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Technical Editor Paul Rako looks at analog technology in power supplies, interface, the signal path, and life in general.

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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Plastic junk you can’t fix

Sad article in the Christian Science Monitor about a vacuum cleaner repairman that is closing shop since all the new vacuums are plastic junk that can’t be fixed. Some sad quotes:

"You can't fix half the new vacs," he says. "Everything's plastic now, even the lever that releases the handle that you have to step on every day.... They snap off. By the time I order the parts and charge labor to repair it, you don't want to do it. I'm just waiting for them to tell me they can't fix my car someday!"

And check out the vacuum cleaner museum link mentioned in the article. Sigh, People think I am stupid for riding 45-year-old Harleys. Well I can get cheap parts for every piece of it. I had my 92 Honda Accord electric window go out and the dealer just told me it was 362 dollars for the window regulator and 242 for labor. Total to get my window to close: $604 dollars. Plus tax. It mind as well be un-repairable. The “someday” that fellow fears is a lot closer then he realizes.

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at 3/5/2008 11:24:27 AM, Meredith Poor said:
A number of there recent web pages are rendering improperly, at least on my browser. As far as vacuums go, pretty soon you won't be able to buy replacement bags, you'll simply throw out the "full" cleaner.

at 3/7/2008 10:31:45 AM, Moe Rubenzahl said:
There are two points here with which I disagree. First is about repairability. I heard a pretty smart guy say once (actually, numerous times) that cost is a good measure for whether an energy-efficiency technology makes sense. (e.g. "Non-technical people seem to object when I point out that for a technology to be really green it has to cost less.") Why would the same argument not apply here? It seems a shame when something costs more to repair than it would be to buy a new one, but most appliances are pretty old before they ever need repair. In general, they last longer, require fewer repairs, and in real dollars, are less and less expensive to buy. Repair is an inefficient activity. Economically -- and, I will argue, in terms of resources -- it is better to lower cost of production and extend reliability such that repair becomes less and less necessary (and along the way, less viable). Second is about plastic parts. I remember in the late 1960s when photographers were going nuts over plastic camera bodies. The arguments were mostly subjective and mostly wrong. Over time, plastic won. Vacuum cleaners are, on the whole, pretty reliable and I really question the sweeping judgement that plastic parts are junk.

at 3/11/2008 1:56:37 PM, Kyle B. said:
Manufactures will always do whatever is in their own best interest. So long as people buy based on price alone, then they'll make the cheapest stuff possible. If the day comes that people buy based on quality and manufacturer reliability records, then the tide may turn. But my own 'studies' of the human mindset indicate this probably will never happen. However, if we start to follow EU's lead in mandating recyleability, you might see stuff that's easier to disassemble. And if you own a Honda, you have to expect to pay through the nose for parts. I bought a window regulator for my Ford a year ago... $55 and I installed it myself in an hour. Doing that, I was stunned at how easily the door panel came off. What a change from all the others I've worked on!!! The Honda pieces probably last longer, but boy do you get raped when they finally do go.

at 3/11/2008 1:58:03 PM, NZG said:
Repair is an inefficent activity if you pay someone else to do it, but if you do it yourself it's probably still worthwhile. Usable vacuum cleaners are not THAT cheap yet. Throwing out your appliances every 2 years is not green, I don't care how cheap it is. You get what you pay for, if you buy the cheapest VAC/car/bike on the market, then yes it will probably be made of little plastic pieces that cannot be fixed, but there are nicer, more expensive, options if you want to make a commitment to your purchase. The comparison of a Harley to an Accord is a good example of this.

at 3/11/2008 2:05:19 PM, Larry M said:
Kyle B. wrote "Manufactures will always do whatever is in their own best interest. So long as people buy based on price alone, then they'll make the cheapest stuff possible. If the day comes that people buy based on quality and manufacturer reliability records, then the tide may turn." Ummm, people are buying based on quality and reliability. Why do you think Toyota is kicking Detroit butt?

at 3/11/2008 2:28:02 PM, Fuzzcomaniac said:
I'm with Kyle in not believing that the Big Guys running manufacturing operations from behind the Big Mahogany Desks have my best interests at heart. Take for example the handle release on my rather expensive Simplicity plastic vacuum. This part (and where it catches on the motor housing) is one of the most likely to fail of any part on the vacuum, yet it appears to have been 'FEA Analyzed' to the point where the maximum amount of plastic was saved at the cost of it prematurely failing. I'll soon be replacing it again. BTW, I do own a Honda, and Larry M, I think that cars are more likely to be chosen based on perceived longevity than normal consumer items like vacuum cleaners.

at 3/11/2008 2:45:35 PM, W17053 said:
Quality repair parts for cars can be found through Cardone Industries (www.cardone.com), and are available (re-boxed) through many name brand retailers. I bet the regulator can be purchased re-furbished for much less than the dealer. They believe in quality. Do it yourself and save (including replacing the motor in a vacuum cleaner for $40 vs. $300 for new)

at 3/11/2008 3:20:21 PM, PaulR said:
The problem is, appliances are NOT holding up better. Not in my experience, anyway.

at 3/11/2008 7:57:02 PM, Paul Perry said:
I repair anything that I have built, for free. It encourages me to get it right. But I'm sorry to say, most manufacturers now look on servicing & repair as a "profit centre". So far as vacuum cleaners go, I use a broom. maybe I'll upgrade to a carpet sweeper one day.

at 3/12/2008 4:14:37 AM, Scunnerous said:
Dunno where his dealer got $362. for a window regulator - according to HondaAutomotiveparts.com a regulator for a front door power window can be had for $52.44 plus shipping and has a list of $74.92... genuine parts. Sounds like the usual dealer gouge: just replace everything in sight, including the motor which would be the usual point of failure. In my experience nothing needs to be replaced - the glass falls off the regulator bar because the nuts came of the studs round about that model year. As for plastic engineering, it can be done right and.....

at 3/12/2008 4:57:23 AM, Paul Rako said:
Touche Moe Rubenzahl, touche. All I can say is hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue. That, and consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. OK, seriously your are very right and very perceptive. If what I am saying is that you should spend way more initially and then suffer that opportunity cost rather than just replace the cheap broken thing, you are right-- I am being emotional and I am wrong. I would like to think that the total cost including time-adjusted opportunity cost and repair cost would be less over the total life of a good old-fashioned vacuum. Thanks for paying attention and thanks for calling me out-- if those Harley's of mine cost a lot more to buy than a Honda they may not be the most cost effective. You got me thinking.

at 3/12/2008 10:36:06 AM, PasadenaDave said:
When my car failed smog test awhile ago, the dealer, which had always before been very honest in their charges, said the carbureator was bad, and would cost $1250 to replace. Off to a Honda repair shop which specializes in Honda smog problems, and after they replaced 3 "o" rings (throttle and base) the car passed smog testing fine. Cost? $100. We have indeed reached the throw-away age.

at 3/12/2008 10:36:22 AM, PasadenaDave said:
When my car failed smog test awhile ago, the dealer, which had always before been very honest in their charges, said the carbureator was bad, and would cost $1250 to replace. Off to a Honda repair shop which specializes in Honda smog problems, and after they replaced 3 "o" rings (throttle and base) the car passed smog testing fine. Cost? $100. We have indeed reached the throw-away age.

at 3/12/2008 11:09:04 AM, stiggle said:
In this fast paced age, new models replace old models often less than once per year. By designing products with short life cycles, we have indeed moved to the plastic era where everything is disposable (hopefully recyclable) and inexpensive. With so many models changing every year, the replacement parts inventory gets rediculous. But considering the purchase price, repair labor become uneconomical compared with replacement in all but high-dollar items. I believe that we should pay attention to producing products which are highly recyclable or efficiently repairable depending upon the replacement cycle. The old good-cheap-quick trade-off triangle still applies folks!

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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Plastic junk you can’t fix

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