Engineers really don’t think about maintenance Spark plugs Hemi Ram….

[gtx6970]

I didn't complain too much changing the plugs on mine. I swear everytime I pull the oil filter and it spills on the front diff and electrics though.
Not looking forward to changing the cam and lifters either. I might pull the engine out when I do that, or maybe the cab off might be easier.

I just did cam/lifters a few weeks back.. No fun is an understatement

 

[not so famous bob]

No, it isn't. Stop looking too deep into this.
The simple fact is that they were designed to be assembled quickly. Any service after the sale is a distant priority. The manufacturers know that owners have options other than the dealers so your theory on that falls apart.
Blaming "the man" is a cheap gripe.

to each his own , have mechanic friends that will call you out on that , been going on for years , wake up ...

 

[1STMP]

"The manufacturers know that owners have options other than the dealers so your theory on that falls apart."

It's usually after a new cars warranty
has expired (and at times offer
extended warranties), that drivers
refrain from working on their own
vehicles. Case in point; My new
cars manufacturer will void the
warranty if I even change my own
oil. They look for anything outside
of their recomdations to void that
warranty. They document every
required service to force drivers into
accepting their services.
And god forbid you go to Joe Smho
for an aftermarket performance tume.
Engines are tuned these days via
computer driven software to meet or
exceed EPA standards. And as a
result of the EPA getting involved,
create instances where working on
your own stuff can be rather labor
intensive. They create the mess....

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Saw this... Thought it fits the discussion perfectly..

 

[moparedtn]

Car dealers actually make most of their profits from service and parts, not from car sales.
It's always been that way; ask any honest dealer and they'll tell you as much.
Where Does the Car Dealer Make Money? | Edmunds

 

[DeltaV]

Weird, my Cummins has a grid heater.

An article came out yesterday saying the 2025 Cummins will not have a grid heater.

New Cummins Engine Drops Grid Heater, Standard-Output​

New Cummins Engine Drops Grid Heater, Standard-Output -
Excerpt1:
The bulk of the improvements are found around the new cylinder head. Cummins has removed the infamous grid heater and instead returned to glow plugs for cold weather starting. Grid heaters were added in 2003 and have proven highly efficient when it comes to warming intake air in cold weather. However, a fatal design flaw allows a nut to come loose and fall into the intake tract, thereby killing whichever cylinder it enters. Returning to glow plugs removes this potential issue while also removing restrictions in the intake air flow path. Fuel injectors and feed lines have also been moved outside the of valve cover for ease of servicing.


Excerpt2:
The engine holds 12 quarts of oil with the oil filter now being located in a more easily serviced location at the top of the engine.

 

[j-c-c-62]

I wish they made stuff simple to work on.

It's pretty simple problem to solve. Make those that design something actually be involved with dealing it in the field at some point. It's called skin in the game.

For example, toss the keys to the semi needed to be backed into the loading dock to the architect, that has located the loading dock in front of and in line with main building's transformer and water supply.

Try to remove an alternator from a V6 Tuscon without dropping the engine or having hands the size of a 5-year-old.

I owned my own company in a niche industry for decades and designed a lot of the equipment and received many compliments over the years. Why, because I was often the guy who at 2Am who had to break it down and put it into a truck with dozens of techs and drive hundreds of miles overnight. If I could save seconds on a redesign that cost hundreds of dollars, we did it.