Agreed. It's not that difficult to drop the tank; even this old guy did his own on jackstands in the home garage.
Let's discuss.
As a fellow older guy (I'll be 66 this summer) I recall GM providing fuel pump access panels in trunks or under rear seats in some of their vehicles along with other domestic and foreign manufacturers. Several older Volvo, BMW, Toyotas and newer Jeep Cherokee also pop up in a Google query. What I view as an omission from GM became a vehicle enhancement to reintroduce.
I'd previously posted here on TYF the desire to create a factory looking access panel under the Tahoe's rear seat to replicate the parts servicing mentality GM exercised in the past. The intent was to remove a stamped floor section from a Tahoe being parted out, give it a final shape, match the paint color and then cut a smaller opening in my floor for the panel to cover. Done correctly, adding a fuel pump access panel improves upon the vehicle's serviceability. Plus, hanging around aircraft mechanics will have you considering parts replacement intervals before assessing a part's average life expectancy. I prefer proactive to reactive whenever possible.
My only disappointment is not creating the panel before actually needing it to replace the fuel pump. Although having already bought the pump, filter and regulator with the intent of replacement before failure, a hidden scar now sits where a fancy pants access panel should exist.
Having shared what I consider pros, cons would be sloppy work, ill advised methods, poor safety precautions and just being cheap. In those instances I agree 100% with
@ScottyBoy and
@Fless
My wife thinks I may still create and install a legit access panel. She may be right.
