More horror stories

[moniss]

after paying big money for a vehicle. It has gotten to the point where some dealers have the vehicle for more days than the owner. In fairness it is not just Ford and it is not just personal use vehicles but also commercial vehicles of all sizes right on up to semi tractors.

New semi tractors are pushing well over $200,000 dollars for premium brands and the lesser brands aren't far behind. So with a semi truck payment of nearly $5000 per month imagine being told it'll be 2-3 months "maybe" before your parts are in. The moral of the story is look for the old, love them and know they will be there for you. I'm waiting to see if people will wake up and feel the same way about each other.

https://www.truckpaper.com/listing/for-sale/246133073/2026-kenworth-w900l-sleeper-trucks

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Parts get cheap after 20+/- years

Not many on the road, everyone wants a new $75,000 vehicle!

But in old vehicles, some parts can't be found, and there is no incentive to run a batch because so few need them.

[moniss]

3. What I do for my old vehicles

is pay attention to the pricing for certain parts because as the demand slips due to age of the vehicle many suppliers put them on closeout pricing and so I can buy really cheap and have the part on hand well before it's even needed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Haven't watched, but tariff taxes disrupt parts supply chains. Now who is responsible for tariff taxes?

Answer: tRump and his Johnson, Speaker of the House that enabled tRump's tariff actions (unless SCotUS decides otherwise in pending case).

[multigraincracker]

4. I work for a big 3 Company for 30 years.

They are all about marketing and MBAs. Not engineering.

[moniss]

5. I watched a video where a mechanic

demonstrated how, on a brand new F150, the water that runs down from the windshield goes into the drain grates in the cowl and empties out right on top of the great big main fuse box under the hood by the firewall. Now yes it is covered but right next to it are several large connectors for parts of the wiring harnesses and they are right in the open where all of that splash can wash over them along with the corrosive ice melt chemicals used on the roads. They could have designed the channel to direct the water away but could obviously care less.

This is an item one normally wouldn't think to be looking at in a vehicle but it obviously could become a monstrous, recurring problem over the years when those connectors start having problems. Especially considering it never had to happen. Think of paying well north of $60,000 for a deluxe model and then that's the kind of sloppy design you get. Maddening.

[multigraincracker]

6. I use to watch Process Engineers show up

to fix a problem. They’d show up with a mallet and a roll of black for the assembler to fix the fit.
I’d be up in the offices and listen to them bitch about the line workers.

[moniss]

7. I know what you mean and I remember

when the UAW put out a statement that went something like "Your design, your parts but supposedly the problem is us."