Cars have become increasingly complex in their design and engineering over the years. This is made worse by parts or features that should never be complicated being complicated. Things like door handles, windshield wipers and headlights don’t need to be reinvented. But unfortunately, many automakers have done just that.
Last week we asked readers what they thought the most over-engineered car parts were. These were their answers.
These doors were designed by Christian von Koenigsegg himself. Instead of doors that open normally, are gullwings or even Lambo-style, the dihedral synchro-helix doors open at a 90-degree angle by opening outwards and up at the hinge point. It was designed to open high enough to avoid curbs, but still low enough that the door doesn’t hit a garage’s ceiling. Of course the hinge is stupidly complex and equally expensive: rumor is each hinge costs $40,000 to replace.
Submitted by: Ryan Pangle via Facebook
Each front seat doesn’t have 1 retractor like most cars. It has FOUR. Two for the upper and two for the lower. It works like this. When the seatbelt is not properly latched around your waist, the stronger retractor motors (1 upper and 1 lower) are engaged to pull the belts back. Once you properly buckle the belt, however, two DIFFERENT retractors are engaged that pull back with much less force and the mains are disengaged. The purpose of this is to make the belt more comfortable while you wear it, but the moment you disengage it, it can properly pull itself off you. Of course in an accident all the safety tensioners engage etc., but under normal conditions you really could feel the difference.
At this point, I would just avoid the Phaeton entirely. Jesus.
Submitted by: Peter
As they’ve become part of the whole design of the vehicle, they’re absurdly complex and expensive to replace.
Murica built some of its most beautiful cars during an era of legally-mandated standardized bulbs, so we can’t even say the move has been a progress aesthetically-wise...
Modern car headlights are extremely complex and expensive to replace, and models from premium automakers are some of the worst offenders. BMW uses Swarovski crystals in the headlights of the 7 Series, for instance.
Submitted by: Adrien Svartasmetal
Your list absolutely needs to include the W123, particularly the higher-lux models we got in the US. It’s such a great combination of over-engineered and overly complicated, with a deserved reputation for being unkillable.
The sunroof handle feels like a cleat you could tie a cruise ship off to. The doors feel like they belong to a bank vault. The throttle actuates about fifteen little actuation rods that go over and under and around and between engine components...and each has their own little adjusters and jam nuts.
The door locks and all the HVAC actuators are vacuum-operated, so one leak takes that all out.
The W123 is legendary for how bulletproof it was. That rock-solid dependability came with a cost, though: when things do break, its pricey to get one of these E-Classes fixed because of just how well the car was engineered. Even with that being said, I wouldn’t shy away from owning one.
Submitted by: Sissyfoot
The steering wheel on the 2000-2004 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Instead of a simple, removable airbag, and a center attachment bolt or nut, the airbag is fixed and built into the steering wheel. This required a gearbox to be built into the steering wheel to allow the steering wheel to be attached or removed.
To install or remove the steering wheel, you pop off a small access cover from the bottom of the wheel to access an 8mm screw. That screw connects to a worm gear that turns a bolt at the center of the steering wheel hub to attach the steering wheel.
It wouldn’t be such a big deal, but it was designed EXCLUSIVELY for the 2000 Taurus and Sable, a midcycle refresh of a family sedan that was already phoning it in at that point. The previous car had a normal, corporate Ford steering wheel and after 2004, Ford went back to a standard Ford steering wheel. It was never used again.
Even now, these steering wheels can go for over $300 for a replacement.
Submitted by: ffoc02
The last few generations of Corvette (and other cars), with power door releases. Instead of pulling or lifting a hinged, mechanical door handle, you press your fingers into a rubber pad that then electrically releases the door latch. What happens when your battery dies, presuming the car’s hood release is inside the car? What was wrong with just pulling a mechanical handle to open the door?
Ever since the C6 generation, the Corvette (and its Cadillac XLR sibling) has used electronic door releases. Instead of a handle to open the door, you press a button. Many have wondered just how the hell you open the door if the car suffers a power loss — inside, there is an emergency door release on the floor near the driver.
Submitted by: namesakeone
Jamming 3 different types of tech inside a 4 cyl engine. What could go wrong?!
The complexity of Volvo’s T8 engine doesn’t get talked about enough. Volvo took a 2.0-liter 16-valve inline-4 and threw both a supercharger and turbocharger on it. From there, it took a 46-hp electric motor and sandwiched it between the engine and 8-speed automatic. Another 87-hp AC motor was placed on the driveshaft of the Haldex all-wheel-drive system, and this all is connected to a 9.2-kWh battery pack. The result is 400 total horsepower and 13 miles of electric driving range thanks to the PHEV system. And it’s expensive, costing over $18,000 more than a standard XC90 when it first came out.
Submitted by: Rollk1
The lock works by a motor, wired to the fuses and controls through the door and roof. So far so good, but this motor doesn’t move lock parts - it operates a mechanical toggle that moves a control rod that runs down most of the door to a separate toggle that moves a gear reduction assembly at the bottom of the door where the lock is.
By not having the motor down at the lock, they add 3-4 additional points of failure. All of these parts need to be lubricated, and they aren’t in sealed channels so that lubricant dries out. They’re mostly plastic, so they can warp and break. And the motor itself is prone to slow breakdown rather than catastrophic failure, so if your hatch lock no longer works, it can be very unclear whether the motor is too weak or the other parts are sticking.
To top it off, there is no manual switch for the lock inside the car, so if this whole system dies, you need to remove the cladding from the inside of the hatch to work the bottom toggle manually.
I had no idea such a basic minivan would have such a complicated lock.
Submitted by: Rayce Archer
The Pirelli Cyber Tire tire-monitoring technology found on the Artura. A 10 gram sensor sits on the inside of the tire’s tread and communicates with the car real-time with information like tire temperature and air pressure and can be adjusted for track conditions. It also works with driving assistance systems to improve safety, comfort, and performance.
The tires for this thing are so exclusive I couldn’t even find out how much it costs to replace them.
Submitted by: 900turbo
The Audi 4.2-liter V8 timing chains complexity is notorious. Whats worse, the chain is at the back of the engine, meaning you have to remove it before you can even reach the chain. It’s just a nope of an engine.