Well if you ever go to a brake shop and wonder...

[MTboatguy]

Why none of the mechanics have fingernails, I can tell you for a fact it is not because they bite their nails! I have to wonder what the hell some of these engineers were thinking when they designed this stuff!

 

[Tnstratofam]

Thsy design them to last just until you're supposed to trade it in on a new one. You know 3 to 4 years. Unless you're like me and keep everything until all the parts are obsolete, and turned to dust like most of my CJ7 is becoming:facepalm:.

 

[MTboatguy]

I sold my CJ-7 long ago, but this darned 30 year old truck is being a pain, I can't for the life of me, understand why they designed of this stuff the way they did!

 

[Limited-Time]

I sold my CJ-7 long ago, but this darned 30 year old truck is being a pain, I can't for the life of me, understand why they designed of this stuff the way they did!

Because they knew they would never have to service it!!!!

 

[WIMUSKY]

Every 30k miles I need to change brakes in my daughters Charger..... I can't keep rear brakes in it. I swear they're making vehicles with "less" quality......

 

[gm280]

Every 30k miles I need to change brakes in my daughters Charger..... I can't keep rear brakes in it. I swear they're making vehicles with "less" quality......

Obviously with more and more electronic gadgetry they are telling us we need, the electronics is going to be the huge issue with this generations of vehicles being built these days. Think about all the computer gadgetry they are putting in vehicles these days. Now remember if only one transistor in one of those microcontrollers or processor gives out, that entire circuit is trashed. And just think how much that is going to cost.. I'll take older mechanical designed things any day... I know absolutely what it takes to reverse engineer microcontroller programs and such, and I can say it isn't for the faint of heart to decompile such code... So the easy garage fixes are over... :facepalm:

 

[Scott Danforth]

for what its worth, I just helped a friend get his 1946 Chevrolet sedan running. was a barn find last registered in 1979. filed points, put a boat fuel tank in the trunk (as the fuel tank had long since rusted away), changed oil, and had it running in about 2 hours of fiddling. and the brakes still functioned. (yes, they are on the list of things to be gone thru)

lets see one of todays cars sit for 35+ years and try to be started, much less driven around a block.

 

[mla2ofus]

The gas mileage is nice and all the bells and whistles are great, but they are just more to go wrong down the road and they will leave you standing on the side of said road!!
Mike

 

[bruceb58]

I know absolutely what it takes to reverse engineer microcontroller programs and such, and I can say it isn't for the faint of heart to decompile such code..

Ha...good luck with that with an engine ECM.

 

[Boomyal]

....... but they are just more to go wrong down the road ........

...with no factory support or replacement parts. The Wife just traded in her 2005 Lincoln LS. It was a beautiful car with only 59K miles on it. It was like new, inside and out. As diagnosed by the dealer, the backup parking assist module died and Ford had abandoned the car. The part was NLA and there were no aftermarket replacements or no sources of repair. It is really disgusting.

 

[MTboatguy]

...with no factory support or replacement parts. The Wife just traded in her 2005 Lincoln LS. It was a beautiful car with only 59K miles on it. It was like new, inside and out. As diagnosed by the dealer, the backup parking assist module died and Ford had abandoned the car. The part was NLA and there were no aftermarket replacements or no sources of repair. It is really disgusting.

Actually Boom there are quite a few of those on ebay, all with guarantees and ebay buyers protection program in place.

 

[dingbat]

I really miss the reliability of vehicles made 30-40 years ago. So much so I've almost forgot how to adjust points on the side of the road....lol

 

[Boomyal]

Actually Boom there are quite a few of those on ebay, all with guarantees and ebay buyers protection program in place.

I saw some used ones MT. Had it been a hobby car I might have gone for one. But this was the Mrs's primary driver and if used stuff was all that was available today, what would it be like when the next system failed. I worked in the Toyota Parts system. They did not abandon cars like Ford did the Lincoln.

 

[MTboatguy]

Well Boom, I own 6 vehicles some of them abandoned and if it were not for ebay, I would not be driving them. Jus Saying.

But just to add, this thread was not really supposed to be a serious discussion on what car companies do, because we really have no control over it, it was simply a bit of frustration I was expressing over putting a set of odd ball brakes back together!