Worst (Modern?) Engineering Design Decisions on Automobiles

[Ze Elephant]

Okay, so this one is something that I came across when I was still doing oil changes.

A plastic drain plug. On a plastic oil pan. On a truck.

I don't doubt that this has passed Ford's longevity testing, but I still don't like the idea of a half-turn on a plastic plug to drain your oil. Plus, if (I know this is a big if) one of these trucks is being used offroad, there seems to be a much higher chance of puncturing/cracking/otherwise breaking your oil pan.

 

[Fastcarguy]

I deal with these all the time at work. On certain models of Mazda, depending on your steering wheel position, the push button start is directly behind the wiper stalk. If you don’t know where it is, you’ll never find it.

 

[Volksauto]

Okay, so this one is something that I came across when I was still doing oil changes.

A plastic drain plug. On a plastic oil pan. On a truck.

I don't doubt that this has passed Ford's longevity testing, but I still don't like the idea of a half-turn on a plastic plug to drain your oil. Plus, if (I know this is a big if) one of these trucks is being used offroad, there seems to be a much higher chance of puncturing/cracking/otherwise breaking your oil pan.

I did one of those today. I heard rumors that some have blown off.

 

[Crash]

In this thread: people complaining about styling things they don't like, rather than engineering decisions.

And complaining about stuff with little understanding of engineering and no knowledge or context around the original engineering design process and constraints.

 

[Tornado]

There is... a lot of stuff going on on that wiper stalk.

 

[Dennisch]

A Peugeot 307 with a 2.0 16V engine.

To make that work/fit, they engineered some really strange solutions.

I have one right now that needs a new clutch and crankseal, and boi. This car shows what is wrong with the French engineers.

Never again.

 

[Liquid]

There is... a lot of stuff going on on that wiper stalk.

A personal hatred of mine, actually.

 

[AlvaroF]

Putting an overly large engine on a small bay is generally a bad decision.

 

[TexRex]

Putting an overly large engine on a small bay is generally a bad decision.

Mercedes-Benz: "Halte mein bier."

 

[SVX]

What about large engine in a large engine bay?