@@rickjohnson2859I worked as a service writer for GM products and they told me that lots of stuff are engineered to be complex and facilitate the need to bring it to a dealer
With the tiny bit of fuel economy increase we've had In recent years, oil companies figure out other ways to sell us oil to make up for it so they fill our cars w/plastic junk. Comifornia outlawed plastic straws so how did they make up for that, they started packaging the cardboard straws in excessive amounts of plastic packaging. I don't offer to keep moisture out of the cardboard straws or what but it's crazy. I believe it increased plastic waste.
There are many mechanics and diy guys like this they just don't say it on camera. These manufactures do some unnecessary things that causes problems or just a hinderance when you're trying to work on a piece of machinery.
I always wondered why they used those stupid covers. My 5litre Jag has the huge aluminium supercharger top exposed. Extra cooling = denser air = more power.
This guy is something else i love his sarcasm and his saying it like it should be said to many mistakes made by manufacturers and the mechanics working on this stuff .
@@jarvislarson6864that's the damn TRUTH. I don't think I'll ever buy a new vehicle, find a good looking older one and take it to Dave's shop and have it rebuilt. Better than new!
Lol you think the engineers are behind this? At the end of they day it's the pressure from above/bean counters to make everything as cheap as possible in the least time required. Believe me, if we had the freedom to make things better, we would.
@roboticunclephil truly mind-boggling. If I were the owner, I'd just cut that excess plastic off. It wouldn't be pretty, most likely, but it would definitely have only benefits
I worked on oil rigs many years ago and had an interesting conversation with a recent graduate. They explained that a requirement for all new engineers (HP) was several months working on the rig, not just observing. The reason was to make sure they understood why things were set up they were. HP did not want to waste time or resources on new ideas that were not practical for today or tomorrow’s applications. HP rigs are some of the most well thought out rigs you’ll find. Perhaps automakers could learn something from this approach
Yes, this is absolutely it. Clearly a company that cares. Or even if they don’t care for the techs/operators, which hopefully they do, they are smart enough to know where to spend money properly to move forward, not wasteful spending. Everyone should be taking a page from this. Workers are expecting better equipment and environments, customers seems to be wanting better quality even if it means a bit more cost.
@@DavesAutoCenterCentervillehad recently a Mazda 2 capella, wich is a ford focus fusion in disguise. The engine cover for it's little 1.3 l engine was similar with what you shown in this video... And the air filter was inside the goddamn thing. Why? Now I have a VW Eos 2.0 diesel to wich I removed the plastic cover. Thanks for the work from uk
It’s management, not engineering, that calculates the number of predicted failures and warranty payouts and decides a certain percentage is acceptable. They don’t want to spend more money on engineering than they think they have to.
I dont think the engineers do it on purpose. The executives and accountants tell them what to do. And im not trying to defend GM. I hate GM lol. I think engineers would love to design the best engines possible but arent allowed to.
@@Andrew_460 Could be I think engineers should have to spend some time working on the products they design because clearly the dumb things they do don't make sense 😡
@@stevenorcutt3913 that is a fact lol. Sometimes i think some engineers change things that work fine just so they can keep their jobs haha. These car companies need to make money so their product cant last forever. Look at saab. They made arguably the best cars ever but went bankrupt because they lasted so long. Also because a lot if not most people only keep their vehicles for a couple years then trade them in for the new model. So why would car companies make cars that last a long time? Back in the day it wasnt uncommon for people to keep their cars for 20 plus years. Not anymore...
Quite possibly the dumbest theory I’ve read. I’ll give you “quick assembly time at the factory “, but to think that GM actually engineers premature failure into their products as a business model… you’re out of your mind.
My Grandfather said 1 time " They Sure as Shiit can make a Cadillac that'll run for 70+ years........ but they bloody DONT want to"...😊 Smartest Man ive ever known 🙌 💯 RIP Capt.🫡
Planned obsolescence....if they make something strong that never breaks they will reduce the material thickness or type of material altogether to save $ & make $ for when it does break and they either profit from parts or new vehicle sales.....FACT NOT FICTION
Look at Hyundai, if they have a failure with any part of the motor, the dealer will put a brand-new crate motor in there under warranty. They're that disposable.
I've been saying the same thing for 20 years. But the bean counters & marketing/styling departments trump anything & everything mechanics & sensible engineers come up with.
In my current job it took 6 years to get my boss in a workshop. Now we will need another decade to get upper management there. But we get really good comments from the mechanics which I actually learn from!
Engineers don't ever care about other's opinions or knowledge. I have dealt with them for 40 years. They are usually very arrogant and see everyone else as their lessers.
@@joefudd Not all of them. But once you get experience in the business you quickly learn that it is generally not accepted to have an opinion that deviates from that of management. The automotive industry is maybe one of the most conservative ones out there. In our company it is slowly turning around but it will take at least 2 decades.
Yeah, though unfortunately we are going to keep getting pushed further and further forward as more and more old cars are rendered unrepairable due to rust or other issues. 10 years ago, you could reliably find a 1980s car in good working condition. Nowadays, it's hard to find a 1990s car in good working condition, and 2000 is probably as old as you want to go because of rust problems unless it was garage-kept but almost nobody ever does that, and as you get into the 2000s to 2010s is when the Age of Obsolescence started, and most cars from this area were not respected and treated like throw-aways. Used for a couple years, ends up on the used car lots, abused by some teen and then goes to a junkyard. People don't take care of their cars like they did in the 80s and 90s.
I believe Mercedes Benz started these stupid engines covers and air cleaners over 30 years ago. Manufacturers no longer need to tidy up their engines, they simply cover the mess of wires and hoses. I’m old enough to remember when engines looked good uncovered!
Oh Mercedes. Never been the same since Lexus hit the scene in 1990. I remember as a kid in the 80s Mercedes was the pinnacle of quality and holding its value. How times have changed.
@@x-man4702 My wife drives a Lexus Lx 570. She had a fender bender back in Sept so I took it to a shop to have it estimated. The guy who owns the shop and has so since the 80s said man that 570 is the king of SUVs. I asked why he said that. He took me into a service bay and showed me a 3 year old Mercedes top of the line SUV that had been hit from the side at about 20 mph and he said it’s totaled because Mercedes got away from full on frame SUVs and that little hit bent the entire subframe of that piece of crap. Yeah, I’ll stick with my Lexus vehicles. Mercedes hasn’t mad a solid vehicle since the early 90s when they discontinued the 124 and 126 chassis. But again, those were real Mercedes drivers back then..most of them have moved on to Lexus by now.
I remember back in the day our stone cars had 4x4 stone branch hybrid wheels that could off road no problems. Also no limiting of the yaba Daba doo revs. Just all and all a better build quality back then!
As a mechanic/technician for 35 years at the time I became a operational supervisor for a municipal fleet that had multiple vehicles with covers that idled for long periods and had overheat issues. My first order of business was to get rid of them covers. Took care of a lot of concerns. Now part time in the private sector I recommend to customers to rid of it.
That's why I still own and operate 2 71 Datsun 521 trucks. Simple, reliable and highly modifiable along with super easy to work on. At 65, I'm done with ever buying anything else.......
I'm with you man, 29 years old and only driving pre-'75s. In 8 years I've saved a fortune in maintenance fees. Can't beat that old simplicity 👍👍 Daily is a '70 Ford Maverick 250 I6. Dead simple, highly reliable. If you can stand the rattles, you're gold haha
We literally have every technological advantage before us to build & design better than decades before. I’ve said it a thousand times, those who design need to experience what repair facilities go through. Dave made two excellent points.
You gotta remove the cover center section, then install it and you can access the clamp! Yeah, it's a needless pain in the a$$ and most people get it wrong. I feel ya!
I find it amusing when people rant and rave and act like others are sooo stupid. When in reality, they are not fully informed. Thank you for pointing out what should be obvious.
@@FreeU.S.they put these covers on engine's for noise and it does keep heat in the engine. I took mine off year's ago. WE need engineers from the 60s. You could work on them and enjoy it. And they built them to last,if you took care of them. Most people drove those car's in the ground, did no maintenance and had oil,trans fluid and AF in there trunk.
Toyota Tundra V-8 has plastic with foam insulation. When I took it to the dealer for my “ free oil change “ they acted like I destroyed the engine with it removed . Common sense is missing from city slicker engineers.
I totally agree with you Dave I'm a technician to and I hate the fact that every newer vehicle has the whole engine cover with wasted plastic same with the bottom of the vehicle covered in plastic it takes a technician about a half hour just to remove the plastic covers before you can actually work on it.
I did automotive for a long time. I'm hard pressed to find someone that is even close to this gentleman's education on automotive intelligence. Above and beyond what most know. Hats off to ya bro.
As a mechanic of 50 years I approve this message! Don’t think I had a day at work where I didn’t question what engineers were thinking! An engineer asked me how I can make more money than engineers. I told him we have to figure out what you were thinking then we have to fix it right.
Someone once told me that the cover is to RETAIN the heat because the engine needs to be warmer to run. So we got a way to keep the heat (cover) and an entire system to remove the heat (radiator). It isn't engineers designing these engines anymore, its a room full of lawyers.
@@mpclepto182 - It’s for sound deadening. The engine is one of the nosiest things on a car and it makes sense to muffle that noise as close to the source as possible.
@@ClockworksOfGL Sound deadening on a 4 banger that you can't hear from inside the car when the hood is closed? Seems silly to me to do that. Seems more to me like manufacturers are doing everything they can to entice customers to go to the dealer than even bother looking under their own hood. Don't get me started on how cars are coming without a tranny fluid dip stick...
Dave, I'm with you on this one. One of mine was a Cadillac Deville Touring Sedan - Northstar. That Northstar star was a very good running engine, smooth, quiet, powerful enough to make that big car very quick, and still return 24mpg on the expressway. After that fine engineering they had a plastic garnish on the engine to 'pretty things up' that sat above but close to the ignition coils - as you might recall - the Northstar was rough on ignition coils. My observation about holding heat was the same as yours, so I threw away the plastic cover and never had a coil fail again. Another, my VW. A plastic belly pan - I'm sure to smooth airflow under the car, and another garnish to dress the top of the engine. Comes to be each fall, I find the beginnings of a mouse nest between the plastic belly pan, and the oil pan, which doesn't smell particularly good until it falls away. On to our favorite, the plastic engine cover - remove it and find more remnants of a mouse den, complete with dead baby mice and the wonderful stink of dead mice. Fortunately, they've stayed away from gnawing away at wire insulation, but my battery cover apparently was good for chewing. EFFing stupid engineers have no clue of the environments these products operate in. Best of luck, Dave.
Let my father in-law drive your VW for a lil bit. He is slowly removing every piece of plastic from underneath his Accord, most of it on the same curb leaving his retirement community.
I have no issue with belly pans. Keeps the engine bay much, much cleaner. I have an armored pan on a Jetta that you can jack up the car with. Protects the oil pan. If you have a mouse problem, solve that problem.
405 thousand miles observation of many different setups. I will confirm a belly pan is beneficial. Yes better aerodynamics. Better flow of the radiator. A slight shield from environments to the engine bay. But the main reason why I keep a shield is because it helps prevent too much cold air flowing around in the winter. My jetta, has the overengineered and understressed ALH engine, everyone who lives in the cold knows those engine struggle to warm anywhere beyond 140degrees even with a thermostat lol😅
I swear i worked at a GM dealership in west Tennessee when this came out. I thought it was crazy. Dave when you go nation wide i like to think i know my stuff but I'd never brag. I'd love to be part of your team... i love this channel!!!
i always believed they put on all of this plastic to deter the owners from working on there car... the plastic beauty covers and air filter boxes can look difficult to remove to someone that doesn't know its useless functions and you just have to pull in most cases ! love you channel Dave , your truly a inspiration and my idol
Nope, it's to keep squirrels from doing unauthorized mods while the hood's down. Believe me, a rodent has no problem chewing through a paper air filter and shelling a treeful of nuts inside the air plenum and filter box. Also need an air dam to direct fanned air from the radiator stack across the top of the motor and far far away from the intake, which needs cooler air. The fact that after 'some work on this engine' resulted in an improper reassembly and failed completion of repair reconnaissance evaluation sits squarely on the tech's shoulders who expertly "pulled it apart" and didn't first note that reassembly would be difficult if not impossible in the first place, then failed to solicit expert- assistance and\or obtain any prequisite tools all of which totally lays all guilt at the feet of guess who: not the OEM.
They won't take the time to Neverseze a bolt . They obviously don't even want their own people to be able to fix their junk . So glad to have retired . Now I listen to you guys talk about what I've been bitching about for 50 years . Blessings 💞
Oh boy, you definitely take on a whole different outlook for the big three’s engineer’s! We had a mechanic, when he hollers, FN engineers, you watched out for a flying wrench!
Engine blanket,incubaker,hat for no head......I've been irritated by those useless garnishments since the 1st one I saw,and it's a transmissable virus affecting engineers and managerial doofys
They thought the average American would find it more aesthetically pleasing than valve covers and throttle bodies and air ducts. Why hide the visual clues that save you big damage when the longer your products last the more likely we are to buy them again?
@@MrTheHillfolkI just take them off and box them up for when it's time to sell it. People think it's really well taken care of when I use degreaser on the engine at the car wash and wipe that brand new cover off. Little do they know, this was a shade tree mechanics car.
Dave, we love your videos - your detailed knowledge, your commonsense and your willingness to speak up help us all to understand and take action. U da man!
Dave I have almost 20 years experience working in the plastic industry. Most people do not know that plastics are full of fillers. You can use whatever you want for a filler in plastics. You can hide all kinds of nasty stuff inside plastics and no one will ever know. We used to use fillers like ground up wood fiberglass and all kinds of what not to strengthen the plastic. One of the factories I worked at even used ground up porta potties to make tube slides for children at McDonald's play areas. While the the plastic was processing the whole plant still wreaked of that porta potty funky Blue water smell. I then checked out a McDonald's tube slide later on in life and when the sun was beating down on that tube slide the inside of it still smells like a porta potty. Welcome to America 🇺🇸👍
Like our local oil change shop said about my wife's fiat 500l, the engineers put the oil filter in first and then built around it. Meaning the simplest item to replace became one of the hardest/more difficult.
@@edgewatersbestguitarist1524 Not really. I'd actually argue that Toyota has engineering design choices that are at least as bad as GM. My 2011 Tundra was absolutely awful when it comes to turning simple repairs into huge all day tasks. Quoted 8 hours to replace the starter at 70k miles because of where Toyota shoehorned it. And the location basically cooks the starter. The timing chain tensioners failed at 110k miles and the labor quote was insane. In a conversation I had with one of the dealer techs, guys hate having to do that job because of how much stuff has to be removed to get access to them. When one rolls in the shop needing tensioners, techs that know better call in sick so they don't get stuck with the job.
Not only do the plastic covers "dress up" the engine, more noticeably they help to reduce the noises heard from all the injectors and solenoids found on a modern engine. I wonder how many people would take their car back to the dealer because they're worried about how much ticking/tapping noise they hear.
100% agreed Dave; Just as I commented on a previous video of yours, that piece of 'plasticrap' is a real PITA to many of us who like to work on simple & basic maintenance. Many thanks & Blessings for your dedicated work!!.. 😊🇺🇸🏆🙏🙏🙏🙏
@@adriannewman1322basically a blanket over your engine when it's 100 degrees outside there put on there for looks and engine noise deflector mostly the injector pulsing
I took my stupid cover off years ago. Mindless! It's one thing to have cosmetics outside the car, but who gives a crap about the engine when the only person that's sees it should be a mechanic?
I worked in a engineering department. It amazed me when marketing would want changes that hurt the operation but made it look better, a purchasing would change specs because they "found something cheaper".
Let’s expose the oil filter on these canyons WHILE WERE AT IT. Dig around like ray charles on the right hand side of the engine compartment and push some thick wires out of the way. Now hope you find the cap on the oil filter with your socket and extension, push wires away again and hope it’s not seized on there from the last person. Could be plastic housing, could be metal. Lift the cap up and hope you’re not spilling oil everywhere while you try to fit it between said stiff wires. Replace gasket and filter, reach down and spread the wires again. (Put some hair around it, you’ll find it easier 😉) shove the filter back in and hope you find the housing without breaking the stem that sticks up, carefully align it and twist. Step one complete. Thankyou GM for making a frequent service so frustrating.
I never cared for them plastic covers .. For anyone with a MerCruiser powered boat that has the plastic cover on the flame arrester leave it off n hang it on a nail in the garage . Ive worked on so much stuff till the artritis got to be bad but i still do it as a hobby . thanks for the videos i try to keep up with the latest tech .
That's excellent, new mechanics have to begin somewhere! I worked for a large government fleet for 30 years, and I know plenty of people are good enough at changing parts, it's the actual DIAGNOSIS that so many mechanics can't do right! which is the job 99% of the time. Here's my advice to you: learn how to use the OBD II readers, Tech Stream, and all the other diagnostic tools, and learn how to use them thoroughly! I know that might seem obvious, but the truth is good automotive diagnosticians are very hard to find! Most mechanics are just parts changers. And most of them don't really know how to diagnose anything that isn't glaringly obvious. What's not so common, is a guy like Dave, who can actually use the diagnostic apps to nail down where the problem is. If you learn nothing else except how to troubleshoot/diagnose car issues, you'll be worth your weight in GOLD to a shop.
That plastic bit is actually two pieces and the outer shell clips onto the middle section which IS where the intake connects. Lets you see the intake and get everything installed fine and then clip the final larger cover over. But what do I know, I’m not a mechanic
Yeah I’m confused. I thought that center section popped out to let you install it properly. The cover is there to mitigate noise from these overhead cam engines that people always ask about, and make the engine seem less complex while leaving it accessible to work on when the simple cover is removed. How’s that much different than the intentionally massive air cleaners of old, that covered the same amount of engine? It’s really not that tough to remove and install and I can’t imagine that the engine dissipates any real heat from the intake manifold and throttle body area, because that’s not an air cooled engine.
I would say it's most likely not engineers that are the problem. It's the business people above them in management controlling things they don't understand. Giving half the time needed for research and development or making them reduce cost at risk of part duty cycle is very common. Every manufacturer does this in some way
Only seen a few of this guys videos but it seems he is unbiased towards the model or make of the vehicle and hs is just doing his job and offering helpful tips.
What Savage Scotty doesnt tell you is that when you remove the beauty cover the hood heats to the point that the paint crazes, the clear coat bubbles and you're eventually left with a big bare spot on the hood where it rests above the engine.
I totally agree with you. All automakers need to get it together and stop building cars out of plastic. But you and I know it. They are not going to stop making them out of plastic they are going to use more plastic. I've always said this all engineers and designers need to work on automobiles before they even design one. I've been a mechanic for over 35 years and I see this stuff about everyday.
I remember the days as a kid always helping my dad work on our car. I could actually climb inside the wheel well to work on the engine. My favorite, replacing freeze plugs...yeah right. That's where I learned to expand the colorful vocabulary of the English language.
I actually had this conversation with someone the other day... That I could remember sitting on the inner fender of my dad's '77 Silverado learning how to do spark plugs.
Plastic engine covers, plastic intake manifolds, plastic timing covers and oil pans. Ridiculous smh Love your channel and I'm so happy Discovery is filming and hope to see you on tv eventually
I’m pretty sure oems do this for two reasons 1) it’s the first barrier to discourage the average vehicle owner from tinkering. Making them go to dealer for all maintenance concerns. 2) it makes the compartment look “cleaner” because they can hide all the little components and how they laid them out and wired them up.
They usually put sound absorbing foam on the bottom of the cover, so it does make the engine a little bit quieter especially when the hood/bonnet is up.
I agree with the first fact about taking the vehicle to the stealership. In my case, I still work on my own truck with the garbage can lid in the video. It takes me less than 5 minutes to take off or resemble. Just depends on if you want to save money and do the work yourself.
And faster it’s at operating temperature better the emission, that’s what you guys are forgetting , it’s all about government and bragging. Rights for MPG
@RcPlayer-tt2vw I'd be surprised if the covers made the engine warm up significantly faster, most of the airflow over the engine is down lower where it comes through the radiator. Fast warm-up is a big deal, for emissions and also for durability. When the engine is cold fuel will condense on the cylinder walls and dilute the oil there, leading to faster cylinder and piston ring wear.
In this specific example, I believe the portion of the plastic cover that says “V6 VVTI” actually pops out so you can see where the intake hose meets the throttle body. That’s probably how Dave’s guys got the cover off too, since the hose is integrated into the cover and there was a hose clamp…
I’m a Ford guy as long as I don’t have to work on them. Ford does some crazy engineering too. I think they are all crap. They have forgotten quality with replacing it with profit at the consumer’s expense.
The first time I worked on my cousins Mercury and found out how many things I had to remove before I could replace the fuel pump, I was a GM man for life. 😂
We have 60 colorados at my work that have that intake/engine cover and I learned very quickly that you must take your time and use a little bit of lube to put that intake on properly. With the least amount of fiddling time.
You would have a leak that throws codes. But it doesn’t hurt to take a look with a flashlight and run your fingers across it to make sure. But it would throw a Maf code and a lean code if it was leaking.
Engine bays in the 1960s and 70s were so easy to work in. Emissions were at a minimum, no computers, just a carburetor and an air cleaner. No fuel injection. Those were the 'good old days'! And, you could look down thru the engine bay and see the pavement underneath!
It’s not just for cosmetic purposes; these days they use the covers for NVH purposes as well. DI engines are very “clicky” with their high pressure fuel systems and lots of people think there’s something wrong with their engine when they hear that noise.
I am NOT a mechanic, but I did grow up in the 80s and 90s doing work on my car. I'm mechanically inclined so I can figure out 90% of basic problems. I think all engineers should have to replace everything on a car after they're "done" and before it goes to market.
Having worked for an OEM directly and now working alongside several others, I can tell you the engineers could not care less about maintenance, servicing or aftermarket. “My job is to make the car as easy and cheap as possible to build and produce. I couldn’t care less what it’s like to service or take apart.”
I used to own a 1986 custom deluxe Chevrolet long bed truck with a 350 4 bolt main, two barrel Manchester carburetor with dynomax headers HEI distributor glass packs and straight pipes out the rearend. Sounded like a top fuel dragster! I had the Goodyear Eagle NASCAR tires on her! She looked and sounded mean! You could hear every cylinder hit.
i only slightly agree my 09 ranger has 200 k miles changed plugs twice and replaced fuel pump thats it 2014 lexus rx 350 90k miles water pump bearing noisy replaced pump. thats decent engineering yea they dont make stuff easy. the 60s and 70s 100k miles was a worn out car you had to tune up every year or more starters , alternators, and minor stuff didnt last for shit a 5 year old car was bound to go through water pumps starters etc something like every year almost . they were easy to fix though ill say that
Truth. I was in a pinch and needed an oil changed at Valvoline. For some reason they removed this intake and broke all my ocv lines that are connected to this piece and didn't screw it back in. Had codes for weeks before I fixed it myself.
I'm glad when I was a young lad cars had user friendly engines like the Ford X flow or Pinto, I had a V6 Essex in a mk 1 Ford escort, it was originally a 1.1 base model.
Couldnt agree more, in past vehicles ive owned i can those stupid things quick and tried to convince family members to do the same but they didn't listen
Like make-up, that plastic is hiding something they don't want you to look at. I had an 86 Iroc-Z. The engine was beautiful. The intake manifold has tubes running out of it that looked like headers. The air intake was centrally located and you could see that fed right into the manifold. It just looked amazing. I was 10 when we first bought the car. I didn't know anything about cars or engines, but I'd open the hood and show my disinterested friends this masterpiece. That 305 was a relative turd performance-wise, but it looked as good as the car.
This is why I own a 1988 Pontiac Firebird with a 5.7l L98 TPI. No plastic covers or any of that bull, just strip the emissions system and give it a pair of headers instead of those log manifolds and she'll run real well.
I have to imagine these covers have more to do with the design (engine = ugly) and accounting (plastic = cheap) folks than the engineers. Unless these serve some minor role in reducing NVH or something?
NVH of a sort. Customers hear noises that they didn't pay attention to or hear before having service or repairs and insist you fix it! Big problem with fuel injectors and solenoid operation noise, customers insist it didn't do that before! Hint: it sure did
It was 10 years ago, my Honda Civic air filter box broke where one air duct connected to it. It is made of plastic, of course. The Honda parts store asked € 600 for that plastic thingy. I heat-welded a piece of plastic tubing, and solved the breakage effectively and cheaply. The heat degrades the plastic, which in turn becomes very prone to breakage...
Purchased a new Jetta Tdi back in 2002. First thing I did when I opened the hood was throw out the plastic engine cover when I got home from the dealer. Still driving it to this day.
Looking for a fun job! try a Chevy HHR air filter. Even the directions do not tell you about the 2 nuts in the back. I think there were 12 #7 torques holding it in the cover inside to remove the filter. After you remove the cover. My chevy dealer had charged me for an air filter, that was never replaced. Yeah, they changed the oil but that was it. Where I was living had a major fire, and ash was thick. so, a week after everything was not an ash pit. I wanted to check the filter. Thats when I discovered that the dealer had never touch it. I knew why. It took too much time. After the trans switch went out, the dealer fixed it. But I got rid of car as a trade - in for a mustang GT. 2011
Its good that Dave is exposing the stupid stuff that auto manufacturers do.
anyone who works on cars or works at a shop knows their is a lot of stupid stuff car manufacturers do
When you keep the heat in the motor it runs more efficiently. One of the reasons they also seal off the bottom of the car engine.
Bean Counters! That is all you have to say.
@@rickjohnson2859I worked as a service writer for GM products and they told me that lots of stuff are engineered to be complex and facilitate the need to bring it to a dealer
@@Notfiveo0 wrong - once the engine has warmed up a cooler environment will make a engine run better.
I hate all the plastic junk under the hood of most cars!
Because they don't want to polish manifolds.
With the tiny bit of fuel economy increase we've had In recent years, oil companies figure out other ways to sell us oil to make up for it so they fill our cars w/plastic junk.
Comifornia outlawed plastic straws so how did they make up for that, they started packaging the cardboard straws in excessive amounts of plastic packaging.
I don't offer to keep moisture out of the cardboard straws or what but it's crazy. I believe it increased plastic waste.
Doesn’t hold up to start with
First thing I do after buying a car, is remove all that plastic " bling".
Believe it or not, these covers were designed with pedestrian collision safety and noise reduction, but the intake piping is ridiculous
This guy’s sarcasm and disgust is exactly what this country needs. I love it.
There are many mechanics and diy guys like this they just don't say it on camera. These manufactures do some unnecessary things that causes problems or just a hinderance when you're trying to work on a piece of machinery.
I always wondered why they used those stupid covers. My 5litre Jag has the huge aluminium supercharger top exposed. Extra cooling = denser air = more power.
This guy is something else i love his sarcasm and his saying it like it should be said to many mistakes made by manufacturers and the mechanics working on this stuff .
😢 Every mechanic goes through this every day. Welcome to our world😮
Fixing the country one shitbox at a time
Hey Dave, we’re trying to create problems that don’t exist to keep our service bays full to rip off our customers even more . Thanks Dave
-GM
Not gm alone....every manufacturer is guilty
@@jarvislarson6864that's the damn TRUTH.
I don't think I'll ever buy a new vehicle, find a good looking older one and take it to Dave's shop and have it rebuilt. Better than new!
I wonder if 3rd party parts exist to replace what's attached to the plastic engine cover, and get rid of the cover?
GM needs "shaker" hoods!
@@louc.8779ofc there is. You can take a cutting wheel to that plastic cover and make your own third party attachment
Automotive Engineers should be required to work as a mechanic while they are going to school. The stuff they come up with is mind boggling.
Im an engineering student working as a mechanic
Tell me about it!!!
They never would've put the engines in sideways if they had to work on them.
Amen!!!
Lol you think the engineers are behind this? At the end of they day it's the pressure from above/bean counters to make everything as cheap as possible in the least time required. Believe me, if we had the freedom to make things better, we would.
I’ve removed and tossed most of the engine covers on my engines.
Helps me keep an eye on things.
Me too!!
having an intake tube attached to this is absolutely egregious on GM's end..
@roboticunclephil truly mind-boggling. If I were the owner, I'd just cut that excess plastic off. It wouldn't be pretty, most likely, but it would definitely have only benefits
@@bryan23361 i'd do the same thing but what a stupid task to have to do
Took out the big ass plastic cover for my mustang engine and replaced it with a supercharger on top
I worked on oil rigs many years ago and had an interesting conversation with a recent graduate. They explained that a requirement for all new engineers (HP) was several months working on the rig, not just observing. The reason was to make sure they understood why things were set up they were. HP did not want to waste time or resources on new ideas that were not practical for today or tomorrow’s applications. HP rigs are some of the most well thought out rigs you’ll find. Perhaps automakers could learn something from this approach
Great feedback, thank you
This is incredible info. Thanks man
We don't live in that economy anymore. Mfgs want to sell fixes and parts when it breaks down right after warranty.
Yes, this is absolutely it. Clearly a company that cares.
Or even if they don’t care for the techs/operators, which hopefully they do, they are smart enough to know where to spend money properly to move forward, not wasteful spending.
Everyone should be taking a page from this.
Workers are expecting better equipment and environments, customers seems to be wanting better quality even if it means a bit more cost.
@@DavesAutoCenterCentervillehad recently a Mazda 2 capella, wich is a ford focus fusion in disguise. The engine cover for it's little 1.3 l engine was similar with what you shown in this video...
And the air filter was inside the goddamn thing. Why?
Now I have a VW Eos 2.0 diesel to wich I removed the plastic cover. Thanks for the work from uk
Love to see the people dealing with the manufacturing defects calling out the engineers who designed them. Thank you for helping make a change
Don’t blame the engineers. I’m sure marketing is the one that wants the “pretty” plastic cover.
I have news for ya..... it's not just GM!!
It’s management, not engineering, that calculates the number of predicted failures and warranty payouts and decides a certain percentage is acceptable. They don’t want to spend more money on engineering than they think they have to.
Unfortunately, GM is Not the only one guilty of such atrocities.
They are just the ones who make the most problems not just limited to plastic covers
A race to the bottom.
Turn them into the Geneva Convention!
Even the mighty Toyota and Honda have started to pull this BS
For company that used to be the largest corporation in the world, they certainly do lead the race to the bottom.
Engineers vs Techs one of the most brutal, underrated, least talked about battles in the world
Techs and care salesmen? (Dealership thing)
YOU MEAN ENGINEERING VERSUS THE PROFIT MARGIN THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BEAN COUNTERS AND BUREAUCRATS TAKE CONTROL OF. ENGINEERING
Engineers are making much much much more money....
@@stevewalther2293 and the techs make waaaaaay less but gotta deal with the engineers mess ups lol
@@catlady8324 also true. My shop was techs vs sales vs service writers and everyone vs engineers lol
I know a retired GM engineer who says GM has been intentionally designing poor engines because they make more in parts than car sales.
Go figure...
I dont think the engineers do it on purpose. The executives and accountants tell them what to do. And im not trying to defend GM. I hate GM lol. I think engineers would love to design the best engines possible but arent allowed to.
@@Andrew_460 Could be I think engineers should have to spend some time working on the products they design because clearly the dumb things they do don't make sense 😡
@@stevenorcutt3913 that is a fact lol. Sometimes i think some engineers change things that work fine just so they can keep their jobs haha. These car companies need to make money so their product cant last forever. Look at saab. They made arguably the best cars ever but went bankrupt because they lasted so long. Also because a lot if not most people only keep their vehicles for a couple years then trade them in for the new model. So why would car companies make cars that last a long time? Back in the day it wasnt uncommon for people to keep their cars for 20 plus years. Not anymore...
Quite possibly the dumbest theory I’ve read. I’ll give you “quick assembly time at the factory “, but to think that GM actually engineers premature failure into their products as a business model… you’re out of your mind.
My Grandfather said 1 time " They Sure as Shiit can make a Cadillac that'll run for 70+ years........ but they bloody DONT want to"...😊
Smartest Man ive ever known 🙌 💯
RIP Capt.🫡
Planned obsolescence....if they make something strong that never breaks they will reduce the material thickness or type of material altogether to save $ & make $ for when it does break and they either profit from parts or new vehicle sales.....FACT NOT FICTION
so glad i stumbled on this...i removed my plastic topper years ago because of the heat in Vegas ...
They don't want you working on it, yet they apparently don't care about their dealers either...smh
Look at Hyundai, if they have a failure with any part of the motor, the dealer will put a brand-new crate motor in there under warranty. They're that disposable.
Its made to go together quickly on an assembly line.
@@scallie6462and then they spend more time in the shop
Exactly! Then they advertise their commitment to "saving the environment" It's laughable. @@jesses1589
As a tech I have always hated this.... Glad you are calling this out. All engineers have to do is take 30 minutes and ask a mechanic what they think.
I've been saying the same thing for 20 years. But the bean counters & marketing/styling departments trump anything & everything mechanics & sensible engineers come up with.
In my current job it took 6 years to get my boss in a workshop. Now we will need another decade to get upper management there. But we get really good comments from the mechanics which I actually learn from!
Engineers don't ever care about other's opinions or knowledge. I have dealt with them for 40 years. They are usually very arrogant and see everyone else as their lessers.
@@joefudd Not all of them. But once you get experience in the business you quickly learn that it is generally not accepted to have an opinion that deviates from that of management. The automotive industry is maybe one of the most conservative ones out there. In our company it is slowly turning around but it will take at least 2 decades.
@@0783155 I have worked in the automotive industry for 24 years. I have dealt with dozens of engineers and I still do.
This channel prevents me from ever wanting to buy a newer car
Yeah, though unfortunately we are going to keep getting pushed further and further forward as more and more old cars are rendered unrepairable due to rust or other issues. 10 years ago, you could reliably find a 1980s car in good working condition. Nowadays, it's hard to find a 1990s car in good working condition, and 2000 is probably as old as you want to go because of rust problems unless it was garage-kept but almost nobody ever does that, and as you get into the 2000s to 2010s is when the Age of Obsolescence started, and most cars from this area were not respected and treated like throw-aways. Used for a couple years, ends up on the used car lots, abused by some teen and then goes to a junkyard. People don't take care of their cars like they did in the 80s and 90s.
@@Dhalin Very thorough and depressing detail.
I believe Mercedes Benz started these stupid engines covers and air cleaners over 30 years ago. Manufacturers no longer need to tidy up their engines, they simply cover the mess of wires and hoses. I’m old enough to remember when engines looked good uncovered!
Oh Mercedes. Never been the same since Lexus hit the scene in 1990. I remember as a kid in the 80s Mercedes was the pinnacle of quality and holding its value. How times have changed.
@@hokie9910
Lexus are just glorified Toyotas.
@@x-man4702 My wife drives a Lexus Lx 570. She had a fender bender back in Sept so I took it to a shop to have it estimated. The guy who owns the shop and has so since the 80s said man that 570 is the king of SUVs. I asked why he said that. He took me into a service bay and showed me a 3 year old Mercedes top of the line SUV that had been hit from the side at about 20 mph and he said it’s totaled because Mercedes got away from full on frame SUVs and that little hit bent the entire subframe of that piece of crap. Yeah, I’ll stick with my Lexus vehicles. Mercedes hasn’t mad a solid vehicle since the early 90s when they discontinued the 124 and 126 chassis. But again, those were real Mercedes drivers back then..most of them have moved on to Lexus by now.
@@x-man4702 right, so actually reliable luxury cars.
I remember back in the day our stone cars had 4x4 stone branch hybrid wheels that could off road no problems. Also no limiting of the yaba Daba doo revs. Just all and all a better build quality back then!
As a mechanic/technician for 35 years at the time I became a operational supervisor for a municipal fleet that had multiple vehicles with covers that idled for long periods and had overheat issues. My first order of business was to get rid of them covers. Took care of a lot of concerns. Now part time in the private sector I recommend to customers to rid of it.
I take it a step further and remove ac radiators and ac condensers off my work trucks helps a lot and I run performance radiator too
Long idles... LE fleet?
@@Monster11B police vehicles
@@johnfrancis0063 I guess. I'm a cop.
@@KWAHU93when happens in summer ? 🤣🤷
That's why I still own and operate 2 71 Datsun 521 trucks. Simple, reliable and highly modifiable along with super easy to work on. At 65, I'm done with ever buying anything else.......
I will probably never sell my 2002 Volvo S40 for this reason. The engine is a great example of an extremely solid, logical, easy to work on design.
@@MrD3000got an 02 Ford, and I feel the same
@@johnphilly2479 nice. Regular oil changes and adhering to the maintenance schedule are the open secret to keeping good old cars going.
@@MrD3000 no lie, people would be amazed how long things last when you take care of them.
I'm with you man, 29 years old and only driving pre-'75s. In 8 years I've saved a fortune in maintenance fees. Can't beat that old simplicity 👍👍
Daily is a '70 Ford Maverick 250 I6. Dead simple, highly reliable. If you can stand the rattles, you're gold haha
We literally have every technological advantage before us to build & design better than decades before. I’ve said it a thousand times, those who design need to experience what repair facilities go through. Dave made two excellent points.
Building to last makes them no money.
You gotta remove the cover center section, then install it and you can access the clamp! Yeah, it's a needless pain in the a$$ and most people get it wrong. I feel ya!
I find it amusing when people rant and rave and act like others are sooo stupid.
When in reality, they are not fully informed.
Thank you for pointing out what should be obvious.
Yeah some engineer was likely told to combine the engine cover, intake tube, and resonance chamber in one assembly.
@@FreeU.S.they put these covers on engine's for noise and it does keep heat in the engine. I took mine off year's ago. WE need engineers from the 60s. You could work on them and enjoy it. And they built them to last,if you took care of them. Most people drove those car's in the ground, did no maintenance and had oil,trans fluid and AF in there trunk.
I always tell my audience take the cover off. Put it aside so if you sell the vehicle put it back on. Thanks Dave you’re right.
Thanks for the feedback! And for watching our channel
What if you live where it gets subzero F in the winter?
you cant when its part of the intake.
“GM! Come on! Help a guy out here!”
Favorite line
They don’t care….. I promise
Toyota Tundra V-8 has plastic with foam insulation. When I took it to the dealer for my “ free oil change “ they acted like I destroyed the engine with it removed . Common sense is missing from city slicker engineers.
He sounded like boe jiden
They’re helping him out by giving him work to do! Lol
Not to mention politics, but when he said that line…he sounded like Joe Biden, “c’mon man.”
I totally agree with you Dave I'm a technician to and I hate the fact that every newer vehicle has the whole engine cover with wasted plastic same with the bottom of the vehicle covered in plastic it takes a technician about a half hour just to remove the plastic covers before you can actually work on it.
Those are splash shields, for splash through the streets but not get water in critical components.
I did automotive for a long time. I'm hard pressed to find someone that is even close to this gentleman's education on automotive intelligence. Above and beyond what most know. Hats off to ya bro.
He is very intelligent more so than some people making videos. I'm glad he's calling these dumb asses out
mind like parachute only good when open😂
Most of what he’s saying we’ve been saying for years. It’s just refreshing to see videos being made that just aren’t stupid.
Yup, and I just wish they weren't 2000 miles from me! I wanna take my things there.
Wish I could learn from him, there's A LOT I still need to learn.
As a mechanic of 50 years I approve this message! Don’t think I had a day at work where I didn’t question what engineers were thinking! An engineer asked me how I can make more money than engineers. I told him we have to figure out what you were thinking then we have to fix it right.
An engineer will step over a 1000 virgins to screw a mechanic.
Someone once told me that the cover is to RETAIN the heat because the engine needs to be warmer to run. So we got a way to keep the heat (cover) and an entire system to remove the heat (radiator). It isn't engineers designing these engines anymore, its a room full of lawyers.
@@mpclepto182 - It’s for sound deadening. The engine is one of the nosiest things on a car and it makes sense to muffle that noise as close to the source as possible.
@@ClockworksOfGL Sound deadening on a 4 banger that you can't hear from inside the car when the hood is closed? Seems silly to me to do that.
Seems more to me like manufacturers are doing everything they can to entice customers to go to the dealer than even bother looking under their own hood. Don't get me started on how cars are coming without a tranny fluid dip stick...
@@ClockworksOfGL why? The noise is one of the reasons a car is bought
Dave, I'm with you on this one.
One of mine was a Cadillac Deville Touring Sedan - Northstar.
That Northstar star was a very good running engine, smooth, quiet, powerful enough to make that big car very quick, and still return 24mpg on the expressway.
After that fine engineering they had a plastic garnish on the engine to 'pretty things up' that sat above but close to the ignition coils - as you might recall - the Northstar was rough on ignition coils. My observation about holding heat was the same as yours, so I threw away the plastic cover and never had a coil fail again.
Another, my VW. A plastic belly pan - I'm sure to smooth airflow under the car, and another garnish to dress the top of the engine.
Comes to be each fall, I find the beginnings of a mouse nest between the plastic belly pan, and the oil pan, which doesn't smell particularly good until it falls away.
On to our favorite, the plastic engine cover - remove it and find more remnants of a mouse den, complete with dead baby mice and the wonderful stink of dead mice. Fortunately, they've stayed away from gnawing away at wire insulation, but my battery cover apparently was good for chewing.
EFFing stupid engineers have no clue of the environments these products operate in.
Best of luck, Dave.
Let my father in-law drive your VW for a lil bit. He is slowly removing every piece of plastic from underneath his Accord, most of it on the same curb leaving his retirement community.
I have no issue with belly pans. Keeps the engine bay much, much cleaner. I have an armored pan on a Jetta that you can jack up the car with. Protects the oil pan. If you have a mouse problem, solve that problem.
It's well proven that most belly pans are better for airflow through the radiator. Drag and turbulence are not good for engine cooling.
405 thousand miles observation of many different setups. I will confirm a belly pan is beneficial. Yes better aerodynamics. Better flow of the radiator. A slight shield from environments to the engine bay. But the main reason why I keep a shield is because it helps prevent too much cold air flowing around in the winter. My jetta, has the overengineered and understressed ALH engine, everyone who lives in the cold knows those engine struggle to warm anywhere beyond 140degrees even with a thermostat lol😅
I know exactly how you feel. I got an 08 DTS that I love but man that cover is meh. Should’ve just put the logo on the engine itself
Dealing with some of that GM engineering mess myself. Thank you for sharing, love this channel 🎉
My father taught me the same things. I like this guy, A mechanic with a brain.
It is like replacing the oil pan ‘gasket’ on a Northstar engine. (You ‘might as well’ put in a new engine. The cost is about the same.).
I swear i worked at a GM dealership in west Tennessee when this came out. I thought it was crazy. Dave when you go nation wide i like to think i know my stuff but I'd never brag. I'd love to be part of your team... i love this channel!!!
The toilets what do you want from them
@@scottmendoza8989what bro
National?? Discovery is world wide?
@@pear7777yah man - greetings from the UK. Good expertise transcends borders.
Did you get fired or layed off 😂
Dave I am glad someone like You guide costumers with honest reviews.
i always believed they put on all of this plastic to deter the owners from working on there car... the plastic beauty covers and air filter boxes can look difficult to remove to someone that doesn't know its useless functions and you just have to pull in most cases !
love you channel Dave , your truly a inspiration and my idol
Nope, it's to keep squirrels from doing unauthorized mods while the hood's down. Believe me, a rodent has no problem chewing through a paper air filter and shelling a treeful of nuts inside the air plenum and filter box. Also need an air dam to direct fanned air from the radiator stack across the top of the motor and far far away from the intake, which needs cooler air. The fact that after 'some work on this engine' resulted in an improper reassembly and failed completion of repair reconnaissance evaluation sits squarely on the tech's shoulders who expertly "pulled it apart" and didn't first note that reassembly would be difficult if not impossible in the first place, then failed to solicit expert- assistance and\or obtain any prequisite tools all of which totally lays all guilt at the feet of guess who: not the OEM.
@@francislopez8090you should be a politician
@@sipapiwylin6229😂😂
They won't take the time to Neverseze a bolt . They obviously don't even want their own people to be able to fix their junk . So glad to have retired . Now I listen to you guys talk about what I've been bitching about for 50 years .
Blessings 💞
Lmao!
u r so righ😂t
Oh boy, you definitely take on a whole different outlook for the big three’s engineer’s! We had a mechanic, when he hollers, FN engineers, you watched out for a flying wrench!
@@rollinontwojohnny3586 Thanks for that . Throwing tools is not good .
Must have been a junk Craftsman wrench 🔧 .
I call them "beauty covers" because they cover the beauty of the engine.
@lobolj53 : So true!!. 👍
Engine blanket,incubaker,hat for no head......I've been irritated by those useless garnishments since the 1st one I saw,and it's a transmissable virus affecting engineers and managerial doofys
They thought the average American would find it more aesthetically pleasing than valve covers and throttle bodies and air ducts. Why hide the visual clues that save you big damage when the longer your products last the more likely we are to buy them again?
Yeah i left it off after having a mouse nest in there ,screw those covers
@@MrTheHillfolkI just take them off and box them up for when it's time to sell it. People think it's really well taken care of when I use degreaser on the engine at the car wash and wipe that brand new cover off. Little do they know, this was a shade tree mechanics car.
While working on my engine I noticed that same thing, man your content is so real.
This is why I remove the plastic engine cover, Everytime I get a new sled.
I remove them so they won't get all scraped and broken by careless idiots like this guy.
I hate the plastic cover but I had to upgrade it to a AFE aftermarket system and luckily the air box is enclosed and not out exposed. 😊
Dave, we love your videos - your detailed knowledge, your commonsense and your willingness to speak up help us all to understand and take action. U da man!
Dave I have almost 20 years experience working in the plastic industry. Most people do not know that plastics are full of fillers. You can use whatever you want for a filler in plastics. You can hide all kinds of nasty stuff inside plastics and no one will ever know. We used to use fillers like ground up wood fiberglass and all kinds of what not to strengthen the plastic. One of the factories I worked at even used ground up porta potties to make tube slides for children at McDonald's play areas. While the the plastic was processing the whole plant still wreaked of that porta potty funky Blue water smell. I then checked out a McDonald's tube slide later on in life and when the sun was beating down on that tube slide the inside of it still smells like a porta potty. Welcome to America 🇺🇸👍
Like our local oil change shop said about my wife's fiat 500l, the engineers put the oil filter in first and then built around it. Meaning the simplest item to replace became one of the hardest/more difficult.
Not only GM, but point well made.
RODENTS LOVE THEIR NEW HOME......
His eye roll was classic. And yes it's called the mouse house for a reason.
Well GM is the worst so it's the best example lol
@@edgewatersbestguitarist1524 Not really. I'd actually argue that Toyota has engineering design choices that are at least as bad as GM. My 2011 Tundra was absolutely awful when it comes to turning simple repairs into huge all day tasks. Quoted 8 hours to replace the starter at 70k miles because of where Toyota shoehorned it. And the location basically cooks the starter. The timing chain tensioners failed at 110k miles and the labor quote was insane. In a conversation I had with one of the dealer techs, guys hate having to do that job because of how much stuff has to be removed to get access to them. When one rolls in the shop needing tensioners, techs that know better call in sick so they don't get stuck with the job.
Not only do the plastic covers "dress up" the engine, more noticeably they help to reduce the noises heard from all the injectors and solenoids found on a modern engine. I wonder how many people would take their car back to the dealer because they're worried about how much ticking/tapping noise they hear.
Older cars solved that problem way more efficiently
Silent rod knock 😂, sounds like they all know it is going to die before you make the last payment.
Sound control is negligent....don't buy into the b.s. they spew
I like this guy....!!! Speaking the TRUTH. Good feedback for manufactures.
100% agreed Dave; Just as I commented on a previous video of yours, that piece of 'plasticrap' is a real PITA to many of us who like to work on simple & basic maintenance. Many thanks & Blessings for your dedicated work!!..
😊🇺🇸🏆🙏🙏🙏🙏
Well said!
Dave you are a great Mechanic.
I always throw them covers off my engine
Mine cracked on me from removing it and I left it off on purpose so it wouldn't be so hot in the summer.
I took mine off too
@@adriannewman1322basically a blanket over your engine when it's 100 degrees outside there put on there for looks and engine noise deflector mostly the injector pulsing
Only any good in snow conditions, otherwise might as well remove
@@Brometheus420what makes it so good "in snow"?
I took my stupid cover off years ago. Mindless! It's one thing to have cosmetics outside the car, but who gives a crap about the engine when the only person that's sees it should be a mechanic?
Yep! Same as the 3800 series two . The injector wires and vacuum lines will thank you … Those covers bake everything underneath … got to love it
But the 3800 series 2 engine was one of the 10 best engines ever made.
The engine itself, yes. Doesn't include the external crap they saddle it with.
Great spot for a mouse house.
I worked in a engineering department. It amazed me when marketing would want changes that hurt the operation but made it look better, a purchasing would change specs because they "found something cheaper".
Let’s expose the oil filter on these canyons WHILE WERE AT IT. Dig around like ray charles on the right hand side of the engine compartment and push some thick wires out of the way. Now hope you find the cap on the oil filter with your socket and extension, push wires away again and hope it’s not seized on there from the last person. Could be plastic housing, could be metal. Lift the cap up and hope you’re not spilling oil everywhere while you try to fit it between said stiff wires. Replace gasket and filter, reach down and spread the wires again. (Put some hair around it, you’ll find it easier 😉) shove the filter back in and hope you find the housing without breaking the stem that sticks up, carefully align it and twist. Step one complete. Thankyou GM for making a frequent service so frustrating.
Meaning of GM: Garbage Manufacturer.
I recommend using K-Y, problem solved!
I never cared for them plastic covers .. For anyone with a MerCruiser powered boat that has the plastic cover on the flame arrester leave it off n hang it on a nail in the garage . Ive worked on so much stuff till the artritis got to be bad but i still do it as a hobby . thanks for the videos i try to keep up with the latest tech .
Big man Dave is probably one of the reasons I’m trying to become a mechanic😅 just started tho so I got a lot to learn
That's excellent, new mechanics have to begin somewhere! I worked for a large government fleet for 30 years, and I know plenty of people are good enough at changing parts, it's the actual DIAGNOSIS that so many mechanics can't do right! which is the job 99% of the time.
Here's my advice to you: learn how to use the OBD II readers, Tech Stream, and all the other diagnostic tools, and learn how to use them thoroughly! I know that might seem obvious, but the truth is good automotive diagnosticians are very hard to find!
Most mechanics are just parts changers. And most of them don't really know how to diagnose anything that isn't glaringly obvious. What's not so common, is a guy like Dave, who can actually use the diagnostic apps to nail down where the problem is.
If you learn nothing else except how to troubleshoot/diagnose car issues, you'll be worth your weight in GOLD to a shop.
That plastic bit is actually two pieces and the outer shell clips onto the middle section which IS where the intake connects. Lets you see the intake and get everything installed fine and then clip the final larger cover over. But what do I know, I’m not a mechanic
Yeah I’m confused. I thought that center section popped out to let you install it properly. The cover is there to mitigate noise from these overhead cam engines that people always ask about, and make the engine seem less complex while leaving it accessible to work on when the simple cover is removed. How’s that much different than the intentionally massive air cleaners of old, that covered the same amount of engine? It’s really not that tough to remove and install and I can’t imagine that the engine dissipates any real heat from the intake manifold and throttle body area, because that’s not an air cooled engine.
As a mechanic, I will say most mechanics aren't fans of engineers.
As a plumber I totally agree with you, they should have to install it in the field first before they produce the damn part
Machinist here. Same.
i re engineer😂 the engineers
I would say it's most likely not engineers that are the problem. It's the business people above them in management controlling things they don't understand. Giving half the time needed for research and development or making them reduce cost at risk of part duty cycle is very common. Every manufacturer does this in some way
Got that right. I worked private, corporate and government sectors and we do not like "engineers."
A voice for all us fellow mechanics out there you got to love it… especially when the manufacturer builds a car around the motor.
Only seen a few of this guys videos but it seems he is unbiased towards the model or make of the vehicle and hs is just doing his job and offering helpful tips.
Scotty Kilmer unceremoniously chucks away those beauty covers .
What Savage Scotty doesnt tell you is that when you remove the beauty cover the hood heats to the point that the paint crazes, the clear coat bubbles and you're eventually left with a big bare spot on the hood where it rests above the engine.
@11bravo18 so use heat proof paint lol
@@11bravo18not on my BMW E60 2.5i I removed it years ago and no damage to the paint on the bonnet
You can't just toss it if it's part of the intake lol
What car did that happen on?@@11bravo18
I totally agree with you. All automakers need to get it together and stop building cars out of plastic. But you and I know it. They are not going to stop making them out of plastic they are going to use more plastic. I've always said this all engineers and designers need to work on automobiles before they even design one. I've been a mechanic for over 35 years and I see this stuff about everyday.
Perfectly designed... to cause failure outside of warranty, and sell spares to repair.
Ford are even better at it !
If you got rid of plastic... BMW is out of biz
Half the problem is government regulations to make them more fuel efficient. So they have to use plastic crap to make them lighter.
@@mae2759yes and cause more plastic pollution..
You always know it's going to be something good when a person starts out a rant with "I wanna show you something."
I remember the days as a kid always helping my dad work on our car. I could actually climb inside the wheel well to work on the engine. My favorite, replacing freeze plugs...yeah right. That's where I learned to expand the colorful vocabulary of the English language.
I actually had this conversation with someone the other day... That I could remember sitting on the inner fender of my dad's '77 Silverado learning how to do spark plugs.
Plastic engine covers, plastic intake manifolds, plastic timing covers and oil pans. Ridiculous smh
Love your channel and I'm so happy Discovery is filming and hope to see you on tv eventually
Thank you!
Being a mechanic myself, I find out the many sins of engineering along the way, and I'm glad I'm not alone in my endeavors.
I’m a retired mechanic and pulling that crap off my own vehicles is first thing I do! I want to see the engine and keep them cool!
I’m pretty sure oems do this for two reasons
1) it’s the first barrier to discourage the average vehicle owner from tinkering. Making them go to dealer for all maintenance concerns.
2) it makes the compartment look “cleaner” because they can hide all the little components and how they laid them out and wired them up.
They usually put sound absorbing foam on the bottom of the cover, so it does make the engine a little bit quieter especially when the hood/bonnet is up.
I agree with the first fact about taking the vehicle to the stealership. In my case, I still work on my own truck with the garbage can lid in the video. It takes me less than 5 minutes to take off or resemble. Just depends on if you want to save money and do the work yourself.
And faster it’s at operating temperature better the emission, that’s what you guys are forgetting , it’s all about government and bragging. Rights for MPG
@RcPlayer-tt2vw I'd be surprised if the covers made the engine warm up significantly faster, most of the airflow over the engine is down lower where it comes through the radiator.
Fast warm-up is a big deal, for emissions and also for durability. When the engine is cold fuel will condense on the cylinder walls and dilute the oil there, leading to faster cylinder and piston ring wear.
@@nerd1000ify That's usually a heat blanket and not sound insulating foam. Designed to get the car to operating temperature quickly.
In this specific example, I believe the portion of the plastic cover that says “V6 VVTI” actually pops out so you can see where the intake hose meets the throttle body. That’s probably how Dave’s guys got the cover off too, since the hose is integrated into the cover and there was a hose clamp…
So in reality, a complete BS short...
Dave: Help a guy out here, GM
GM: No
GM: laughs like Ray Liotta in Goodfellas
Thank god. You've further enforced my bias that all that plastic is just humiliating excess that needs to be tossed after purchase.
I’m a Ford guy as long as I don’t have to work on them. Ford does some crazy engineering too. I think they are all crap. They have forgotten quality with replacing it with profit at the consumer’s expense.
Ford- "Quality is job #3 Billion and eight."
Ford has nice vehicles, but some STOOPID designs. But, doesn't that apply to all manufacturers? Aren't they all doing something that makes no sense?
Henry would be rolling over in his grave !
The first time I worked on my cousins Mercury and found out how many things I had to remove before I could replace the fuel pump, I was a GM man for life. 😂
I keep my wife a nice ride but I'll never stop driving my 97 Silverado been driving it since 03
Must be nice i bought my wife a panamera and she still wants to keep stealing my old ass toyota
I've got a 92 with a 454, and I love it. My wife has a new car.
New cars aren't all bad, just all GM products are.
Best trucks ever, late 90s Chev n GMC with 5.7 Vortec. They go forever
You right, I got my 91 since 2011, great truck. Lots of people with new trucks tell me , better keep it.
I'm a Chevy guy by birth but love engines in general. So I'm extra careful and use my mirror to check it. Takes 20 seconds.
20 seconds too long.
@@wall7103if 20 seconds is the breaking point you probably shouldn’t be a mechanic
@@sirktopher333 I'm flat rate. I shouldn't have to worry about this BS. Waste of time and money. I have wheels to torque.
I love the way Dave gave a proper eyeroll!!
Amen!!! GM ain’t what it used to be. 👍👏
Sad, but true.
What in america is like it used to be this country is gone
It’s ecstatically pleasing to people that don’t understand common sense and the mechanics of an engine
We have 60 colorados at my work that have that intake/engine cover and I learned very quickly that you must take your time and use a little bit of lube to put that intake on properly. With the least amount of fiddling time.
My son has a 2018 v6 Colorado. Should he check this?
You would have a leak that throws codes. But it doesn’t hurt to take a look with a flashlight and run your fingers across it to make sure. But it would throw a Maf code and a lean code if it was leaking.
Engine bays in the 1960s and 70s were so easy to work in. Emissions were at a minimum, no computers, just a carburetor and an air cleaner. No fuel injection. Those were the 'good old days'! And, you could look down thru the engine bay and see the pavement underneath!
Damn!!!...that's a 5 person snow sled!!!!!....I love my 81 olds more every time!!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊
It's an engineered failure point. They just need it to make it beyond the warranty before it fails and dusts the engine.
It’s not just for cosmetic purposes; these days they use the covers for NVH purposes as well. DI engines are very “clicky” with their high pressure fuel systems and lots of people think there’s something wrong with their engine when they hear that noise.
Exactly, I'm surprised how many aren't aware of this.
Man, I freaked out when I noticed the sound of my evap valve clicking for the first time, let alone the injectors!
Oh man, the high-pressure fuel pump lifter on Kia 1.6 GDI motors... mine sounds like a key in a blender 😂
My BMW E92 sounds like a tractor even with the cover on 😂
Nope but good try
I am NOT a mechanic, but I did grow up in the 80s and 90s doing work on my car. I'm mechanically inclined so I can figure out 90% of basic problems. I think all engineers should have to replace everything on a car after they're "done" and before it goes to market.
GM needs you to buy a new vehicle every 5 years. This is a great way to wear out the engine and ensure that you need to make that purchase
GM mark of excellence 😅😅😅
@@jbphilly1234Sadly, many are more driven by tradition and peer pressure than the alternative.
GM loves us very much ❤
If they really caused the engine to run hot wouldn't the temp gauge show that?
@@colinm990 temp gauge just shows a range from cold to hot. GM gets to decide what “normal” is.
I love this guy’s honesty. Wish he was in business in my town. I would have him work on my vehicle hands down!
Agree dream
Same here. Wish he would branch out and build some franchises with auditing to keep them as honest as he seems to be.
Having worked for an OEM directly and now working alongside several others, I can tell you the engineers could not care less about maintenance, servicing or aftermarket. “My job is to make the car as easy and cheap as possible to build and produce. I couldn’t care less what it’s like to service or take apart.”
I used to own a 1986 custom deluxe Chevrolet long bed truck with a 350 4 bolt main, two barrel Manchester carburetor with dynomax headers HEI distributor glass packs and straight pipes out the rearend. Sounded like a top fuel dragster! I had the Goodyear Eagle NASCAR tires on her! She looked and sounded mean! You could hear every cylinder hit.
Engineers making sure things will fail at the right time.
i only slightly agree my 09 ranger has 200 k miles changed plugs twice and replaced fuel pump thats it 2014 lexus rx 350 90k miles water pump bearing noisy replaced pump. thats decent engineering yea they dont make stuff easy.
the 60s and 70s 100k miles was a worn out car you had to tune up every year or more starters , alternators, and minor stuff didnt last for shit a 5 year old car was bound to go through water pumps starters etc something like every year almost . they were easy to fix though ill say that
Truth. I was in a pinch and needed an oil changed at Valvoline. For some reason they removed this intake and broke all my ocv lines that are connected to this piece and didn't screw it back in. Had codes for weeks before I fixed it myself.
Love your no nonsense approach Dave! 👍👍
Just use a flexible hose from the intake to the air cleaner and put that plastic cover in the recycle bin. Problem solved.
I'm glad when I was a young lad cars had user friendly engines like the Ford X flow or Pinto, I had a V6 Essex in a mk 1 Ford escort, it was originally a 1.1 base model.
Let's face it Engineers hate technicians
Couldnt agree more, in past vehicles ive owned i can those stupid things quick and tried to convince family members to do the same but they didn't listen
lol that "GM!! Come on!!!" left a lot unsaid 😂😂😂
Like make-up, that plastic is hiding something they don't want you to look at. I had an 86 Iroc-Z. The engine was beautiful. The intake manifold has tubes running out of it that looked like headers. The air intake was centrally located and you could see that fed right into the manifold. It just looked amazing. I was 10 when we first bought the car. I didn't know anything about cars or engines, but I'd open the hood and show my disinterested friends this masterpiece. That 305 was a relative turd performance-wise, but it looked as good as the car.
They keep my engine warmer when it's -10f here in MN. They keep the engine dryer too. Come summer, I pull it off.
How do you run your engine without it? Cold air kit? I need to do the same with my Colorado but not sure what to put in it’s place.
wrong
GM C’mon!!
I love your straight forward spoken word.
I know I’ve been at it a long time. But it’s refreshing every time.
By far my favorite automotive channel, and I don't even own a damn truck. Their knowledge goes so deep, and can be applied to many places.
This is why I own a 1988 Pontiac Firebird with a 5.7l L98 TPI. No plastic covers or any of that bull, just strip the emissions system and give it a pair of headers instead of those log manifolds and she'll run real well.
Gotta love great engineers.
I have to imagine these covers have more to do with the design (engine = ugly) and accounting (plastic = cheap) folks than the engineers. Unless these serve some minor role in reducing NVH or something?
90% or engineers understand, its corporate and marketing that have the ultimate say.
@@Yarf.McBarfthey could at least make the air pipe a separate piece like every other vehicle. I believe the do have some nvh benefits
NVH of a sort. Customers hear noises that they didn't pay attention to or hear before having service or repairs and insist you fix it!
Big problem with fuel injectors and solenoid operation noise, customers insist it didn't do that before!
Hint: it sure did
gotta love idiots who think this is because of engineers
None of my cars have these. One of the 1st things I take off! Makes life easier to keep an eye on your engine & work on it when needed.
It was 10 years ago, my Honda Civic air filter box broke where one air duct connected to it. It is made of plastic, of course. The Honda parts store asked € 600 for that plastic thingy. I heat-welded a piece of plastic tubing, and solved the breakage effectively and cheaply. The heat degrades the plastic, which in turn becomes very prone to breakage...
Purchased a new Jetta Tdi back in 2002. First thing I did when I opened the hood was throw out the plastic engine cover when I got home from the dealer. Still driving it to this day.
Even a "shade tree mechanic" can feel Dave's pain!
Yeah! C'mon GM!
Looking for a fun job! try a Chevy HHR air filter. Even the directions do not tell you about the 2 nuts in the back. I think there were 12 #7 torques holding it in the cover inside to remove the filter. After you remove the cover. My chevy dealer had charged me for an air filter, that was never replaced. Yeah, they changed the oil but that was it. Where I was living had a major fire, and ash was thick. so, a week after everything was not an ash pit. I wanted to check the filter. Thats when I discovered that the dealer had never touch it. I knew why. It took too much time. After the trans switch went out, the dealer fixed it. But I got rid of car as a trade - in for a mustang GT. 2011