Jalopnik Article: Belly pan

[aspera]

Twheels would make good spare tires, no?

[aspera]

To get inside a car you open the door. The latch opens and the door pivots on hinges. To get inside the trunk you open the trunk. Same deal. To get access to the top of the engine you pop the hood. Again, hinges and a latch.

But when automakers mess around with engine bay undertrays and rear wheel skirts...they use a bunch of tiny screws, plastic rivits, and Christmas tree fasteners. Why!?!

[tjts1]

Have you ever had to remove a belly pan in order to change the oil filter? Those little plastic screws make life a whole lot easier.

[aspera]

Yeah, those little fasteners are easy to lose. Why do they make them black? Yellow or orange would be nice. But imagine if you had to remove a bunch of plastic screws to open the driver's side door. Nothing is easier than some hinges and a latch.

I had a really nice Primitive Racing 1/4" aluminum skidplate on my WRX, but it was a real pain in the @$$ to remove for service.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by aspera

To get inside a car you open the door. The latch opens and the door pivots on hinges. To get inside the trunk you open the trunk. Same deal. To get access to the top of the engine you pop the hood. Again, hinges and a latch.

But when automakers mess around with engine bay undertrays and rear wheel skirts...they use a bunch of tiny screws, plastic rivits, and Christmas tree fasteners. Why!?!

cuz the ground is in the way?

[RobertSmalls]

That, and how often do you need to access the exhaust, fuel tank, or brake lines? Never in the first 10 years of the car's life, hopefully.

The underside of the engine bay needs to be a little bit accessible, but things like oil filter doors are common.

[aspera]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

cuz the ground is in the way?

Solution A: Use a lift.
Solution B: Use hinge pins so the whole door can be removed.

[Frank Lee]

Then the lift would be in the way.

Manufacturers want easy foolproof assembly, no rattles in operation, and cheap.

[aspera]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

That, and how often do you need to access the exhaust, fuel tank, or brake lines? Never in the first 10 years of the car's life, hopefully.

The underside of the engine bay needs to be a little bit accessible, but things like oil filter doors are common.

People that don't modify their cars don't need to access the exhaust, fuel tank, brake lines, etc. (Brake lines and fuel lines should be routed inside the car as Subaru does, btw.) But people that want to upgrade their exhaust like it to be an easy mod.

Frank, are you saying that manufacturers can't make a rattle-free door? I fail to see how two hinges and a latch bolted to a panel equals an assembly that is too expensive or too tricky. Most doors on cars are foolproof...why not another one?

[Frank Lee]

If there was a demand for it they'd do it.