Ep 50: WHY MECHANICS HATE THESE CARS!

Ep 50: WHY MECHANICS HATE THESE CARS! The ReDriven Podcast · Jul 13, 2026

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Car

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck used for hauling and general driving. Like many cars, it has scheduled maintenance, including belt-related service, that can affect cost and how long the car lasts. That’s why it’s brought up when people talk about repairs and ownership experience.

Term

wet belt

A “wet belt” is a timing belt that works while it’s sitting in engine oil. The host is arguing that this design makes the belt job and potential failures more problematic than a normal dry timing belt.

Term

timing belt

A timing belt is the part that keeps the engine’s timing lined up—so the valves open at the right moments. The host is saying that on these Fords, changing it is unusually difficult.

Part

right hand drives

A drive shaft is a rotating shaft that sends engine power to the wheels. The host says you have to remove the right-side one before you can even reach the timing belt area.

Part

steering racks

The steering rack is the mechanism that turns your steering wheel input into the actual steering motion at the front wheels. The host says it has to come out to get to the timing-belt parts.

Part

sump

The sump is the bottom part of the engine that holds the oil. The host says you have to remove it to reach the timing belt area, and that the parts can get damaged during removal.

Part

timing cover

The timing cover is the protective shell over the timing belt. The host says it’s hard to remove without damaging it, so you may need to replace it.

Term

kilometers

Kilometers are just the distance unit used for car maintenance schedules. The host is saying the belt can fail much earlier than the long interval the manufacturer originally suggested.

Part

air conditioning evaporators

The air conditioning evaporator is the part that cools the air inside the cabin. The host says the repair is so hard that you often have to remove the whole dashboard and a lot of the HVAC system to get to it.

Term

HVAC system

The HVAC system is the car’s heating and air-conditioning setup. The host says fixing the evaporator usually means taking apart a lot of that system, not just swapping one small part.

Car

Toyota Highlanders

The Toyota Highlander is a common family SUV. Here it’s mentioned as one of the cars the mechanic shops are seeing problems with, but they don’t go into the details for it in this excerpt.

Car

Subaru Foresters

The Subaru Forester is a popular SUV. Here it’s mentioned as one of the cars mechanics are seeing problems with, but the segment doesn’t explain the specific issue for it.

Car

Audi Q3s

The Audi Q3 is a small luxury SUV. This episode later talks about a specific part from an Audi Q3, so it’s not just a random name-drop.

Car

Volkswagen Golfs

The Volkswagen Golf is a common compact car. In this part of the episode it’s just listed as one of the cars mechanics are dealing with, without details on what’s wrong.

Term

non-genuine

“Non-genuine” means an aftermarket replacement part instead of the official factory part. The host says the cheaper aftermarket one didn’t turn out worse in their case.

Term

aftermarket parts

Aftermarket parts are replacement parts made by other companies, not the car’s original brand. People often use them to save money or get different options.

Term

clogged inlets

Clogged inlets means the engine’s air entry paths get blocked by dirty buildup. The host says this can reduce power and cause emissions problems.

Term

EGR systems

EGR systems are emissions-control parts that send some exhaust back into the engine. The host says they can cause messy deposits that lead to clogged airflow on diesel engines.

Term

volumetric efficiency

Volumetric efficiency is basically how well the engine gets air into its cylinders. The host is saying EGR systems can affect that, not just emissions.

Term

intake manifold

The intake manifold is the part that routes air to the engine cylinders. The host says it can get clogged with soot and sludge from diesel emissions systems.

Car

V6 TDI

“V6 TDI” is a diesel engine setup used by Volkswagen Group: a V6 with turbo and direct fuel injection. The host says this specific diesel family tends to get clogged up more than others.

Car

Mazda 6 diesels

The Mazda 6 is a regular family sedan, and the host says the diesel versions can also suffer from the same kind of soot buildup. They’re included in the list of cars mechanics see most often.

Term

injectors

Injectors are parts that spray fuel into the engine. The host says the seals on the bottom of the injectors can fail, letting gases leak and causing nasty carbon buildup.

Part

copper washer

A copper washer is a thin metal seal used to stop leaks at the injector connection. The host says when it fails, exhaust gases can leak and create heavy soot buildup.

Term

black death

“Black death” is a nickname for nasty, baked-on soot buildup. The host says it can make the injector stick in place, so it’s harder and messier to remove.

Term

pneumatic tools

Pneumatic tools run on compressed air. Mechanics use them when a part is really stuck and needs extra pulling force to get it out.

Term

cylinder head

The cylinder head is the top part of the engine where combustion happens. If an injector is buried or stuck, mechanics may need to remove the cylinder head to reach it.

Car

Mercedes Vito

The Mercedes-Benz Vito is a van. In some diesel versions, getting to the injectors can be so hard that if one is stuck, the mechanic may have to pull the whole engine, which makes a simple repair cost way more.

Term

oil level sensor

Oil level sensors are electronic sensors that tell the car how much oil is in the engine. Instead of checking with a dipstick, you rely on the car’s readings, which the speaker says can be unreliable and inconvenient.

Car

Land Rover Range Rover

The Range Rover is a large, luxury SUV that’s designed to be comfortable and capable on different roads. Because it’s a premium vehicle, repairs can be costly when something goes wrong. That’s why it may come up in conversations about warranty and maintenance bills.

Term

virtual logbooks

Virtual logbooks are digital records of a car’s service history. The speaker’s point is that it’s less straightforward than a paper logbook with stamps, and it can make checking the car’s history harder.

Car

Renault Meganes

The Renault Megane E-Tech is an electric car based on the Megane. The podcast says it’s generally straightforward to live with, but there’s a small design issue on right-hand-drive cars that makes it harder to reach the cabin air filter. That filter helps keep the air inside the car clean.

Term

cabin filter

A cabin filter cleans the air that comes into the car from outside. If it’s located in a tough spot, changing it can take more time and cost more.

Term

clutch pedal

The clutch pedal is what you press when you’re shifting gears on a manual transmission. In this case, the host says you may need to remove it just to reach the cabin filter.

Car

Volkswagen Amarok

The Volkswagen Amarok is a pickup truck. The host is complaining that on this model, the oil drain plug is positioned in a way that makes an oil change messier than it should be.

Term

PCV valve

The PCV valve helps control crankcase fumes and routes them back into the engine. The host is saying some BMW/Mini designs make it hard to replace, so it costs a lot more than a simple swap.

Term

valve cover

The valve cover is the top cover on the engine that helps keep oil in and protects the moving parts. If the PCV valve is built into it, you may have to remove a lot more to replace it.

Term

fuel lines

Fuel lines are the passages that carry fuel to the engine. If you have to remove them for a repair, it usually means more labor and higher cost.

Term

timing chain

Timing chains keep the engine’s moving parts working in sync. If they’re placed in a hard-to-reach spot, replacing them can be a big, expensive job.

Car

JLR Ingenium 4-cylinder

The JLR Ingenium 4-cylinder is a Jaguar Land Rover engine used in many of their cars. The host says the timing chain problem on this engine is so common that it can mean frequent, expensive repairs.

Term

gearbox

The gearbox is what lets the car use different gear ratios. If a repair needs the gearbox removed, it usually means a much bigger job than it sounds.

Term

engine subframe

An engine subframe is a strong metal frame that holds the engine in place. If you have to drop it for a repair, the job gets much more complicated and expensive.

Term

proprietary tooling

Proprietary tooling means special tools made for one specific kind of engine or job. If a shop needs different special tools for lots of cars, repairs can take longer and cost more.

Term

underbody protection

Underbody protection is the shield or plates under the car that help protect it from road damage. When it’s in the way, mechanics have to remove it before they can reach things like the oil drain and filter.

Term

oil filter

The oil filter cleans the engine oil by trapping dirt and debris. If something blocks access underneath the car, changing it can take longer.

Term

wiring harnesses

A wiring harness is the car’s organized bundle of wires that connects all the electrical parts. When something goes wrong, it can be hard to find the exact wire or connector causing the problem.

Term

warranty

A warranty is a coverage plan from the carmaker that helps pay for repairs if something fails. If the repair isn’t covered, the owner has to pay out of pocket.

Car

S-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a top-of-the-line luxury car packed with lots of technology. The host is saying the newest versions are especially hard and expensive to fix when something goes wrong.

Term

winter wiper blades

Wipotec wiper blades are just replacement parts for your windshield wipers. The point here is that swapping wiper blades is easy compared to fixing something major like an engine.

Car

Ford Ecosport

The Ford EcoSport is a small SUV. In the podcast, they describe a situation where the engine failed, and the repair ended up costing more than the vehicle’s value. That’s why it’s mentioned—engine problems can be very expensive to fix.

Term

recondition unit

A recondition unit is a part that’s been rebuilt to work again, like a refurbished engine. The host is saying those used-to-be cheaper options aren’t as affordable anymore.

Concept

scrapped

Here, “scrapped” means the car gets thrown away instead of being fixed. The host says high repair costs can lead people to do that more often.

LIVE

Now, I need to warn you, as a mechanic, the cars and the repairs I'm about to mention

could make your life absolutely miserable. That's because the complexity involved in fixing them

and the costs involved often don't align with owner's expectations. In these cases, it's bad design

or unnecessarily complicated engineering where the trouble starts. Now, if there was an award

for bad engineering, I reckon this one would win it. We're talking Ford Ranger and Ford Everest

Wet belts. Timing belts on cars used to be a fairly straightforward job and most mechanics

wouldn't have a problem doing it. Usually take about two or three hours. But in the case of these

Rangers and Everest, the timing belt, it is not a simple job. Now, for fuel efficiency and production

costs, Ford decided they would put the belt in oil, like a chain, but not a chain, it's a belt in

oil. Now, traditionally, oil has been the enemy of any timing belt. Now, you might think timing belt,

no big deal, how bad could it be? Well, on a Ranger, if you want to do it properly, you have to start

with taking the right hand drive shaft out. And then, of course, you need to take the steering rack

out. And this is because if you want to fix it properly, you have to take the sump off. Now,

once you get that off, then you can start working on the front of the engine and take the timing

cover off. But one of the problems here is the sump and the timing cover, the metal is so flimsy,

it destroys them getting them off. So you have to put new sumps and timing covers on. Now, this

procedure, if you're doing it right, will take all day and cost you a bloody fortune. Now, these

things are failing at as little as 100,000 kilometers, even less in some cases, which is

significantly less than the 240,000 K intervals that they originally recommended. And I'm not even

going to get into the fact that these are failing and completely destroying engines, we're just going

to gloss over that. So yeah, in terms of shitty engineering, this one is a winner. Now, next on

the list, let's talk about air conditioning evaporators. Now, you'd think for a component

that is very difficult to get at, it might be designed with, I don't know, longevity in mind

and be made of a material stronger than cheese. To change an air conditioning evaporator, you

have to pull the entire dash out and the whole HVAC system usually. And that can take eight or 10

or even more hours in some cases. Now, some of the worst offenders we're seeing lately are Toyota

Kluge or Highlanders, if you're watching in the US, Subaru XVs and Foresters and Volkswagen

Golfs and Audi Q3s. Now, this is an evaporator out of a Audi Q3. It looks a bit like a radiator.

These fail pretty often. Now, interestingly, the non-genuine one we replaced this with was

about $1,000 cheaper than the genuine part. Some might say the genuine one might be better,

but it's not. They're terrible. For a thousand bucks, I'll take a pun on the non-genuine things.

Now, on the topic of getting aftermarket parts, you've got to check out Automotive Superstore.

They carry literally hundreds of thousands of parts and accessories. And to check them out,

simply scan the QR code or check out the link below. Now, I'm going to talk about clogged up

inlets on diesels now. Thanks to modern emissions rules, there is a lot of crap on your diesel engines

that really isn't that good for it. Like EGR systems, for example, they are the bane of the

modern diesel's existence. The EGR system exists for a few reasons. One is emissions and the other

is volumetric efficiency, but that's science and I'm not going to get into that. Just Google it.

Now, the problem here, because it's recycling combustion gases, all the oil and black sludgy

carbonic crap just builds up all through the intake manifold and everything intake related,

basically, and just clogs it up. And sooner or later, it robs you of horsepower and ironically,

actually makes your emissions worse. And sooner or later, you just have to clean it out. It's

time consuming. It's bloody messy and expensive if done right. And mechanics bloody hate it.

Look, all modern day diesels are actually guilty of this, but the worst offenders we've seen recently

are the V6 TDI in the Volkswagen and Audi's and also Mazda 6 diesels. Now, I'm going to stick with

diesels for a second. Now, another common problem we see is failed seals on the bottom of injectors.

Basically, what's happening here is the copper washer on the bottom of the injector fails and it

just leaks combustion gases up past the injector, which is no big deal. You can usually get the

injector out in five or 10 minutes. But if it's been leaking for a while, all that black carbon

and crap turns into what we call the black death and it literally glues that injector inside the

cylinder head and you just can't get the thing out. There's a bunch of slide hammers and pneumatic

tools to help get that injector out. Sometimes it takes hours and hours and quite often actually

destroys the injector in the process. And in some extreme cases, you need to take the cylinder head

off. And again, that costs you thousands. They could have designed it better. They could have more

room around the injector so it didn't glue itself in there. They could have also engineered it with

better seals on the bottom. Now, some of the worst offenders for this bloody Mercedes diesels. And in

particular, the Mercedes Vito. Now, the back few injectors you can't get at because it goes in under

the cowling. So if you have an injector there that is stuck in the back of this engine, you are taking

that engine out. And for the sake of what is a three dollar washer, that's going to cost you

thousands. Now, remember the good old days when cars had dipsticks, you know, to check the oil?

You might be surprised to learn that a lot of cars nowadays don't have dipsticks. Instead, they have

oil level sensors built into the sump. Now, manufacturers might tell you that's to increase

the accuracy of oil levels and to reduce potential leak points. But that is bullshit. It's purely

done to stop you, the owner or your mechanic, just conveniently checking the oil. Sure, some of them

do have tools in the infotainment system. So you can check the oil, but it's not bloody straightforward.

You've got to have the car sitting there idling and get it up to operating temperature. And then

it's an eight minute faff around while the sensor works out what the bloody oil level is. And that's

assuming the oil level sensor is actually working properly, which quite often they're actually not.

Now, the worst offenders here are BMWs and that means Mini and a bunch of Audi's and anything

with a Jaguar, Land Rover or Range Rover badge. Screw you guys. The other thing which I'll just

have a little rant about is virtual logbooks. No mechanic is a fan of those and you shouldn't be

either as an owner. Quite often it makes checking your service history very difficult. Basically,

it's a bit like you not being able to access your own bloody medical records. What's wrong with a

bloody logbook and a stamp? It just works for everybody. Now, a couple of little poor design

mentions here. What about the Renault Megane's that are in right hand drive where to access the

cabin filter, you need to remove the clutch pedal. Now, it's really not that hard. It's probably

about a half an hour round trip, but it makes your service more expensive and there's a chance

whoever's servicing it probably doesn't even check the bloody thing. Or another little one which

really grinds my gears is when a manufacturer puts the engine oil sump plug directly over a cross

member. So when you take it out, it just sprays engine oil everywhere, all over you, all over the

ground. It's just a bloody horrible mess. Now I'm looking right at you, Volkswagen Amarok. Now,

what about the anti-consumer engineering where they make a part that really should be repairable

that actually isn't? Like, for example, the PCV valve in a lot of BMW and Mini engines. Look, back

in the day, you could just undo the valve, put a new one in, it would take you 20 minutes or whatever

piece of cake. But these are designed where the PCV valve is integrated into the valve cover. Now,

it's not just a simple case of taking the valve cover off. You've got to take all the fuel lines,

you've got to take injectors out and it takes a couple of hours if you're really doing it properly.

Just to replace a PCV valve that should have been replaceable in situ for a few bucks, this

costs you hundreds and hundreds of dollars. And potentially thousands if anything goes wrong

during that job, which being a BMW or Mini is actually very likely. Now, next up, here's one of

my absolute favourites. It's timing chains at the back of the engine. Who in Europe's idea was this?

They're totally fine at the front of the engine. They always were. And if you have to put them at

the back of the engine, why don't you make them out of decent metal that actually lasts and give

them proper oil supply so they don't fail? Now, if you did all that, you wouldn't have to change them

all the time. Now, one that comes to mind is the JLR Ingenium 4-cylinder. That's in every Jag,

Land Rover and Range Rover. It's in a bunch of cars. Pretty much you need to change those timing

chains every Tuesday. They're so piss weak. And to do that, you have to take the gearbox out,

you have to take the whole back of the engine off. It's a huge pain in the ass and it costs you

thousands. Or worse still, a bunch of Audi's and BMW's where you have to drop literally the whole

engine subframe. You need to take the gearbox off of the back of the engine. It is a huge job and

literally takes days to do. Now, while we're talking about timing chains, proprietary tooling,

that means tools that are made for a very specific job on one specific type of engine. For example,

the timing chain alignment kits. Most workshops have dozens of these and some of them are not

cheap either. Now, I'm not complaining about buying tools. I'm a high functioning tool buying

addict, but I've got it under control. It's okay. It would be better if they just did it like they

used to, where you didn't need specialist tooling for every single engine. That would save hours of

work and ultimately save you thousands of dollars. And which cars are the worst offenders here? Look,

pretty much all modern cars or manufacturers are guilty of this. Now, this next one isn't any particular

manufacturer's fault and it could also be partly your fault. If you're the type of person that likes

to accessorize your four or drive and you take that four or drive off road and by the way,

props to you, that's exactly what you should be doing. You may have fitted some underbody protection.

Now, if you're getting your car serviced, it's likely that that underbody protection is a bit

bent out of shape. It's highly likely that the bolts are stripped from the salt water and mud and

crap. And ultimately getting that off to gain access to where you've got to go takes considerable

time and costs you money. The answer here is when you're designing and manufacturing these,

just put in a small section you can remove to access the drain plug and the oil filter. It's

really not that difficult. And it might even just cost a little bit more, which is okay because a lot

of people buying these accessories just like to buy the more expensive ones just so they can have a

subtle flex. So as a manufacturer, you might even make more money out of it. And the mechanics will

thank you. Now, at the opposite end of the four or drive spectrum, let's talk about luxury cars.

Now, it's wonderful that modern luxury cars have all the bells and whistles and all the tech. Now,

electrically speaking, when something inevitably goes wrong, the wiring harnesses in these modern

luxury cars are incredibly complex. Diagnosing and fixing a problem can be incredibly complicated

and can take all of the hours, days and days in fact. Recently, I was talking to a Mercedes Benz

Tech where they had an issue with the wiring harness. They couldn't pinpoint where the problem was

exactly. So they had to put a whole new wiring harness through the car. It literally cost tens

and tens of thousands of dollars and took days and days. And if that's not warranty and you're

footing the bill, God help you. And the worst offender is here, the last two generations of S-Class.

Now, you know what isn't complicated or difficult to fit? It's Wipotec wiper blades. Now, they're

the only wiper blades we use. And to get 15% off and free express shipping, just click the link

below or scan the QR code. Now, this one can be absolutely heartbreaking. It's replacing engines

in modern cars. It's not that hard for your mechanic, but let me explain. The heartbreak

happens when the cost of replacing the engine is more than the car is worth. We recently had a

forward EcoSport in the workshop that had a failed engine due to a wet belt complication. Now, to

replace that engine obviously costs thousands. And what is even more heartbreaking, that is in some

regions globally, the owner would have got a new engine for free under warranty. But in this case,

the owner had to foot the bill, which unfortunately in this case was more than the car was worth.

It wasn't that long ago, you could get a perfectly good secondhand engine or a reasonably priced

recondition unit. But those days are absolutely gone. There are so many cars getting scrapped these

days because the owners are just cutting their losses and getting a new car. And you know what,

that is actually terrible for the environment, but also bloody expensive. Imagine if manufacturers

actually cared about the environment or better still cared about the people buying their cars.

They could design these cars with just a little bit of clever engineering,

so they didn't break or when they did break you could fix them. But unfortunately,

they cheap out on design and engineering and those days are over.

About this episode

The ReDriven Podcast takes aim at modern design choices that turn routine jobs into nightmares. It starts with Ford Ranger/Everest “wet belt” timing-belt setups that can fail early and demand extreme disassembly, then zooms out to other labor-heavy repairs like HVAC evaporator swaps. Diesel issues (EGR soot and injector “black death”), stuck injectors that can mean engine removal, and digital/ sensor-driven maintenance all add friction. The host also argues warranty gaps and expensive diagnostics/tooling can make repairs financially impossible.

aftermarket parts black death cabin filter clogged inlets clutch pedal copper washer cylinder head EGR systems engine subframe evaporator

Audi Q3 Ford Ecosport Ford Ranger Land Rover Range Rover Mazda 6 MPS Mercedes-Benz S-Class Renault Megane E-Tech Subaru Forester Toyota Highlander Volkswagen Amarok Volkswagen Golf

Original notes

These are the cars your mechanic dreads seeing pull into the workshop. In this video, we reveal which vehicles consistently top the list for costly repairs, complex servicing and parts that will hit your wallet hard.

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