Aircooled VW South Africa

Just remember there are highly respected companies that also carefully design in faults into otherwise items so that this item should fail and be replaced.
Lots of OEM computers have cirquits that are there not to work but to confuse.
My otherwise excellent Audi a4 has a few of those known problems
1 waternecks that break at 160000 km and costs 3000 RAND AT THE AGENT TO REPLACE FOR A R165 PART why should a simple 10gram flange have this built in failure mode. (i had the same part fail in 3 1.8 t engines at roughly the same mileage
Why would timing belts on these engines fail but rarely on the other engines in the VW range (they start talking to you at R18000) Why do these things fail? the automatic tensioner doesnt have enough travel.
lastly tie rod ends wear out on new VWs but rarely on the older ones
Lastly the strainer on these engines are the size of a peanut and they clog up at 12000 km yet again costing the engine or the very least the head due to oil starvation.
Guess who spent 2 extremely frustrating days changing the current Audi's water flange
Armand

Must agree with Armand, Was nearly fired for over developing a battery, as it would have lasted too long, spent more money redeveloping it, to make it fail then it cost to develop it in the 1st place. was given the "target " of 18 months, as this was "safe" for the company.
Peugeot nearly went out of business because the 404 was too good....

If you get a new electronic product with a years guarantee, it will last 18 months. Yet you buy one with a 5 year guarantee, it will last 5 years and 6 months.

Herman

Sorry to hear Rui!
And now I have the engine that was in your bus before! Hope it doesn't have the same problem, but at least this one is well tested

Reminds me of my tumble dryer... It quit on me, I was desperate, went and bought a new one, couple day later the repair guys comes in, say: "It's the 1000hr fuse." I says, "The WHAT?!" "Yes", he says, "the 1000hr fuse. They build it in so your tumble dryer fails after 1000 hours and you either take it in for repair, or you buy a new one out of despair and desperation." So he says "I'll put a new one in for you." I said, "Is there a safety fuse?" "Yes," he tunes, "over there," pointing at another fuse. "No thanks, then." I said, "Just bypass the 1000hr fuse." Tumble dryer is still perfect. Both of them, in fact.

Fok...

Another example is ignition coil-packs or "pencil coils". And the high voltage line output transformer used in old tv sets and computer monitors.

The insulation epoxy hardens with time and heat, and eventually cracks. Then the high voltage arcs over inside. The challenge for manufacturers is to get the composition of the epoxy to fail at the right time. Some got it wrong at one stage, and these failed too early. They also keep changing the shape and mounting holes to make life difficult, so that you must buy the part from the agents. Often the "pencil coil assembly" is a 1 piece part spaced to fit the individual engine type. And if one coil fail, you must buy the complete assembly. There is no reason for them to be as expensive as they are.

On the other hand, many old German Bosch oil filled 50 year old ignition coils are still working as good as they were the day they were made.

It is really a fact that stuff these days are made to break. We had a Frigidaire fridge, - build be General Motors in USA.

My dad inherited it from his mom, I grew up with it, it worked and worked and worked and worked ad nauseum.....

It finally gave some issues with one of the relays assemblies, and no parts could be found, it was more than 50 years old, YES I SAID 50 years old, ORIGINAL motor, even still had the original rubber door seals, allthough it was tired, had the gas replaced once in its lifetime....

Now Frigidaire does not exist anymore.

Golfmad wrote:It is really a fact that stuff these days are made to break. We had a Frigidaire fridge, - build be General Motors in USA.

My dad inherited it from his mom, I grew up with it, it worked and worked and worked and worked ad nauseum.....

It finally gave some issues with one of the relays assemblies, and no parts could be found, it was more than 50 years old, YES I SAID 50 years old, ORIGINAL motor, even still had the original rubber door seals, allthough it was tired, had the gas replaced once in its lifetime....

Now Frigidaire does not exist anymore.

 

My father bought my mother a Bosch fridge when I was born. Still running, NEVER been gassed, and I'm turning 50 very soon. Like... now-now...

Bosch is still in business, and they still make quality stuff.

Never under estimate, or over estimate stuff...

I do agree that the quality is not as good in some ways than in the past. But other things have improved - I read yesterday that Isuzu in the UK has extended their warranty to 120 000 miles, quite impressive.

I don't agree that most things are deliberately built to break, I think that often it's just economical to build to a certain standard.

Golfmad wrote:Now Frigidaire does not exist anymore.

Not as a completely independent company, but then which company is these days? It was sold by General Motors to Electrolux and is still making various award=winning products: http://www.frigidaire.com/

All I'm saying is planned obsolescence... Had to study that in design, and was developed due to capitalism and profits.