Ease of repair is very closely related to space under the hood in my experience.
The Fiero had none, especially in the V6 versions. Most compact cars have little space under the hood. RWD front engined cars tend to be larger with the extra space that comes with it. They also have simpler drivelines. Both are an aid to repairs. Chrysler LH cars are FWD and quite easy to work on, but you can practically dance in the engine compartment, they have enough space in there for a large V8 while harbouring only a mid-sized V6 (3.3L or 3.5L). -Adam [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I wrote an article for Popular Mechanics some years ago about car repair > difficulty. I arranged for about a dozen popular models to be delivered to an > automotive service center. The best mechanic in the house performed six > repairs to each car. He scored them one to ten, easy to most difficult. When > the results were in the big loser was a rear engine V-6 Pontiac Fiero (a car > long since out of production). That car was followed by seven or eight > front-drive cars. I think it was a Honda that came in as second hardest to > repair. All of those that scored well were front-engine/rear drive cars. The > top finisher was a front-engine/rear drive Chevrolet Caprice, a dinosaur by > any measure, but very easy to repair. > Paul > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: Gonz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> >>Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: >> >>>On Jul 22, 2006, at 8:33 AM, Adam Maas wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>>The co-location of steering and drive makes even the simplest FWD car >>>>more mechanically complex than a RWD car, even if both have fully >>>>independant suspensions. The CV joints and drive shafts are what drive >>>>up the cost of repair, sometimes by quite a lot. Also transaxles are >>>>more difficult to work on as they are more mechanically complex >>>>(Primarily due to co-locating the differential and transmission). >>> >>> >>>While I agree that the design is more complex, I disagree that it >>>drives up the cost of repair by any substantial amount. I say this >>>having had several years career as an automotive and motorcycle >>>mechanic. In some ways, it proves to be easier to work on combined >>>transaxle drive systems than on traditional separate component >>>systems, but that's really more a reflection of the quality of the >>>design than the type. >>> >> >>I'm sorry, but you're still not convincing me. I've changed >>transmissions on both types of cars and there is a *world* of difference. >> >> >>>Godfrey >>> >> >>-- >>Someone handed me a picture and said, "This is a picture of me when I >>was younger." Every picture of you is when you were younger. "...Here's >>a picture of me when I'm older." Where'd you get that camera man? >>- Mitch Hedberg >> >>-- >>PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>PDML@pdml.net >>http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > > > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
