Japanese vs. German engineering

[Robert K]

Well, the last 24 hours have been tough in regards to auto repairs. I started at about 10:30 last night replacing the valve cover gaskets on my wife's '97 V-6 Camry. Yep, that's right, a front wheel drive vehicle with a V-6. We've had the car for about 6 years and have loved it. But working on that V-6 is something I dread. I had to pull the upper intake and throttle body to access the back valve cover. Then, I had to fight a wiring harness that was secured to the back valve cover before even thinking about taking it off. In the end, I probably had about 6-7 hours into the job. The verdict is stil out as to whether this is going to cure the oil leak we've had. Anyway, there just didn't seem to be anything that was easy to access on that engine. Drove me nuts.

After finishing it, I decided since I was filthy anyway, I might as well put the new transmission mounts in my 1991 535i. Put about 6 inches worth of wood or ramps under each tire to get the necessary clearance. I had to lower the exhaust system, but here's where German engineers outclass the Japanese engineers...THEY ACTUALLY FIGURE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO WORK ON THE CAR!!!. At the exhaust headers, the bolts holding the pipes are spring loaded. Not only that, but there's a flexible portion on one of the pipes. Why is it this way? Because you can lower the exhaust to work on the car without having to take it completely off. Ingenious! Once I had the exhaust down, I began work on the trans mounts. Quarters were a bit tight there and I thought it was going to be difficult to remove the nuts holding the mounts to the trans. But guess what, rather than having holes in the trans, they had slots. All I had to do was loosen the nuts a turn of two, and the old trans mounts slid out, proving once again that those brilliant German engineers think of everything. After working on both cars in the same day, I've decided that Japanese car engineers need to vacation in German car factories to learn how to design stuff properly.

P.S. I actually replaced the engine mounts and trans mounts. I did the engine mounts a couple of days ago and noticed a big improvement in vibration reduction. If your mounts are old or original, you might think about changing them.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

I had the same kind of experiances with my other cars....the guy who designed the car never expected it to be serviced, or ever considered the mechanic who had to work on it.

It seems that BMW expected the cars to be serviced and made production choices to enable straight forward work.

I love it...

[LunatiC]

The Japanese have an engineering division???

The Camry is the biggest selling car here in Australia, so everyone pretty much knows what they're getting -- and if anything goes wrong, hey they'll just pass it over to their friendly Toyota dealer and get them to sort it out.

What's rather interesting is that Toyota (at least here in Australia) are putting a cap on their service -- $150-odd is the maximum you'll pay. I guess it wouldn't cover things like replacing valve cover gaskets.

My sister owns a 1993 Ford Telstar (a rebadged Mazda 626) and it's the same deal -- okay it's not a V6, just a straight-4, but opening the bonnet and having a look is a nightmare. Don't drop a bolt anywhere in there, you will never see it again.

[hk20000]

It's funny how you guys say that.

Go and replace oil on a Porsche.

then go and replace oil on a Honda S2000.

[E34 530]

Yeah, but the Camry will only break once in those 7 years while the BMW will break twice in the same weak, that's why everything is so easy to get to.

[hk20000]

the FF V6 layout is not a good idea to start with, though. But what can they do if those layouts tend to sell like hotcakes. Especially when they are also cheaper than V6 FR to build.

The biggest problem with that V6 is that the engine is rotated so that one bank is facing you - that's easy - and another bank is facing the firewall.

my friend's 1994 Lexus ES300 had the same problem - leak at the inner bank valve cover - and lexus' advice is "don't touch it, it's not like the car will stop running with a small leak like that anyway" - and fixing it costs 500 dollars or so.

[bigtisas]

My 93 Toyota MR2 is still using the original thermostat, radiator, AC, starter, spark plug wires...in fact EVERYTHING is original except tires, clutch, filters and the 5-year old spark plugs. It starts right up every morning. Never overheat or breakdown once.

Yes, servicibility e34 is better. But for reliability, MR2 wins. That said, I don't not want to own a Toyota Camry. It's just a boring car.

[repenttokyo]

keep in mind you are comparing how easy it is to work on a longitudally mounted engine versus a transverse engine....apples and oranges.

[Guapo]

valve covers? pfft ...

[markus]

meh, work on chryslers and fords. the E34 is a dream to work on. even with the V8.