Manufacturers should....

[Shorty]

have a day when you line up all the engineers, and let the mechanics who have to work on their machinery come  and give them a good punch in the nose. 

[ITSec]

And the following day, owners who do their own wrenching get to do the same!

[normzone]

Oh my ... I work in the manufacturing world, as a QA guy.

I'm not saying I know anybody who does this, but I've heard a story, you know, unverified and all that, about some service where for a reasonable price, delivered to a certain cut-out, you can get an engineer bushwhacked. Nothing too serious, I don't think they go past the baseball bat point.

[oldbike54]

 Been working on a 4 cylinder motorbike Larry ? 

 Dusty

[Shorty]

Been working on a 4 cylinder motorbike Larry ? 

 Dusty

Oil pressure sending unit on Bonneville. Had to (gasp) call wife  to garage to fit her little hands in between the carbs to install a screw. But only after raising doubts about the parentage and sexual preferences of the designers. If another one breaks, I'll need to design a tool. Then forget where I put it. With more ranting to follow.

[oldbike54]

 At least it is a Brit , try putting the carb on a shovelhead branch manifold . There should be enough room , but there isn't 

 Dusty

[Penderic]

Now I feel really sorry for those poor guys on the Moto Guzzi Assembly Line that have to install all those tricky bits.

Poor Luigi! 


They probably had to use all the grease, at the end of the day, to help him get pried out of the last working position!

[nc43bsa]

have a day when you line up all the engineers, and let the mechanics who have to work on their machinery come  and give them a good punch in the nose. 

My punch would be aimed much, much lower.

[rodekyll]

Oh my ... I work in the manufacturing world, as a QA guy.

I'm not saying I know anybody who does this, but I've heard a story, you know, unverified and all that, about some service where for a reasonable price, delivered to a certain cut-out, you can get an engineer bushwhacked. Nothing too serious, I don't think they go past the baseball bat point.

Al or ash?



Mfgrs should build for the environment their product will be used.  Every time a windshield hazes from sunlight, a bolt vibrates loose, a tank gets zits from fuel, dashboard, oil sender, starter dies from water intrusion, (list goes on) the mfgr has failed to consider how their product is used and build for the environment.  How completely stupid is it to have a motorcycle that's allergic to weather?

[ITSec]

Mfgrs should build for the environment their product will be used...  How completely stupid is it to have a motorcycle that's allergic to weather?

Well, how about the MGB's famous windshield wipers that worked absolutely perfectly - until it started raining? 

[rodekyll]

 . . . or any vacuum-based propulsion system on an auto.  Remember vacuum wipers?  The same engineer invented the guzzi relay problem. 

"hey, guys, looky here -- I invented the relay with no sealing that lets the water in.  Not only can we make this cheaper than a sensible one, we'll sell a TON on the repair market!"

[acogoff]

     I would make the company bean counters stand somewhere in that line to be punched as they tend to be at the root of a lot of problems too.

[Two Checks]

Just make em have to repair the stuff they design.

[normzone]

Yeah, it's called design crime, and the answer is creative sentencing.

Example from the previous century, whoever is responsible for EVERYTHING mounting to the waterpump on some Chrysler products should have to spend his weekends changing waterpumps for the cost of parts only.

[sbaker]

After that... EVERYONE get to punch the EPA, DOT, EU regulators in the nose....

[oldbike54]

After that... EVERYONE get to punch the EPA, DOT, EU regulators in the nose....

 Sam , we already have a political thread for that discussion .

 Dusty

[ohiorider]

. . . or any vacuum-based propulsion system on an auto.  Remember vacuum wipers?  The same engineer invented the guzzi relay problem. 

"hey, guys, looky here -- I invented the relay with no sealing that lets the water in.  Not only can we make this cheaper than a sensible one, we'll sell a TON on the repair market!"

I recall the vacuum wipers on my dad's '52 Pontiac were driven by a vacuum motor that was powered by intake manifold vacuum.  Go to pass another car with the pedal to the floor, and the wipers would nearly come to a stop.  The last family car with vacuum wipers was a '57 Buick Century.  However it had a vacuum reservoir that would keep the wipers running most of the time.  Thanks for the memory!

[charlie b]

Two stories from engineers (and yes I am one too  :) ).

Xerox in the 70's.  Engineer noticed a few changes he could make for better reliability.  Sends them up the chain.  No answer.  So, he asks the CEO at the next board meeting.  The answer was, 'Xerox is recognized worldwide by it's excellent service.  That service is excellent because of the number of technicians we have in the field.  If the machines become more reliable then the technicians will no longer be needed so we'd have to close many of our service locations.  That means our reputation for excellent service would go away and we would lose sales.'  Interesting that in the decades after that other copy machine companies would surpass the sales of Xerox products.

Engineer working for the Allison automotive transmission group.  One of his projects.  Find a way to make a retaining clip cost less (as in pennies).  It was a circlip.  'Easy' tin install/replace.  So, he designed a single wire retainer.  Installation was simple with a special tool he also designed for the assembly line.  When he asked about maintenance of said item (requiring another special tool) he was told not to worry about it, that's another business unit and doesn't affect our profit reports.  So, automatic transmission repair shops will be complaining about his work for decades, all because of a few pennies saved.  Before he left the company they did a third redesign and made the retainer a plastic clip.  As far as he could tell it could not be installed in the field at all.

So, before blaming an engineer be sure you are chasing the person who is really responsible.  :)

[ITSec]

So, before blaming an engineer be sure you are chasing the person who is really responsible.  :)

I have always said engineers out to be treated like members of the military, subject to an equivalent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

That way, when they get an 'unlawful' order from the bean counters, product managers or company leadership, they'd be obliged to disobey!

[guzzisteve]

They should also pay the real labor minutes, not some made up BS buy beancounters cause of rates @ $100 per so your bill will be acceptable.
Real glad to give up the Guzzi Wrench trade at this time. I don't want to be an Audio tech or figure out which of the 3 or 4 ECU's has a hiccup.
Who in the hell engineered the Cali14, a Goldwing tech from the 80's.  Rant over

[charlie b]

I have always said engineers out to be treated like members of the military, subject to an equivalent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

That way, when they get an 'unlawful' order from the bean counters, product managers or company leadership, they'd be obliged to disobey!

But...that means nothing would ever get produced.  Cause everyone knows an engineer is never satisfied with the current version :)