I think the upper end models are a little easier on parts. They should be for the price, there are a lot of older m3's still rolling around.
The window thing just really pisses me off though, I almost want to punch through the glass in peoples cars that have the slow rolling windows needing to be taken out of their misery, it just shows poor craftsmanship. If the windows in my 97' Z/71 pos that has been passed down 3 times with 210k miles still rolls like the day it was bought, a luxury car should be able to keep up.

First 4 years or 50,000 (whichever comes first).
The window thing just really pisses me off though, I almost want to punch through the glass in peoples cars that have the slow rolling windows needing to be taken out of their misery, it just shows poor craftsmanship.

LOL. Yeah, it's a terrible design...

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/megarath2000/BMW/Window/01cradleandslide.jpg

1982 Camaro Z-28 Crossfire Injection automatic.
I was the second Owner, bought it with 26,000 miles on it. I could not keep plugs in it. It always wanted to run rich, no matter what I did to it. Then any time and only when I was doing something important, the starter would get hot, and the car would not start. I would have to reach down beside the engine and jump across the solenoid to start the car. I went through several starters, and the GM garage started having it more than I did. I couldn't fix it. They couldn't fix it. I permanently mounted a Remote starter button under the dash. Then at 52,000 miles it Hydrostatic locked the engine and bent a rod like a Banana. I replaced the Engine with a rebuilt 350. Two months later the transmission let go. I replaced the 200 with a TH350, and then sold the car. It was completely beautiful as Camaro’s go and worthless as an icemaker in Alaska.