I haven't watched much TV over the last couple of days but I had a decent one yesterday and came across another today. This one is something that annoys me every time that I have to do this particular job.
Today's rant comes courtesy Chrysler via the PT Cruiser but I know for a fact that it applies to other makes as I have in the past had this issue with the GMC Sonoma. I had to change the oil, as I often do, and ran into an issue removing the oil filter and drain plug. The issue with the filter is that you need to have a wrench that is just the right shape. I am not a really big guy but I can't get my fingers between the filter and the back of the oil pan. I haven't found a wrench that works yet. Today I got annoyed to a point where I brought out a c-clamp and pretty much crushed it until I got it turning.
The problem with the drain plug is that it isn't a standard size. I will give you that it is a little rounded now since it has been removed a lot in it's lifetime (there are over 150,000 miles on the car now). But it wouldn't have happened if the plug was a standard size. It is smaller than a 1/2 inch yet larger than 7/16 inch. My first thought when I got the car (from my Mom after my Dad passed) was that it was metric. Problem with that thought, smaller than a 13MM and, you guessed it, larger than a 12MM. So today, after wrestling with the filter, I got out the locking pliers.
And this is the problem with cars today. They are designed so that they can't be worked on by the owner. I get the fact that a lot of people don't do their own maintenance but give me a break! I just don't get the decisions that are made with regards the layout of the vehicles. Using standard sizes is going to make it easier not only on the owner but also on your own maintenance workers. And that would save money on the warranty repairs that they have to make. But I guess that is logic that they apparently don't use.
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