This is why I hate new cars.

[Tnwagn]

If the man does it........ it HAS to be bad.

[owequitit]

I definitely can't afford an LS at 19, but one of my major dislikes about almost all new cars is all the plastic in the engine bay. I just don't like the direction auto makers are going making everything harder to work on and easier for people that know jack squat about cars to fill their washer reservoir.

Why? One of the nice things about new cars is that you don't have to work on them, because they don't break...

If it does break, it is under warranty for a period of 3-10 years, so you still don't care because you don't have to deal with it. After that, if it does break, and you still have it, it takes about 5 minutes to remove them.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40656037/ns/business-autos/

Because apparently Honda has lost its edge.

Acura has had a hard time defining it's image.

So that explains why they would even bother offering one with covering and one without when it is the same exact thing(almost).

Seriously? Come on dude, use your brain and don't believe everything you read in the stupid news. Half the time they only have half the facts correct anyway. Other than the controversial styling, the new Acuras are actually pretty fucking badass, especially the TL SH-AWD which handles like it is on rails and runs in the 13's with a manual. And it still gets MPG almost as good as a stock CB7.

As for that being the reason for engine covers on the TL, wrong. According to Acura's engineering team, they were pleased that the last TL was complimented several times for not using engine covers to make it good, and that the J series looked like a real and serious engine without them, instead of being a rat's nest of hoses and tubes (ever seen a IS-F with the engine cover off?) So Acura decided to frame the engine to make it a little more attractive, and more the center of attention in the engine bay. Notice that the engine bay is surrounded, but the engine is bare? That is why. It has nothing to do with them struggling for an identity, or them being stupid enough to think that framing the bay would suddenly make them luxurious. They did it to be different from everyone covering the engine in plastic. It was one of those "it would be cool if we did this" moments, nothing more.

I really feel sorry for the TL's engineering team, because under the nose that nobody can seem to get passed, the car is pretty fantastic. Take the "awesome" last gen TL-S 6MT, and put it on a track with the TL SH-AWD 6MT and watch it rape the shit out of the last car.

With the Accord, it doesn't matter. They put the little plastic cover over the front, because it allows them to advertise i-VTEC and VCM while hiding a few wires. I can assure you that other than the one plastic cover on the front of the engine, there are no others in that bay.

Well i wasn't posting it to claim you were off, i was agreeing that i don't see the point of having the covers for one and not the other.

The article imo is on point.

The sales numbers are there...whether you choose to believe them or not is up to you but traditionally Honda does fare well in worse times then in good times...mainly because obv they are a a car company based around economy so when the v8 Expedition isn't economical everyone turns to Honda.

While i do like most of the newer models they do lack the edge Honda was traditionally known for.

While they still contain the tech and economy Honda is kwown for they are just not that different from the rest of the market.

Everything seems to be becoming "cookie cutter".

The Odyssey on the other hand looks like it has promise which that article notes, and i agree that the 11 Civic will show us which direction Honda plans to head in.

This is the biggest BS I have heard yet. "They are like old Hondas, but they aren't..." WTF? Either they are, or they aren't. That said, if Honda built a CB7 today, they would be flamed endlessly for having a car that was loud, rough, unrefined and unsafe with no features. People are fucking stupid. They want an isolation box, and then they want it to drive like it isn't isolated. WTF? And Honda is less like the competition, because if you study history, the competition was tired of Honda and Toyota commanding well over 50% of the market, so they started to make their cars more like the Accord. Taurus vs Fusion. Celebrity vs Malibu. Stanza vs Altima. Sonata and Optima. They have all become more "Hondalike" over the years.

That said, just wait for the next 2-3 years, because Honda is in the midst of a major redefining shift.

As for engine covers, if you want to drive an old crapper because it doesn't have covers, go for it. But consider the noise and cleanliness benefits. All you have to do is wipe down the covers and Voila' clean engine appearance.

[Extacee]

I really don't get why you complain about engine covers, yeah they get in they way but you don't hear mechanics complaining (yet) do you?

meh at least no tech at my job seems to complain about all the Lexus cars they work on.

[sikz6]

i'm not a big fan of the plastic covers, but i can't imagine it being that hard to take them off to work on your car.

[Raf99]

Good points. IMO I like to see the engine and wires no matter what make/model/year the car. Show me the guts! ..... I'm a man, I like to see how things work

[h22sparkle]

The only plastic covers I have ever encountered were attached via simple clips, push tabs, and bolts.

The reason they have them is because the kind of person that is going to purchase a $30,000 car most likely doesn't care to see the inner workings of the vehicle. If a dealer pops the hood and all the 9-5 banker sees is a sweet valve cover and the plastic covers he thinks, "Oh, this looks like it's very simple." Like said before, it also prevents them from destroying their car by putting the wrong fluids in the wrong areas. It's simple preventative design.

The cost of the extra plastic is insignificant in relation to the overall cost of the car.

Also, if you consider taking off plastic engine covers a serious inconvenience to working on your car you are one lazy fuck.

true

[h22sparkle]

Mercedes have the free road side assistance, better than triple A. Unless it was an old Mercedes and in that case they don't count.



Ask your parents and people who are looking to buy new cars and ask them engine components. See if they know or give a shit

If taking off a few covers is making everything that much harder than maybe those people shouldn't be working on cars anyways. Cause having the experience and knowledge to do engine swaps and engine rebuilt a few simple plastic covers ain't got nothing on me.

Or maybe I'm not thinking as a simple lube tech.

definitely correct on that

[br0nx finest]

I keep saying this, I wish Honda would make a brand new CB7 styled Accord.

Everything just made so much sense in 92-93 Accords, dash/buttons, feeling, visibility, highway merging, comfort. I will find another minty fresh time capsuled Accord to drive forever.

But the one thing that changes as technology improves is NVH, all these new cars you can hear a pin drop inside. Not my old Accord. But then again I'm young and have no kids, so I don't give a rats ass.

[JohnD1079]

it honestly sounds the like "the bulk" of you guys that "hate new cars" is because you guys cant afford it. Not pointing or calling anyone out, its just that the "reasons" are soo fucking stupid. A person buy's a car so they can drive it, not sit in the driveway/garage getting worked on.

[rexload]

I like the covers,
if you are buying a car to start modding it right away, it will take MAYBE 15min at the most to take those covers off and put them in your attic. problem solved.
If somebody made some aluminum covers for my integra chassis that would cover everything around the engine, I would buy them in a heartbeat!