A friend of mine, some years back, was loading papers into his car near another paper carrier’s car. (He was, as you probably guessed, a ‘paperboy.’) He slipped and hit the drivers side mirror of the other man’s car. It snapped off. He agreed to replace it and started hunting for one. At the dealership, they wanted $200. At the parts store they wanted $175. The car owner started bugging him for $150 cash. His brother went to a discount parts store and bought a matching generic for $25!!! They gave it to the guy and all was well.
Automobile makers have us by the short hairs. They have the congress in their pockets. They cry poor mouth but last year the big three showed profits of over three billion! They will continue to screw us so long as we put up with it. We still have a major amount of people who foolishly [1] lease cars, [2] buy a new car every year, [3] put up with car dealers screwing them, and [4] put up with flaws built into cars (called redesigning for crush zones and safety but actually to save money on materials).
I drive older cars and I drive them for 4 and 5 years at a time. I make use of my local junk yards when I need basic parts and discount auto stores when I need major ones. (Did you know that when you buy a car starter you are always buying a rebuilt one? Most come with something like a lifetime warranty – but lately, due to poor rebuilding work, most suppliers are trying to change the guarantee. To make more money, those who handle old starters are sending them overseas to be rebuilt now and getting cheaper, inferior work back. However, they still charge the outlets the same price.)
Did you know that car companies built in costly repairs to some of your cars? Dodge produced a pick up truck with a plastic part in the carb that broke quickly - the replacement is machined steel. The 1967 Pontiac GTO had a nylon toothed timing gear which came apart at 64,000 miles, and not only screwed things up but dumped plastic grit into the oil. Since the driver would try to restart the engine several times and it might actually fire a bit, this grit got pumped all around the oil ports and melted, requiring the engine to be broken down and rodded out. The replacement timing gear was machined steel. The 1994 Ford cargo van had a front end that flies could knock out. It was nearly impossible to keep it in alignment. It also had an air conditioner blower that would burn out right about the time the warranty went and the a/c switch on the dash could overheat and fuse into junk.
You think these things weren’t known before the vehicles were sold? Do you still believe in Santa Claus? Ask where the reinforced crash bars in car doors went? Ask why a 52 Ford could roll down a hill and barely dent the top but today’s safer cars mash flat?
By the way - front wheel drive was thought of and used about 50 years ago and dumped as being too much trouble. You know that one big belt you’ve now got that drives everything under the hood? That’s an economy measure. Years back, it was used and abandoned because if you have two belts and one breaks, you can still drive for help without everything shutting down, plus, with a little effort, you can make an emergency belt to hold and get you to help. (Your pants belt and duct tape.) You can’t do that with one single, huge belt.
